--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The one thing about A Christmas Carol…" description: "\"The one thing about A Christmas Carol that always bothers me is that Cratchit is so sweet and perfect. He's like an Ivy League kid who just is labeled ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/george-saunders-317_bad-habit_the-one-thing-about-a-christmas-carol-th_2332200.jpg" --- # The one thing about A Christmas Carol that always bothers… ![“The one thing about A Christmas Carol that always bothers me is that Cratchit is so sweet and perfect. He's like an Ivy League kid who just is labeled "poor." He doesn't have any bad habits. He's never cranky with his kids.” quote by George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/george-saunders-317_bad-habit_the-one-thing-about-a-christmas-carol-th_2332200.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/george-saunders-317_bad-habit_the-one-thing-about-a-christmas-carol-th_2332200.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/652/george-saunders-317_bad-habit_the-one-thing-about-a-christmas-carol-th_2332200.jpg) > “The one thing about A Christmas Carol that always bothers me is that Cratchit is so sweet and perfect. He's like an Ivy League kid who just is labeled "poor." He doesn't have any bad habits. He's never cranky with his kids.” [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The character is idealized, lacking realistic flaws, which can feel unrealistic and diminish empathy. **In simple terms:** Cratchit is portrayed as overly perfect. Key Takeaway Recognize the value of nuanced characters. Themes characterization realism empathy social class idealization Mood thoughtful critical analytical Type literary philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - reading groups - teaching literature - writing workshops - character analysis Key Concepts literature social critique character archetype Questions to Reflect On - How does idealization affect our connection to characters? - What does this say about societal views on poverty? A Different Perspective Perfection can obscure genuine human experience. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habit/) [Bad habits](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-habits/) [Carols](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/carols/) [Christmas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas/) [Christmas carol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christmas-carol/) [Cranky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cranky/) [Habit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/habit/) [Ivy league](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ivy-league/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) ## Related quotes > [A Christmas Carol is such a fool-proof story you can't louse it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-maltin/a-christmas-carol-is-such-a-fool-proof-story-you-can-t-louse-it-up/) [Leonard Maltin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-maltin/) > [I always liked it when people go back in time to discover things about themselves, like with 'A Christmas Carol' and you're getting a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cusack/i-always-liked-it-when-people-go-back-in-time-to-discover-things/) [John Cusack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cusack/) > [I do find the values in A Christmas Carol significant. 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I know every harmony to every music-hall Christmas song.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zooey-deschanel/i-love-singing-christmas-carols-i-know-every-harmony-to-every-music/) [Zooey Deschanel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zooey-deschanel/) > [Eve engaged her On Duty sign and stepped out of the car. Immediately her ears were assaulted with a blast of music. Christmas carols…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/eve-engaged-her-on-duty-sign-and-stepped-out-of-the-car-immediately/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some, like Ebenezer Scrooge in Dickens's A Christmas Carol, have a hard time loving anyone, even themselves, because of their selfishness. Love seeks to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-e-faust/some-like-ebenezer-scrooge-in-dickens-s-a-christmas-carol-have-a-hard/) [James E. Faust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-e-faust/) > [Most Christmas carols have no obvious religious content, or at least that's noticeable to most people. I mean, it is almost by definition, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-dean/most-christmas-carols-have-no-obvious-religious-content-or-at-least/) [Howard Dean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-dean/) > [I put the copy of 'A Christmas Carol' that my grandfather had first read to me 60 years ago on my desk, and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/whitley-strieber/i-put-the-copy-of-a-christmas-carol-that-my-grandfather-had-first/) [Whitley Strieber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/whitley-strieber/) ## More by George Saunders > [Success is like a mountain in front of you that keeps growing. If you're not careful, it will take up your whole life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/success-is-like-a-mountain-in-front-of-you-that-keeps-growing-if-you/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“Wow wow wow is all I can say! Remember how I always buy lunchtime Scratch-Off ticket? Have I said? Maybe did not say? 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Think about Frank Sinatra, he says: born to sing. Think about Willie Mays: born to play ball.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/a-clinton-staffer-tells-me-his-theory-think-about-frank-sinatra-he/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [We try, we fail, we posture, we aspire, we pontificate - and then we age, shrink, die, and vanish.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-saunders/we-try-we-fail-we-posture-we-aspire-we-pontificate-and-then-we-age/) [George Saunders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-saunders/) > [“You were torturing a cat," she says. "With a freaking prod." "A prod I built myself in metal shop," he says. 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I'm only trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katrina-kaif/when-you-re-walking-at-the-airport-you-re-expected-to-smile-at-people/) [Katrina Kaif](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katrina-kaif/) > [Im not actually this tall, Ive got this bad habit of sitting on my wallet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karan/im-not-actually-this-tall-ive-got-this-bad-habit-of-sitting-on-my/) [Karan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karan/) > [Sometimes it doesn't take much to slip back into bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/didier-deschamps/sometimes-it-doesn-t-take-much-to-slip-back-into-bad-habits/) [Didier Deschamps](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/didier-deschamps/) > [I have the same friends and the same bad habits.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-silver/i-have-the-same-friends-and-the-same-bad-habits/) [Nate Silver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-silver/) > [I don't want to be overdramatic about it, but I'm starting to see a lot of my bad habits get the best of me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-gibbard/i-don-t-want-to-be-overdramatic-about-it-but-i-m-starting-to-see-a/) [Ben Gibbard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-gibbard/) > [The first duty of a Christian, of a disciple and follower of Jesus Christ, is to deny himself. 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