Consider the following two passages from Charles Dickens's *A Christmas Carol*.

Passage A (narrative voice): "Scrooge, a man of solitary habits, kept his door shut and his heart tighter. He counted his money as if each coin were a life he could not afford to lose."

Passage B (narrative voice): "He felt a sudden chill, as if the very air were stealing his breath; the thought of the poor man's plight settled deep within him, and for a moment the hard edges of his mind softened."

What narrative technique is employed in Passage B, and how does it affect the reader's empathy towards Scrooge?

Question

Consider the following two passages from Charles Dickens's *A Christmas Carol*.

Passage A (narrative voice): "Scrooge, a man of solitary habits, kept his door shut and his heart tighter. He counted his money as if each coin were a life he could not afford to lose."

Passage B (narrative voice): "He felt a sudden chill, as if the very air were stealing his breath; the thought of the poor man's plight settled deep within him, and for a moment the hard edges of his mind softened."

What narrative technique is employed in Passage B, and how does it affect the reader's empathy towards Scrooge?

Accepted Answer

Free indirect discourse; it lets readers hear Scrooge's inner thoughts, increasing empathy

Gce Model Questions Vol1 2022 Literature In English Question 3

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