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Tiny Tim (A Christmas Carol)

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Tiny Tim Cratchit
A Christmas Carol character
Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim Cratchit as depicted in an illustration by Fred Barnard
Created byCharles Dickens
Portrayed bySee below
In-universe information
NicknameTiny Tim
GenderMale
FamilyBob (father)
Mrs Cratchit (named Emily in some adaptations)(mother)
Martha Cratchit
Belinda Cratchit
Peter Cratchit
Unnamed sister
Unnamed brother (siblings)

Tiny Tim Cratchit is a fictional character from the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Although seen only briefly, he is a major character, and serves as an important symbol of the consequences of the protagonist's choices.

Character overview

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Tiny Tim is the young, ailing son of Bob Cratchit, Ebenezer Scrooge’s underpaid clerk. When Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present he is shown just how ill the boy really is (the family cannot afford to properly treat him on the salary Scrooge pays Cratchit). When visited by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge sees that Tiny Tim has died. This, and several other visions, leads Scrooge to reform his ways. At the end of the story, Dickens makes it explicit that Tiny Tim does not die, and Scrooge becomes a "second father" to him.

In the story, Tiny Tim is known for the statement, "God bless us, every one!" which he offers as a blessing at Christmas dinner. Dickens repeats the phrase at the end of the story, symbolic of Scrooge's change of heart.

Character development

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In earlier drafts, the character's name was "Little Fred".[1] Dickens may have derived the name from his brothers, who both had "Fred" as a part of their names, one named Alfred and the other Frederick.[1] Dickens also had a sister, Fanny, who had a disabled son named Henry Augustus Burnett (1839–1849) who may have been an inspiration for Tiny Tim.[2][3] It has also been claimed that the character is based on the son of a friend, who owned a cotton mill in Ardwick, Manchester.[4]

Dickens tried other names such as "Tiny Mick" after "Little Fred" but eventually decided upon "Tiny Tim".[5] After dropping the name "Little Fred", Dickens later used it for Scrooge's nephew, "Fred".[5]

Illness

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Dickens never explicitly specified the illness Tiny Tim suffered. In 1992, American pediatric neurologist Donald Lewis proposed as one possibility renal tubular acidosis (type 1), a type of kidney failure causing the blood to become acidic.[6] Rickets (caused by a lack of vitamin D) has been proposed as another possibility, as it was a not uncommon disease during that time period.[6] Both illnesses were treatable during Dickens' lifetime, but fatal if untreated, thus following in line with the Ghost of Christmas Present remarking that Tiny Tim would die "[i]f these shadows remain[ed] unaltered by the Future".

A 1997 editorial in the Journal of Infectious Diseases presented a fictional account of construction workers in London discovering Tiny Tim's grave to speculate on the possible causes of his ailment.[7]

Notable portrayals

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The role of Tiny Tim has been performed (live action, voiced or animated) by:

References

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  1. ^ a b Cowan, Alison Leigh (2009-12-24). "A 166-Year-Old Manuscript Reveals Its Secrets". City Room. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  2. ^ Nelson, Roxanne (24 December 2002). "The Case of Tiny Tim". The Washington Post.
  3. ^ "Charles Dickens Characters List C-D". www.charlesdickenspage.com. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  4. ^ "Charles Dickens". 2007-07-20. Archived from the original on 2007-07-20. Retrieved 2020-09-01.
  5. ^ a b Leigh Cowan, Alison. "A 166-Year-Old Manuscript Reveals Its Secrets" New York Times (December 24, 2009).
  6. ^ a b Lewis, Donald W. (1992). "What Was Wrong with Tiny Tim?". Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine. 146 (12): 1403–7. doi:10.1001/archpedi.1992.02160240013002. PMID 1340779.
  7. ^ Callahan, Charles W. (December 1997). "Construction Crew Discovers Grave of "Tiny Tim"". The Journal of Infectious Diseases. 176 (6): 1653–1654. doi:10.1086/514163. ISSN 0022-1899. PMID 9395386.
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