Character Development
It has been claimed that the character is based on the invalid son of a friend of Dickens who owned a cotton mill in Ardwick, Manchester. However, Dickens had two brothers both with "Fred" in the name; a younger called Frederick and an older named Alfred. Alfred died young. Dickens tried other names such as "Tiny Mick" after "Little Fred" but eventually decided upon "Tiny Tim".
Also, Dickens had a sister named Fanny who had a disabled son named Henry Burnett Jr. Tiny Tim did not take his name from Fanny's child, but the actual aspects of Tiny Tim's character are taken from Henry Burnett Jr.
Later, after dropping the name "Little Fred" Dickens instead named Scrooge's nephew "Fred".
Read more about this topic: Tiny Tim (A Christmas Carol)
Famous quotes containing the words character and/or development:
“Have you not budged an inch, then? Such is the daily news. Its facts appear to float in the atmosphere.... We should wash ourselves clean of such news. Of what consequence, though our planet explode, if there is no character involved in the explosion? In health we have not the least curiosity about such events. We do not live for idle amusement. I would not run round a corner to see the world blow up.”
—Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862)
“There are two things which cannot be attacked in front: ignorance and narrow-mindedness. They can only be shaken by the simple development of the contrary qualities. They will not bear discussion.”
—John Emerich Edward Dalberg, 1st Baron Acton (1834–1902)