![]() It also conflates disability with helplessness and tragedy. However, the Tiny Tim stereotype assumes that we all necessarily want to be cured. Some disabled people want cures and some don’t. However, I knew that I’d always be disabled and that having the range of motion of a non-disabled person wasn’t a realistic goal. I related to the idea that I might get stronger with exercise. I also looked for people like me in stories like A Christmas Carol and religious stories of miracle cures. This passage also contributes to the stereotype of disabled children as special or gifted, often in a spiritual or religious way.Īlso in the 1984 version, Bob Cratchit says something to Tim like: “You’ll be there one day, running and laughing with the other children.” This promotes an idea of overcoming disability. Although I never wanted a cure, I did relate to Tim’s introspection, spending a lot of time alone as a disabled child. Scott.) This historic language is considered ableist today. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas day who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see.” (This passage from the book is quoted verbatim in the 1984 TV movie starring George C. “Somehow he gets thoughtful, sitting by himself so much, and thinks the strangest things you ever heard. I did relate to some aspects of Tiny Tim’s character. By signing up you agree to our terms of use Thank you for signing up! Keep an eye on your inbox. He contributes to stereotypes of saintly, tragically suffering disabled people. In 2018, Derek Newman-Stille wrote: “The trope that I call the ‘Tiny Tim’ is the creation by an author of a disabled character whose exclusive role is to be an object of pity and in need of charity…Tiny Tim doesn’t have a life outside of his role as an object of pity, and his entire existence is about teaching an able-bodied man to be more charitable and share his wealth.” I agree that Tim is almost a one-dimensional character. They all exist to be pitied and helped-their only function in the story. ![]() In terms of character development, Tiny Tim is only slightly better than the starving children named Ignorance and Want who hide under the Ghost of Christmas Present’s robe. In other words, poverty will kill him, while donations could save his life. Without access to good nutrition and medical care, his death is imminent. In 2018, I wrote on Book Riot: “At one extreme, characters like Tiny Tim are objects of pity, whose disabilities make them seem saintlike.” Tiny Tim’s disability is not specified, but he walks with a crutch and looks frail in most productions and illustrations. ![]() As a disabled child seeing one of my first disabled characters ever, my thoughts on Tiny Tim were complicated. As a child, my favorite adaptations of A Christmas Carol were The Muppet Christmas Carol and local theater productions.
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