How can one truly be happy? According to psychologist Karyn Hall, radical acceptance of oneself is the only way to live a happy, healthy life. In Charles Dickens’s novel, “A Christmas Carol”, the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, declares that he will live in the past, present, and future. By the end of the story, Scrooge radically accepts himself, learns to love others, and copes with his anxiety. Scrooge’s declaration to live in the past, present, and future demonstrates his ability to overcome his suffering and become empathetic of the world. Although it is not possible for Scrooge to completely overcome his anxiety, he learns to radically accept it. Scrooge’s journey towards radical acceptance begins with a visit from Ghost of Christmas …show more content…
When Scrooge dies, no one comes for him or cares that he has died, “He lay, in the dark empty house, with not a man, a woman, or a child, to say that he was kind to me in this or that, and for the memory of one kind word I will be kind to him.” Scrooge only ever did things for his own benefit, and this is reflected by how little people care for him after he is gone. However, Scrooge is not necessarily doomed to die alone and miserable. When Scrooge declares that he will live in the past present and future, the Ghost of Christmas Future disintegrates, “Holding up his hands in a last prayer to have his fate aye reversed, he saw an alteration in the Phantom 's hood and dress. It shrunk, collapsed, and dwindled down into a bedpost.” As Scrooge radically accepts his past, the Ghost of Christmas Future no longer depicts the future Scrooge is destined to have. The Ghost has shown Scrooge a possible future: the future that will occur if Scrooge does not change his ways of greed. The future that the Ghost represents, one of misery and loneliness, no longer exists. For Scrooge to live the rest of his life in happiness, he has to radically accept his past, which he has repressed, and the present, which he has ignored. At the end of the book,Scrooge embraces the spirit of giving, and thus is able to alter his
Dickens displays guilt as the main form of how Scrooge’s character develops into a compassionate person by the end of the novella. As Scrooge feels this quilt, it's purely based on the visions that the ghosts provide which further causes Scrooge to realise the consequences of his actions. His alienation from specific characters that he used to love such as Belle, “...has displaced me…” whom left Scrooge, due to his desire for money and wealth which grew. This desire grows with him as he is rejecting the christmas joy and spirit as he continuously states that Christmas is a “humbug,” but by stating this it provides comparison. Dickens depicts that Scrooge has become a better person because of fear but in the end he has become kinder. As the
Throughout the play, A Christmas Carol, we learn that change begins simply. As stated by Robin Sharma, “Change is hard at first, messy in the middle, and gorgeous at the end.” Luckily Scrooge changed directly like what Robin Sharma’s quote stated. When he had the help of the three ghosts it was hard in the beginning, messy in the middle, and truly gorgeous at the end. Unfortunately, Scrooge believed that he will suffer too many hardships to change and became a stingy, greedy, and cold-hearted old man. Since Scrooge thought it was hard to change he didn’t think it was worth the time and effort to do it. Luckily for Scrooge, Past, Present, and Future helped him out so he could change. In conclusion moving forward Scrooge will transform into a new man, he keeps Christmas in his heart all year round and will spread love and joy to
(Dickens 11) During the visit of Christmas Past, Mr. Scrooge traveled through the past from another’s perspective, instead of his own. (Video 1984) To Mr. Scrooge, Christmas is no longer a bah-humbug. No matter what medium you watch A Christmas Carol, there will be one moral: greediness and selfishness will result in a depressing life with loneliness surrounding you. This was the message the three Christmas spirits delivered in conclusion, welcome family and friends into your life, and you will enjoy a jubilant life.
Behaving wrong could ruin many friendships. Especially the ones you love. A Christmas Carol is a perfect example of this. It shows how greed and anger can destroy some great companionships. The main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is the very greedy man of this play/movie. All he cares about is making money and using it all on himself. Until he gets visited by three ghosts which are the past, the present, and the future. This drama and movie have many similarities, yet many differences.
Often, readers don’t hear their protagonist shouting phrases such as “Bah!” and “Humbug!”, yet Ebenezer Scrooge is known as the prime character in the novel A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens. Right off the bat, the reader can notice Scrooge is known for being bitter, self absorbed, selfish, and cruel. Over the course of the book, the reader will reevaluate the main character and notice he becomes warmer, joyous, and pleasant. Growth and prosperity have both taken place by the end of the novel.
The play “A Christmas Carol – A ghost story of Christmas” by Charles Dickson, directed by James Black in Houston, TX was performed in a similar way in “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickson, directed by Michael Wilson in Washington, D.C. The both plays had similarities and differences throughout the play in which demonstrated different creativity from the different directors. The rating that was given by the reviewer of the play in Washington gave a 5 out of 5 star rating. For the play that I went to watch the rating I would give it would be a 5 star rating.
How and why does Ebenezer Scrooge change throughout “ A Christmas Carol?” Scrooge changes after seeing himself dead in the future. There are several quotes throughout the story to help prove this. This essay will show only three of these, one from the beginning, one from the middle, and one from the end. Scrooge thought he would never change, but it turned out that he was wrong.
He is taken to the streets of his town. Scrooge sees three businessmen discussing his funeral. They say that they thought he would never die. They also say that they will only go to his funeral if there is food there, but if there is no food they don't plan on attending. Nor, do they even think that there will be a funeral because there will be no one willing to pay for it because he was such an awful person. Scrooge is unable to put two and two together to figure out that this was what was going to happen to him. He thought that they were talking about his ex business partner, James Marley. Next, Scrooge sees people discussing things that they would want to sell for money. They then begin discussing how they had taken it off dead Scrooge’s body after he had died. They explain how they had taken the very clothes he was wearing right off of his back and just left him there. They took everything they thought they could make money off of. Scrooge, while watching the scene, realizes that this is an awful thing to happen to someone, but still does not understand that it is him that they are talking about. Finally, Scrooge is taken to his grave with the Ghost Of Christmas Future. The ghost points at the grave and gestures for him to get in it. Scrooge pleads, and pleads with the spirit to allow him to live, and after a while of begging, the ghost shakes a little bit and puts his finger down. “Spirit, this is a
At the beginning of the novel, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Scrooge isolates himself from humanity. To isolate means to be alone and apart from others. He isolates himself and doesn 't care about other people. As the novel progresses, he begins to attach himself to humanity through the memories he is shown, and he starts to care about other people again. He makes a transition between total isolation to starting to become less detached from humanity throughout the first 3 staves. His journey, led by the spirits who show him the past and present, make him become a better person in the end. Scrooge goes on a journey from total isolation to becoming more attached to humanity throughout the first three staves in the novel, A Christmas Carol,
It is hard to believe that there is anyone on the planet that hasn't heard of the story "A Christmas Carol". Although it isn't hard to believe that people do not realize that there are differences between movies and novels. In this case, that fits right into that subject. Here are some of the differences between the movie and the novel.
“hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse.” “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!” (Dickens, Stave 4, Page 84) Finally, Scrooge changed for good.
Charles Dickens’s powerful novel encompasses the notion that generosity involves more than just the giving of money, it requires the giving of one's goodwill and compassion, this required for Scrooge’s own redemption as well as attempting to insinuate within the reader a reflection of their own values and behaviours. Dickens’s novella also acts to warn Scrooge and the audience of the ramifications of their actions if they do not take this into consideration, that generosity always involves more than just the giving of money, it requires the giving of one's goodwill and compassion.
In "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge undergoes a transformation as a result of his encounters with three ghosts and becomes a kind, happy, and generous man. His greedy, cruel, and grumpy demeanor is replaced seemingly overnight, but he doesn’t just wake up and decide to be nice. It takes three Spirits to change his outlook on life - The Ghosts of Christmases Past, Present, and Future. The Ghost of Christmas Past makes Scrooge begin to regret his selfishness, and the Ghost of Christmas Present begins to teach him about others. This second Ghost helps to make him realize that money doesn't buy happiness. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, however, teaches the most profound lesson of all: unless he changes, no one will care if Scrooge dies. Because of the Ghosts, by Christmas morning Ebenezer Scrooge is a completely different person from the man who went to bed on Christmas Eve.
In summation the Novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge was an unhappy man who was given the chance to change. The ghost that prompted this the most was the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The ghosts all showed us something different about Scrooge, but the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come was literally the final nail in the coffin of Scrooge’s humbuginess! In the end Scrooge was a changed man, who was more merry than could be. He never again question the spirit of
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966&2000) explains not only the life of the Grinch but the Whos as well. Through the theorists of Karen Horney and Erik Erikson, viewers can learn why the Grinch’s personality is formed. Not only had it formed, but through the years it transformed.