How Did Scrooge Change In A Christmas Carol

English Semester Exam
“Creation is the great redemption from suffering and all life’s growing light. But the creator must be suffering if needed and accept much change.”(Friedrich Nietzsche) Redemption is the action of saving or being saved from sin or error. Ebenezer Scrooge found redemption through changed behavior, dialogue and transformation.
Charles Dickens shows the evolution and growth of Ebenezer Scrooges behavior, throughout the story A Christmas Carol. Scrooge presents initially as an old curmudgeon, who is a greedy, selfish, bitter, crusty, isolated man. This awful man through a series of lessons changes his behavior into a gentlemen, who is merry, joyful, generous, and kind. Ebenezer Scrooge cares very little for his employee, Bob

"I don't know what to do!" cried Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath; and making a perfect Laocoön of himself with his stockings. "I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world. Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!"(pg. 82) Scrooge’s new vocabulary helps the reader to understand the newly found emotions, Scrooge fells about his new and improved self. The phrase “cried Scrooge, laughing and crying in the same breath,” shows us Scrooge appears to be excited and happy for his new life. The phrase “I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angle” helps us to understand his new passion for life. Scrooge begins to say a “Merry Christmas to everybody” these words are showing change in Scrooges attitude towards Christmas. For example, in the beginning of the book when someone said, Merry Christmas to Scrooge replied “Bah!” “Humbug!” In addition Scrooge initially despised Christmas. On page 12 he exclaims, “If I could work my will,” said Scrooge indignantly,” every idiot who goes about ‘Merry Christmas,’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart.” Scrooge changes his old verbiage to “Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!” Scrooge is beginning to act childish. “A happy New Year to all the world! Hallo

Scrooge lacks relationships, and leads a lonely, isolated life. Through the help of the Ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future, he transforms into a jovial, charitable, and generous gentlemen. On page 10 Dickens describes Scrooges personality and physical features. “But he was a tight fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck generous fire; secret and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice.” (pg. 10) Scrooge’s greed gets in the way with his relationships. “Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerk’s fire was so very much smaller, that it looked like one coal.”(pg. 11) Scrooge is also very lonely. For example on page 10 it says “Nobody ever stopped him in the streets to say, with gladsome looks,” my dear Scrooge how are you? When will you come see me?” No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o’clock, no man or woman ever once in all his life inquired the way to such and such place of Scrooge.” (pg. 10) This personality of Scrooge changes when he meets the