Published in 1843, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is a powerful novella of a man's journey of self-redemption during the Industrial Revolution in Britain. Scrooge, the protagonist of this holiday classic, learns to appreciate his own existence, only after being presented insight into the struggling lives of the lower class and the joy shown at Christmas despite this, courtesy of the mysterious Christmas apparitions. After witnessing his own gloomy childhood and the happiness he once possessed, Scrooge is impressed by the constant happiness shown by his nephew, Fred, able to sympathise with the Cratchit family, and is appalled and devastated by grotesque figures Ignorance and Want, eventually leading to his rehabilitation. The Ghost of Christmas …show more content…
Past escorts Scrooge to emotional places of his past, and is one of the most influential scenes for Scrooge, who would not have been able to redeem himself without first being reminded of who he was.
When the childlike spirit introduces itself to Scrooge, Scrooge "begged him to be covered", referring to the jet of light protruding from its head, with the cap to which the spirit clutched. Dickens intended for stream of light to symbolise ones memories, while the cap signifies the ability one has to forget or 'extinguish' the occurrences of their past if they choose to do so. Scrooge's initial unwillingness to view his former self suggests that he has abandoned those memories as a result of the sadness they produced. However much like Scrooge observing that he "could not hide the light" once the extinguisher-cap had be placed on the childlike Spirit, Scrooge can neither hide from the past. Scrooge first faces his 'younger self' in his old boarding school, where the Spirit defines him as a "solitary child, neglected by his friends", to which Scrooge sobbed. This is the first moment Dickens intends for the audience to feel sympathy towards Scrooge, as well as entailing the first moment since Marley's Ghosts visit that the old miser is shown to regret the bitterness he has been displaying to everyone, when he refers to the boy singing a Christmas Carol. Scrooge states that he "should like …show more content…
to have given him something". This is the first of many new emotions for Scrooge, who goes on to display empathy towards the son of his deceased sister Fan, who was shown as a young and cheerful girl in the vision. As well as remorse towards the way he has previously treated his employee Bob Cratchit, after seeing his former jovial boss, Mr Fezziwig, and the generosity he showed. Scrooges difficult childhood begins to explain why Scrooge became the corrupted man he did and the happiness at which he enjoyed life under the command of Mr Fezziwig, shows the man he could be again. These scenes were all equally important for Scrooge to remember and had to be witnessed by Scrooge to help him on his journey to become a better person. Third paragraph: (cratchit family) Scrooge thinks very little of the lower class and insists that they fend for themselves without intervention from the wealthy, until he witnesses the Cratchit's Christmas dinner.
During the first stave Scrooge was cruel and unnecessary in his treatment of his employee and out rightly acknowledged this when articulating “my clerk, with fifteen shillings a-week, and a wife and family talking about a merry Christmas. I’ll retire to Bedlam”. Scrooge here, although fully aware of his employees struggling living conditions, continues to exploit Cratchit and his desperate need for an income, no matter how small. This lack of charity towards the Cratchit family and the community in general takes a complete alteration by the conclusion of the novella, in which Scrooge becomes "a second father" to Tiny Tim. This change begins to materialise when Scrooge first sees the disabled, yet positive Tiny Tim. Dickens intended for Tiny Tim to be the ….. and represent innocence and
vulnerability. Scrooges new found care for this family is truly shown when Scrooge eagerly asks the Ghost of Christmas Present if Tiny Tim will survive, and gets the response that he will not. Scrooges earlier attitude is then forced upon him when the Spirit repeats his earlier words "are there no prisons?","are there no workhouses?"
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
Scrooge was and owner of a factory and made a whole bunch of money, but he did not care about anyone else. “Merry Christmas said his nephew, what right do have to be merry you are poor enough”. This shows that scrooge is mean to family and does not care about Christmas.
On Christmas Eve , Scrooge is gone by a progression of ghosts,starting with his old business accomplice, Jacob Marley. The three spirits follow,the Ghosts of Past , Christmas present and Christmas future ,show how his ,mean conduct has influenced everyone around him. Toward the finish of the story ,he is soothed to find that there is still time for him to change and we see him changed into a liberal and kind hearted person.
In Conclusion, in the 1st Stave Dickens presents Scrooge as an evil, aged, prosperous man. As you read the Staves 2, 3 and 4, Scrooge’s behaviour, thoughts and attitude changes gradually. In Stave 2 a quote to show how shrude Scrooge is 'All he could make out was that it was still very foggy and extremely cold' this shows that Scrooge is an unpleasant ‘a covetous sinner’. This has an effect upon the reader as it shows how the cold weather can hurt and be distasteful to people just like Scrooge. Scrooge is described as the weather as he is like it; he hurts the people around him. Finally, in the 4th Stave he changes and he admits it, here is a quote “Spirit!'' he cried, tight clutching at its robe, “hear me! I am not the man I was.” This shows Scrooge is pleading that he has changed. I think he has transformed because of the experience he had by the four spirits.
According to the text in the second stave it phrases that Scrooge has reciprocated, just because he always keeps meditating
In the play, Mr. Scrooge is a greedy man who thinks Christmas is “Bah Humbug!” (Dickens 3). His family has always wanted him to join them for a Christmas feast, but Mr. Scrooge has never wanted anything to do with Christmas. Marley, Mr. Scrooge’s old business partner, didn’t want Mr. Scrooge to end up like him with chains of greed attached to him when he died, so he sent Mr. Scrooge three spirits: Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Those three spirits visited each day to haunt him about his Christmases. Eventually, he traveled with two of the three spirits, but when the spirit of Christmas Future arrived, Mr. Scrooge realized that he would die in a few years. Ebenezer begged for mercy and promised to celebrate Christmas with joy and festivity. (Dickens 7-32) After the haunting with the spirits, Mr. Scrooge woke up and asked a boy what day it was. When the little boy, Adam, replied that it was Christmas, he ordered the boy
work for a long working hour and not get any break or time off at any
The first of the Three Spirits is the "Ghost of Christmas Past" which represents Mr. Scrooge’s memory. Memory here serves as a reminder to Mr. Scrooge that he is still emotionally connected to other people, despite his withdrawal. The first memory that sparks Mr. Scrooge’s feelings is the scene from his childhood: the little boy Ebenezer that had to spend the Christmas holidays alone at his school.
Scrooge, was able, to repent himself from living a life full of sorrow and he learned to appreciate everyone, even the poor people. The Cratchit family always showed a positive attitude even with their poor living conditions. The Victorian age, marked a significant impact on all the poor families that were unable to speak up, causing them to allow other people to feel higher than they were. Fire is a light symbol in this story. The fire, was able, to open Scrooge’s mind and ask for forgiveness. Warmth, was spread across the town, even to the tiniest places that cannot be seen. Hope was the only thing that the low-class families never lost. They kept a firm in their wishes that someday, Scrooge would change.
Little did Ebenezer Scrooge know, this was going to be the kickoff to a substantial journey on his night of Christmas Eve. The ghost of Christmas past had the appearance similar to a child, yet it had some characteristics comparable to a lit candle. This ghost took Scrooge to all of his most painful memories leading up to his present day position. After brief reminders of these incidents, Scrooge started to get melancholy. Events from his schooldays, his engagement, and even his happy apprenticeship with his former boss Fezziwig provided enough insight for the main character to visit his childhood. Scrooge then got an unexpected visit from the ghost of Christmas Present. He took the display of a gigantic man, dressed in a green robe. This ghost helped provide an insight for Scrooge on what his acquaintances were doing on Christmas Eve night. Bob Cratchit, had a dinner with his family and could barely afford any food due to his low wage from Scrooge. Lastly, Ebenezer received a visitation from the ghost of Christmas yet to come. The ghost was strictly straightforward with Scrooge’s future if he kept acting similar to what he did. The three ghosts provided a prolonged climax to the story, giving Ebenezer a direct turning point in his actions and beliefs. He had adjusted to not making
In this Stave, Dickens shows the importance of kindness by showing Scrooge’s absence of it and the effects of his harmful indifference. Scrooge is taken into his own past and shown memories of when he was young. The Ghost shows him scenes of when he was small and alone on Christmas. This memory makes him regret his harshness towards a young caroler that had come to his door the previous day. He sees that he lacked kindness and wishes he gave something to the caroler. His indifference towards the caroler insured that Scrooge would remain alone. The Ghost also reminds Scrooge of his beloved sister, Fannie who had died and left only her son. “’Always a delicate creature, whom a breath might have withered,’ said the Ghost. ‘But she had a large heart!’ ‘So she had,’ cried Scrooge. ‘You’re right. I will not gainsay it, Spirit. God forbid!’ ‘She died a woman,’ said the Ghost, ‘and had, as I think, children.’ ‘One child,’ Scrooge returned. ‘True,’ said the Ghost. ‘Your nephew!’ Scrooge seemed uneasy in his mind; and answered briefly, ‘Yes.’” (pg. 33-34). Scrooge’s only connection to his kind and gentle sister is his nephew, who also shares Fannie’s sweet nature. Scrooge is then filled with regret because of his callous treatment and lack of relationship with his nephew, who only wanted to be kind and spread the joy of the season. Scrooge’s sheer indifference and lack of kindness towards his nephew prevented
During the story, Scrooge is visited by the Ghosts from Christmas past, present, and future, who shows the ill-tempered Scrooge how to be feel compassion towards others human beings. A large quantity of the story revolves around money, and it plays a large role, to contrast how generosity is viewed in society. Scrooge is incredibly wealthy, as he lives a l...
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
The novel introduces Scrooge as a man of greed. This is shown in the first stave when Scrooge's clerk Bob Cratchit can barely keep warm by such a small fire "that it looked like one coal." Because of Scrooge's greed, he insists on storing up on his wealth by burning less coal, despite it's lack of warmth. Furthermore, one can notice Scrooge's greed as he refuses to give any donation from his surplus wealth to the poor and destitute that the collectors were raising money for. Scrooge's selfish response to the collectors was, " 'I wish to be left alone...I don't make merry myself at Christmas, and I can't afford to make idle people merry..."
Meeting the Ghost of Christmas Past begins the first stage of Scrooge’s transformation: regretting his actions. When Scrooge is shown his younger self alone in his classroom on Christmas, he regrets chasing a Christmas caroler away from his door. The Spirit skips ahead a few years to show him a happier time. His sweet little sister Fan arrives to take him home, and this is his first Christmas in a long time that is spent with family. Unfortunately, Scrooge doesn’t see it that way; seeing this scene makes him “uneasy in his mind” as he thinks about the way he treats his nephew Fred. Instead of treating him like his only family member, Scrooge denies invitations to Christmas dinner every year and is rude whenever Fred speaks to him. He doesn’t have time to dwell on this for long, however; Scrooge has many other important things to think...