A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
‘A Christmas Carol’ is a very popular timeless tale written in 1843 by Charles Dickens. The novella tells the story of the main protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, who is a cold-hearted and selfish miser who detests Christmas. Dickens vividly describes his personality; “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.”(Dickens 10). The book’s heavy use of symbolism is noticeable, with the author dividing the book into chapters which the author refers to as Staves. Scrooge is visited by three spirit guides, each of whom has their tale to tell. Each tale is a symbol of the changes that Scrooge has to go through to become a better man. The first spirit is the spirit of Christmas Past with a glowing head which symbolizes memory. The second spirit is the spirit of Christmas Present, who represents charity and empathy. The third spirit is the spirit of Christmas Yet to Come, who has a reaper-like appearance, and this spirit symbolizes Scrooge’s fear of death. In the book, Dickens hopes to show that selfish, insensitive people can be changed to care for others in the society through the use of moral lessons, symbolized by memory, charity, and the fear of death. Memory is used as a symbol to remind Scrooge that there was a time he cared for others and shared emotional connections with other people before he became cold and heartless. Charity and empathy towards others enable him to sympathize with the less fortunate in the society, such as Tiny Tim, whom he adopts and acts as a father-figure. The fear of death serves to remind Scrooge that death is inevitable, and there is either reward or punishment at the end.
The tales narrated by each spirit embody the Christian virtues of kindness, service towards others and generosity during the Christmas season. Despite the setting, the book also offers a modern view of Christmas traditions, which focus more on festivities, giving gifts, and a general aura of joy, and less on the religious significance of the Christmas tradition. The book also contains a political angle, evidenced by the poor and destitute Cratchit family, which is an accurate representation of the struggles of families living in poverty. Dickens connects with the reader’s empathy by showing the emotional richness of the Cratchit family despite the hardships the family is facing. There is a glimmer of hope for Scrooge’s redemption when he forms an emotional connection with Tiny Tim, the youngest, disabled son of the Cratchit family. This breakthrough comes in Stave Three when Scrooge asks about Tiny Tim and expresses his empathy for him. This emotional connection marks the beginning of Scrooge’s change, and in this way, he embraces Christmas and its ideals. Scrooge’s acceptance of a positive outlook towards Christmas reaches a climax when he decides to adopt Tiny Tim, acting as a father figure towards the humble, pure-hearted boy.
Although the book’s setting is in Victorian England, it deeply resonates with the social and political climate of today’s world. It strives to teach the lesson that: each person, while still alive, should make it part of their daily lives to help others at all times and treat everyone with respect and compassion, irrespective of their social and political background. The transformation of Scrooge from a heartless miser to a compassionate human being teaches the reader that the Christmas spirit of generosity, love and compassion towards one another does not need to end after all the gifts have been shared and the festivities have come to an end.
Works Cited
“A Christmas Carol.” SparkNotes, SparkNotes, www.sparknotes.com/lit/christmascarol/section6/.
Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. ed by Broadus, Edmund Kemper [Chicago, New York, Scott, Foresman and company, 1920] Pdf. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, <www.loc.gov/item/20005575/>.