A Christmas Carol by Chales Dickens

723 Words2 Pages

Charles dickens classic novella “A Christmas Carol” endorses the notion that “Generosity involves more than the giving of money, it’s also about the giving of one's goodwill, compassion, sympathy, empathy and kindness. By taking his seemingly irredeemable protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge on a supernatural journey, Dickens’ intends to convey to all of society the importance of generosity. He proclaims that generosity of the spirit defines Christmas, and goes a large way towards defining true humanity for him as well. Throughout A Christmas Carol, we see exemplary examples that generosity is more about the spirit in which something is given than the item itself, from the schoolmaster's offer of food and wine to a young Scrooge and his adoring young sister Fan, or the humble but merry celebration hosted by Mr. Fezziwig and his wife, or even Fred's offer of assistance to a grieving Bob Cratchit in a future that does not come to pass: as Bob says, “Now, it wasn't for the sake of anything he might be able to do for us,so much as for his kind way, that this was quite delightful. It really seemed as if he had known our Tiny Tim, and felt with us." Despite this, the glee exhibited by the family acts as a stark contrast to their circumstances, endorsing the notion that generosity involves more than the giving of money and that the price of giving ones love and kindness cannot be quantified. 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... ... middle of paper ... ...astic change in his life, the realisation that one single person’s generosity can bring about untold jubilance. These acts of generosity demonstrate that Scrooge has had a drastic change in his life, the realisation that one single person’s generosity can bring about untold jubilance. 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.

Open Document