Mood Of A Christmas Carol Essay

How does Dickens convey mood and atmosphere in ‘A Christmas Carol’?
‘A Christmas Carol’ is a novella by Charles Dickens which has a moral about the spirit of giving and being kind to one another and raising awareness of poverty in the 1800’s. The main character is a grumpy man who only cares about money, called Ebenezer Scrooge; he has no Christmas spirit and is very selfish. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by a series of ghosts: his old business partner who died, Jacob Marley, The ghost of Christmas past, present and yet to come. It was written in 1843, when Britain had the Industrial Revolution, which means the city was very polluted, Dickens describes some of the situations throughout the novella to make the reader feel guilt for everyone

It starts off with the second of three spirits: The spirit of present. Unlike the other spirits, he is very welcoming and the mood is warming and jolly, “Bright gleaming berries glistened. The crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe, and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there; and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney, as that dull petrification of a heath had never known in Scrooges time, or Marley’s, or for many and many a winter season had gone (…) there sat a jolly giant, glorious to see; who bore a glowing torch (…) Come in! And know me better, man” Stave three is like the middle of stave two at Fezziwig’s party. The Christmas spirit is full, everyone is having a good time and the Fezziwig’s are welcoming and warm-hearted, like the spirit of present, “Fuel was heaped upon the fire; and the warehouse was as snug, and warm, and dry, and bright a ballroom, as you would desire to see upon a winter’s might (…) shaking hands with every person individually as he or she went out, wished him or her a Merry Christmas.” This could of been shown to Scrooge to make him realise and notice the people all through his life that have been happy and had Christmas spirit. Dickens also could have included this to show the wealthy people that you don’t have to be ignorant and selfish and you could be welcoming to the poverty. Dickens believed and wanted the

In stave one it is quite dark and miserable, like stave four. This shows the future will be the same as his life now but the people around him will be affected by his mood and emotions. Stave two is very jolly, showing Scrooges past was happy and he once was a happy person. The music was loud and a lot of people were smiling and having a good time which is a contrast of stave four in the Cratchits household but when Scrooge dies, everyone is happy and is excited to get a profit and hope, “We may sleep tonight with light hearts, Caroline!” Stave three is like stave two, everyone is having a good time, this shows Scrooge hasn’t changed the people around him, emotions. The spirit of present is showing that if he changes now, he won’t change everyone’s mood and the atmosphere for good. The atmosphere overall goes from being miserable at first, to happiness and full of Christmas spirit, back to sadness. This shows the past was a happy place and to remind Scrooge he can become happy again if he is reminded what made him