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The leading character in A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, has become an icon of what it means to lack a Christmas spirit. Ebenezer Scrooge possesses a title much like “The Grinch”; his name conjures the thought of a man who through stinginess steals away happiness from everyone around him. Scrooge’s foil in the story, Bob Cratchit, characterized as a man of humble means, possesses an unyielding spirit for the Christmas season. Dickens’s religious readers could describe Cratchit as full of Christian charity, while they would call Scrooge a man untouched by biblical principles. However, the distinction between Cratchit and Scrooge’s Christianity cannot be cut so clearly. The biblical principles surrounding diligence and fair wages align with economic values of efficiency and mutually beneficial trade; however, the Bible also requires much more of employers who must combine justice and mercy, these requirements clash with every rule of free trade. Bob Cratchit, the ideal worker, who has a heart of contentment and generosity; this is what Dickens wants his readers to believe, but a closer look shows Cratchit hardly pulls his weight. When Scrooge hired Cratchit, they both agreed to the wages Cratchit would be paid. Since neither side entered the agreement by force, their agreement must have been mutually beneficial. Cratchit traded his services for Scrooge’s wages and both benefitted from specialization, Scrooge from Cratchit’s clerk skills and Cratchit from Scrooge’s brilliant accounting. Matthew 20 tells the story of workers who agree to a set wage, but then complain about their pay when more employees are hired and paid twice as much for the time they work. Cratchit, like the workers, agreed to the terms of hire because he fou... ... middle of paper ... ...pay him more so Cratchit can raise his family out of poverty. The biblical principles of diligence couple uniquely with the requirements of providing for the poor. Evaluated on different standards, Scrooge may not be entirely the amoral business man Dickens presents him as, nor Cratchit the inculpable clerk the who Scrooge sorely takes advantage of. Works Cited "Bible Gateway." BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. Nov. 2013. . Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. Gadshill Edition ed. London: Chapman and Hall, 1897. Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library. 1993. Web. Nov. 2013. .
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.
In the 19th century in the Victorian period there was a huge difference in the way the rich and the poor live. The Victorians believed in "self" help" so the poor did not have a lot of help with money or equipment to get. work or do it? So most of the poor had to work in dangerous factories. Scrooge himself believed this was a good thing as he believed in "self."
In the story, “A Christmas Carol”, Scrooge goes through many changes, one of Scrooge is him being one of the most closed minded people in his hometown to the most thoughtful person. This happened when the Ghost of Christmas Present visited Scrooge and showed him Cratchit and his family. Little did Scrooge know one of Cratchit’s children, Tiny Tim, was dying. Him seeing this showed Scrooge what his little pay to Cratchit was doing. As a result, Scrooge began to feel a little more thoughtful and raised Cratchit’s salary in hopes of being able to raise enough money to cure Tiny Tim and to support his family. Doing this, Scrooge became like a second father towards Tiny Tim.
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.
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..."
"Bible Gateway." BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. 06 May 2014.
Remuneration can lead to hostility in social groups. The Gift of the Magi, written by O. Henry, has a synopsis of two people who willingly devote their hard-earned money for each other, although they hanker for a renovated lifestyle. They are a bit morose when dealing with their living situation. On the other hand, A Christmas Carol, scribed by Charles Dickens, tells a story of an affluential man who indulges in downright fruitless behavior towards humans and, after an abundance of procuration, is goaded by three spirits to culminate his lifestyle. People treat others miscellaneously based on wage as evinced by their contrasting outlooks on the world, conversiality of sacrificial choices, and relationships toward others.
It’s December of 1801 and the whole town is decorating, dancing, singing, and laughing as they get ready for a near holiday: Christmas. All but one pessimistic, obdurate cripple of a man. His name is Ebenezer Scrooge, an undermined old male swathed in dark clothing. He is typically found strolling the streets on Victorian London with poor posture, eyes locked on the cracked sidewalk beneath the soles of his shoes. Slumping along, carolers cease to sing near him and nobody speaks when in his presence. Scrooge is a prejudging business man who hurries to be left alone and disregards cheer. He is obdurate and blind to the consequences of his actions. Sudden wealth brings a snobbiness when his business partner dies, and as a result, his one true love divorces him, sending him into a state of hatred and regret. With this evidence to back it up, Scrooge can be perceived as a negative, crippling man with little tolerance to change. However, things are bound to change with the visitation of the wraiths: the Spirits of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, an inevitable change that be...
BibleGateway.com -. Web. The Web. The Web. 14 Mar. 2014.
Bob Cratchit was Scrooge’s only employee. He is a very joyful, and kind man. Though him, his wife and four kids are living in poverty, he has a great attitude every day. No matter how much work he does for Mr. Scrooge, he is always so parsimonious to Cratchit.
Scrooge is a great example of the wealthy, who never gave to the poor and would rarely put money into charities. Dickens was appalled by the conditions the working class had to endure. “Dickens felt that self-interest, uncontrolled, subject to the passions and desires
"Bible Gateway." BibleGateway.com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 100 Versions and 50 Languages. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Nov. 2013.
Swisher, Clarice, Ed. “Charles Dickens: A Biography.” Readings on Charles Dickens. San Diego, Greenhaven Press, 1998. Print. 21 March 2014.
...t, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within [him]." With this still resonating in his mind, he jumps out of bed and immediately begins setting things right. He buys a turkey bigger than Bob Cratchit's son and sends it to him, and instead of being rude to the Poulterer, he pays for a cab to get them to Cratchit's home. He then goes out with joy in his heart and bumps into a man who asked him to donate money to the poor the day before. As opposed to being unkind and cruel, the new and improved Scrooge donates a large sum of money to the cause happily. This kind, happy, and generous man is a complete change from the stingy and unkind Scrooge from Christmas Eve. If someone this awful can change, anyone and everyone can do the same. They just need a little push in the right direction.
On page 75, she states, “There is nothing on which it is so hard as poverty; and there is nothing it professes to condemn with such severity as the pursuit of wealth.” Dickens’ goal of this passage is to explain the how Scrooge’s fiancee feels about his search for financial satisfaction. While she views his scavenge for wealth as a negative endeavor that puts money before her, Scrooge views the wealth he yearns to gain as a way to fill the empty pit of his childhood and adolescence of poverty. This statement shows how an item usually looked down upon as pleasing does not always bring an equal amount of joy to one as another, exhibiting the statement of money has different value to different