Why should you read A Christmas Carol?
A Christmas Carol is an amazing book because it teaches you many life lessons. It teaches you to be grateful for what you have, the consequences of not being selfish, but most importantly it teaches you transformation and that it’s never too late to change. Although this book is a good, the author’s vivid imagination makes the book more difficult to read. I will also show how Dickens addresses the social injustice of the poor laws in the Victorian Era.
The first of the life lessons I’ve learned is to be grateful for what you have. The Cratchit family was always grateful for what they had even when it wasn’t much. Dickens writes,
There never was such a goose. Bob said he didn’t believe there ever was
such
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Ebenezer Scrooge was a very selfish man that felt as though he gave enough. Dickens shows his feeling towards giving donations, when two men asked him to donate to the workhouses Scrooge says, “I wish to be left alone...I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and I can’t afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishment I mentioned -- they cost enough”(Dickens 14). Scrooge does not care about people and although he donates he feels he should not have to because it is not his fault that they are in that situation. Instead of turning the men away he could have gave them something because Scrooge is well off and alone. Later Marly points says, “‘Business!...Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business.’”(Dickens 23-24), this will later show Scrooge how he should stop being selfish because it is all apart of …show more content…
Not an easy time for anyone unwealthy, in England had things called poor laws and workhouses for the poor. Dickens addresses these issues right from the beginning of the book. Scrooge gets visitors who want him to make a donation and Scrooge goes to say”Are there no prisons?...And union workhouses?...The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour.then?”(Dickens 13-14).Scrooge, points out a few of the systems that they had for the poor at that time. The poor laws were split in two categories called the New Poor laws and the Old Poor laws(History of Workhouses). They both were a set of rules and regulations for the non wealthy people. The History of Workhouses, says that people of old age and young age, families and pregnant girls casted out by their family could stay there. The workhouses had strict rules of bathing before entry and not coming and going everyday. Although it was a long entry and exit program many people often did it many times. Workhouses were not fun and people did not want to stay in them. At one of the union workhouses there was a arch familiarly known as the”Archway of Tears”(Entering and Leaving Workhouses). A lot of research could be found on the poor laws and workhouses during the Victorian Era. Dickens did a good job of adding detail into his book to make people think about them and want to know more about
The title to the novella 'A Christmas Carol' this suggests that the story will be a joyful Christian message. 'Christmas' is a time for celebration and togetherness. It is the time for forgiveness, kindness and charity. 'Carol' is a chant which a group of people sing Christmas and Christian songs, so this is meant to be a time where people have fun and are united with family and friends.
In the beginning of the play in spite of being selfish Scrooge is also cheap, cold-hearted, and cruel. Scrooge behaves in this manner to his nephew, Fred. One way of proving this is when Fred said “Merry Christmas.” Scrooge replied salty saying “Humbug Christmas is just a time for spending and wasting money.” Not only he treats Fred badly but many more people. For instance take one of his quotes towards the Gentleman Visitor, “Are there no Jails for the poor, are there no
Another chthonic journey that Charles Dickens faced was his working condition and his pay. Dickens worked at a blacking warehouse. The blacking warehouse was in terrible condition. There were rats everywhere, decaying floors and extremely small rooms. From this job he only earned six pints a week, which is very little to live on. With getting so little money he could barely buy the things that were necessary to live on. Once he bought things that he needed he had little to no extra money. He couldn’t buy any fun things to play with or extra food for a bedtime snack, which meant that at times he had have to go without food or other necessary items.
We also see Scrooge as a bitter, cold-hearted, tight fisted, greedy man, who despises Christmas and all things which engender happiness. Scrooge has only disgust for the poor, thinking the world would be better off without them, "decreasing the surplus population," and praise for the Victorian era workhouses. He has a particular distaste for the merriment of Christmas, his single act of kindness is to give his clerk, Bob Cratchit, the day off with pay.
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens is a tale of the morality changes of a man. The uncharitable, cold heart of the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, melts with ardent love as he receives visitations from three Christmas spirits who enlighten his soul with wise lessons and bring a warm change to his heart. In the beginning of the novel, Scrooge expresses his vices of greed and cold heartedness by his words and actions, but as the story unfolds, his life is renewed by these Spirits who shed light and truth upon him, resulting in making him become a better man, portraying the virtue of charity.
Dickens' Use of Language and Structure to Build Up a Picture of the Joy of Christmas Present
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.
Charles Dickens born February 7th 1812 – 9th June 1870 is a highly remarkable novelist who had a vision to change wealthy people’s scrutiny on the underprivileged and by fulfilling the dream he writes novels. Furthermore, I think that Dickens wrote about poverty as he had experiences this awful incident in his upbringings.
Charles Dickens wrote the novel A Christmas Carol because he believed that he can have an influence on the situation in England in the 19th century(Bio). He included the character’s greed and want that are a part of Scrooge during his visits with the Ghosts of Christmas.
Dickens’ novel, A Tale of Two Cities, has many metaphors, including “the great blue flies,” knitting and the sea to explore the important theme of human inhumanity towards the fellow man into his story. The metaphors are perfect symbols to explain how insensitive and cruel people can be towards one another, despite their pain and suffering. Nevertheless, Dickens includes not only moments for the reader to feel empathy for the victims of the revolution, but also moments of love. This story shows that inhumanity towards the fellow man is a problem in societies that will never be overcome; however, the world would be a better place if everyone strived to have compassion and respect for everyone, regardless of social class, religion, race, or money.
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
Scrooge was a terrible, terrible man. However, after a fantastic night of visions, he transforms into a better man. Patrick T. Reardon wrote in the National Catholic Reporter, that “A Christmas Carol isn’t about a sinner. It’s about a sinner who goes through a conversion experience. (Reardon, Patrick T. "The conversion of St. Scrooge." National Catholic Reporter, 18 Dec. 2015) He says that we are all like Scrooge, and we all have our Bah Humbug experiences; and like Scrooge, we need a conversion in some way. Scrooge is in all of us, but it’s what we do to try and change ourselves that’s makes the story have a happy
The central theme of A Christmas Carol can best be summarized by expressing that greed is the root of disgrace and corruption. The passionate struggle of man should be for love, not wealth. Thus, Dickens advocates virtuousness by suggesting to weigh the choices presented in life to determine the difference between integrity and covetousness, and to always favor integrity.
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.
Dickens knew how hard-pressed life was for thousands of English families in mid-ninteenth century England, and he knew the legal side of such desperation--a jungle of suspicion and fear and hate. He was especially attentive [if] . . . hungry, jobless men, women, children with few if any prospects became reduced to a fate not only marginal with respect to its "socioeconomic" character but also with respect to its very humanity. (575)