Features
01 December 2006
Volume 119, Issue 9
Classics Corner: “Christmas Carol”-ing
By: Michelle Anstett
Editor-in-chief
Christmas is a time to get together with loved ones and, in some cases, read holiday classics, such as Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol.”
While most people on the planet probably know the plot of this short novel from either reading the book or watching one of the many film adaptations, I will reiterate it here for the sake of the people who may need a quick refresher course. Ebenezer Scrooge, a London businessman, is history’s most famous skinflint who would rather freeze than add extra fuel to the fire and only begrudgingly allows his clerk, Bob Cratchit, to have Christmas Day off work. Scrooge, who built a highly successful business with his late partner, Jacob Marley, sees nothing but the bottom line and what he can gain from a situation. Late on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by Marley’s chained-up, miserable ghost which warns him he will be visited by three ghosts later that night in an effort to save Scrooge from a similar fate in the afterlife. Unbelieving, Scrooge grumpily retires to bed.
He is later awoken by the Ghost of Christmas Past, a jolly, velvet-clad man who takes Scrooge on a tour of some of his past Christmas experiences. The two visit Scrooge as a young boy, spending his Christmas in a lonely schoolroom, making him regret not giving money to a young boy who begged at his door earlier that day. The next scene is in the same schoolroom, only Scrooge is collected by his sister Fannie to be taken home for the holidays. They also visit the raucous Fezziwig party, which Scrooge attended every year while he worked for Mr. Fezziwig, recalling a happier time in his life. The scene which finally pushes Scrooge over the edge is one in which Belle, his former love, breaks off their relationship because Scrooge has become more concerned with money than anything else.
Scrooge’s next visitor is the Ghost of Christmas Present, who takes him to the home of Bob Cratchit. The two observe the family’s meager but joyful Christmas, focusing a great deal upon the deathly ill young Tiny Tim. Scrooge, moved by the scene, pleads with the ghost to tell him whether Tiny Tim will live, and the ghost foretells an empty chair with an unused crutch. Crushed, Scrooge follows the ghost to his nephew’s party, where the guests joke about the miserly Mr. Scrooge. As the two travel about the city visiting homes of sick and dying people who still find joy in the holiday, the ghost begins to age because his life on Earth is only twenty-four hours long, and that time is drawing to a close.
Finally, Scrooge is visited by the robed, Grim Reaper-esque Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come who shows him a group of people arguing over a dead man’s belongings. The ghost then takes Scrooge back to the Cratchits’, where the celebrations are marred by the absence of Tiny Tim. Finally, the two visit a cemetery, where Scrooge is shown Tiny Tim’s tombstone. The final thing he sees is his own tombstone, and he realizes the miserly dead man everyone has been talking about was him. Desperate to save himself, Scrooge collapses on the grave and begs to be forgiven.
Awakening the next morning, Scrooge earnestly tries to find out what day it is. When a young boy tells him it is Christmas Day, he sends the child to find the best turkey he can find with the intention of having it delivered to the Cratchit’s home. Once all his plans have been set and he has donated to a few collectors, Scrooge stops by his nephew’s party, enjoying himself as he has not done in years. The next day, Scrooge waits for Cratchit to arrive, pouncing on him for being late as if he were angry with him. Instead, Scrooge raises his salary and eventually becomes very close to the Cratchit family. Dickens’ long descriptive sentences serve him well in this novel, as he is able to effectively convey both the starkness of the cemetery and the vivacity of the Fezziwig’s party, showing his readers the scenes instead of simply telling them. In addition, Scrooge’s internal change is convincing, as he is motivated by many different factors to change his ways and become a better man. While this story is widely-known, it holds many lessons for its readers. Scrooge, a greedy, angry man, let his business ventures take over his life, causing him to lose those he loved and almost cost him his life. After realizing the error of his ways, Scrooge makes amends for his wrongs, attempting to set things right again. It holds many important things to tell everyone about charity and forgiveness, letting us all know it is never good to put money above our loved ones.
