Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, 1843
Given the festive time it felt right to finish off a year of writing a little report/review every week on one of Charles Dickens’ most well known stories. A Christmas Carol is widely known and has a variety of adaptations, the story itself is riddled with meaning and offers many life lessons. Interestingly it came up as a chapter in We Come To Life Through Those We Serve as the final phase (Stave Five) of A Christmas Carol shows Ebenezer Scrooge serving others.
The depiction of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is an iconic aspect of this story and ultimately informs the change in Scrooge that facilitates his service to others. The dickensian situation of the story is highlighted through the plight of the Cratchit family and the common understanding of a miser will immediately create images of Scrooge. His rejection of an invite from his nephew and his lack of empathy for others are the foundation on which his transformation take place. In addition this transformation is seen as part of the Christmas spirit and certainly the idea of gifts and spending time with loved ones is now synonymous with the festive period.
The story itself is so well known that there need not even be a summary of it but the ability to analyze it and the ways to do so are very large. Seeing the story analyzed as a chapter in a book already read highlighted how different readers can take different lessons from the same story. The ghosts offer an opportunity for Scrooge to observe his own life from a different perspective and the opportunity itself is incredibly transformational. No one ever truly gets to know what others think of them or at least how they are perceived. The culmination of seeing where his current path leads as well as seeing the love of the Cratchit family highlights to Scrooge the superficiality of his life as he embraces the spirit of generosity.
The darkness of the story transforms in the final stave as Scrooge goes about addressing the actions he took only the previous day. The lessons though are clear and the unequivocal suggestion that living in a spirit of generosity is evident through Scrooge’s transformation. The lesson is also clear in the situation of Bob Cratchit who despite being incredibly poor and working for Scrooge still lives generously and provides for his family. The Ghost of Christmas Present is particularly important in this situation as it introduces Tiny Tim and highlights how no change will lead to his death. The ability of generosity in this situation to change the direction of lives around you is epitomized by the case of Tiny Tim. The change in Scrooge not only vastly changes his own life but dramatically improves the lives of those he deals with.
No one will truly have the same experience but the idea that in some situations your life could flash before your eyes is one that has been credited as transforming the lifestyle of people. A Christmas Carol shows the importance of priorities in life and lands on emphasizing the value of family, love and generosity. Within this is the importance of empathy as Scrooge sees the Cratchit family and begins to understand Bobs situation. This is an iconic Dickensian novel and the story is known worldwide for a reason. The lessons are simple but meaningful and should make any reader question what in their own life is superficial. The transformation of Scrooge and his eponymous association with the term ‘miser’ are held as common arguments for the superficiality of wealth. The Cratchits are represented as far wealthier due to the loving family environment and generosity to those around them. This was a timely reminder of what is truly important and also a timely story for the last post of the year.
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