A christmas Carol
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Introduction
How does Dickens use the character of Scrooge to teach his readers moral and social lessons? Charles Dickens was born in 1812 near Portsmouth, where his father was a clerk in the navy pay offices. His family was very poor and his father was put in prison for debt. Young Dickens was sent to work in 1823 to a blacking warehouse to support his family. Dickens' poor upbringing made him very sensitive to the plight of the poor in society when he was older. Most of the books that Dickens wrote dealt with the issue of poverty; his main aim was to send the message through society that the poor needed charity and generosity. He wrote 'A Christmas Carol' to point out the differences between the rich and the poor, and to encourage the rich to share their wealth and help the poor, and the needy. The book would have mainly been read to children, but it is an allegory and it has a deeper meaning than it first appears, so the adults who read it out would have a better understanding of it and the important moral it contains. ...read more.
Middle
Scrooge is then taken to another past where he goes to the warehouse where he was first apprenticed. In the book it says 'His heart and soul were in the scene, and with his former self.' This quote shows that Scrooge's heart begins to soften again. Scrooge is now taken away from this scene and taken to a scene of a younger version of him and Belle, the women he once loved. This is the day that Belle tells Scrooge she is going to release him because he is becoming too obsessed with his job and money. She observes then 'another idol' has replaced her. In the present day Scrooge begins to feel guilty and demands the Ghost to remove him from that place, but the Ghost of Christmas past brings him to the final memory. Belle is now married with a husband, talking about how much of a lonely man Scrooge now is. With this, Scrooge demands the spirit to take him back home in which the Ghost finally does. The spirit has made Scrooge remember the days when he had the ability to love and care for others, yet what his love of money has cost him in life. ...read more.
Conclusion
Scrooge is horrified and he tells the spirit that he understands the warning that this could be how his life ends if he doesn't change his ways. The spirit then takes scrooge to the dead mans room. The body is lying in its curtain-less bed with the sheet concealing its face. The spirit points at the bed, hinting that Scrooge should pull back the sheet, but Scrooge cannot do it. He is too frightened. He feels great pity for the poor man with no one to mourn him, and he assures the spirit that he will not forget the lesson he has learned by it. Then he asks the ghost, "'if there is any person in the town who feels emotion caused by this man's death, show that person to me, Spirit, I beseech you!'" Before him, appears a young wife waiting for her husband, on his arrival he tells her that the cruel man they are indebted to has died. She cannot help but feel happy that scrooge cannot worry them no more, although she knows it is wrong to think like that. This stave is a very religious one. ...read more.
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