A Christmas Carol is a novel about the reformation of a bitter and selfish business man called Scrooge who changed the errors of his life on Christmas Eve. The novel is structured in the form of a carol; the musical theme is used by Dickens because he calls the chapter’s staves. This helps to bring out the Christmas theme early in the reading of the novel.
Dickens uses a strong description to create an exact, accurate and typical Victorian setting for the reader to get furthermore involved and gain a deeper understanding of the conditions people were living in at the time.
During the early nineteenth century the lower class people of England worked under terrible conditions. The relationships of the main characters used in the novel are great examples to show the poor working conditions the poor suffered because both the middle and upper class took unjust advantage of the lower class and paid them very little sums of money. During this era there was no trade unions so employers took advantage of the poor employees, making them work in hazardous conditions having their lives at risk.
In the Victorian era the Victorians placed a lot of importance on the social status of someone letting it control all aspects of their life. Dickens shows this through Scrooge and Bob Crachits relationship in which Scrooge is of the upper class and Bob Crachit of the lower. Dickens uses Scrooge to show the attitude of the upper class towards the lower, “I don’t have time to make idle people happy”. This indicates that Scrooge doesn’t have any sympathy towards the poor struggling to survive whilst he takes his own wealth for granted.
Stave one introduces the main character Scrooge. Dickens sets of the seen by introducing Scrooge to the reader, Scrooge’s physical appearance is described as “the cold within him froze, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheeks……” His appearance is exaggerated by these terms in order for the reader to visualize how emotionally cold he actually is. Other descriptions of him such as “a grasping, scrapping and clutching old sinner”, his characteristics straight away create the effect that shows he has no feelings and does not care for anyone. Both his unappealing appearance and personality make the audience have an uncaring attitude towards him.
Also during stave one, Scrooge’s ex-business partner Jacob Marley’s ghost visits him, to warn Scrooge of the three ghosts who are still to come. Dickens creates anxiety and suspense while showing Marley’s ghost appearing in all different areas in his house. This frightens the reader. He uses rattling chains, ringing bells and howling wind to introduce Marley’s ghost, leaving the reader feeling shocked by the dramatic entrance.
As Marley’s ghost exits the first of the three spirits arrives, the ghost of Christmas past. Scrooge is required by the ghost to remember his childhood and both the good and bad experiences he has learnt from. The first memory is of when he was a young boy, all alone at Christmas, isolated from the rest. He also meets his ex-boss Fezziwig, who brings up memories that ashamed Scrooge of his evil attitude towards his staff and the kind attitude of his ex-boss towards him.
All three ghosts create a life changing impact on Scrooge’s life. They show him his mistakes and what might happen in the future if he does not change his ways. This causes the dramatic transformation in Scrooge’s character. His attitude towards everything completely changes; he becomes a new person and is no longer a bitter, spiteful old man. It is totally evident that Scrooge becomes a kind and caring character when he says “…. I’ll help you look after your family…” this shows him offering help to Bob Crachit and his son with their medical expenses , this also shows that now scrooge believes there is more to life then just money.
Christmas Carol is still amongst one of Dickens most popular novels. It was published for over a century ago but is still read today by many people, this is down to the moral of the story and the deep felt message it delivers. The transformation in Scrooge’s character leaves the reader with a message that it is never too late to change. Also by changing for the better you feel better about your self this is shown as Scrooge can’t stop repeating the word merry.
The novel combines real life traditions with supernatural elements yet it still carries an important moral theme. Charles Dickens novels criticise the brutality and injustice treatment of the poor in his time. The society was divided between rich and poor. He was a campaigner for social reform in Victorian England, he presents his thoughts and criticises society through the lives of his characters.
In the novel Dickens describes the poor characters to be the most generous, kind and caring people, whereas the wealthiest characters to be evil and uncaring. It shows how people of the nineteenth century society treated each other and how some people changed, also that it isn’t never to late to change yourself. Many readers are inspired to apply Dickens message to their own lives.
