Scrooge’s general opinion of Christmas is that a Christmas is a humbug. Scrooge seems to think that you’ve got the right to be a merry when you are rich and that money keeps Christmas well when he says to his nephew ‘’What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.’’
In my opinion, the reader wouldn’t like to become like Scrooge, because Scrooge is cheap, everyone seems to be scared of him, most of the people dislike him and he seems so boring as well. These kinds of people like Scrooge don’t even have friends and even their family does not like them.
Charles Dickens makes us frightened of becoming like Marley’s ghost. The ghost seems to look like very the same as Marley did before he died, seven years ago. Marley’s ghost was in his pigtail, usual waistcoat, tights and boots, the tassels on the latter bristling, like his pigtail, and his coat-skirts, and the hair upon his head. Obviously, like all ghosts it was transparent. ‘’Scrooge, observing him, and looking through his waistcoat, could see the two buttons on his coat behind’’ this quote means that when the ghost is transparent, which all are, you can see-through. The ghost had a long chain, it was so long that it wound about him like a tail; Scrooge was observing it closely, it seemed that it was made of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and also heavy purses wrought in steel. When the ghost says ‘’I made it link by link, and yard by yard’’ he means that the chain was made because of all the wrong things that he did, so the chain is very strong and heavy. Marley has been punished like this because he did not have spirit in his life-time, a Christmas spirit. If Scrooge would not change, his way upon the Christmas and if he won’t have Christmas spirit, Scrooge will have extremely longer and heavier chain than Marley’s, also; Scrooge will need to carry it with him everywhere.
The ghost message that we apply to ourselves is not to be like Scrooge at the moment and like Marley in the post, which is because we will be punished like Marley was. The reason why Marley came to Scrooge is to give him a message that it is time to change and look at Christmas in other way. If Scrooge changes he will have a chance of escaping from the chains.
Dickens makes look Christmas enjoyable by introducing us to other people in the play who makes Christmas enjoyable.
Fezzewing is one of the people who keep Christmas well, by having a Christmas spirit. Also Fezzewing closes his shop early so that labours won’t have to work long on Christmas evening and also that people will have time to get ready for a party which was organised by Fezzewing, ‘’Yo ho, my boys! said Fezzewing. No more work tonight. Christmas eve, Dick’’. Fezzewing was joyful himself in the mood, and he was such a nice person when organising a party ‘’Clear away my lad’s, and let’s have lots of room here!’’ Fezzewing says this so he can make a lot of room for a Christmas party. Fezzewing party was inexpensive as it says ‘’ The happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune’’ this quote means that money isn’t everything and you do not need wealth to cheer people up and make a great party where everyone has so much fun.
Mr Cratchit is the second person that I am going to introduce to us, who makes somehow Christmas enjoyable.
Mr Cratchit and Mrs Cratchit makes Christmas well by having a Christmas spirit and even when they don’t have money, they’re still able to keep the family happy at Christmas time. ‘’Cratchit’s dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap’’ this quotation shows us that Christmas is not a celebration where it has to be expensive as Scrooge thinks, everyone can make Christmas enjoyable even on a budget. ‘’Young Cratchits danced about the table’’ this quotation shows us that they actually where enjoying Christmas. Another quote which says ‘’It might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas day’’ means that family will remember this Christmas day, because they had so much fun and the time spent on Christmas day will be stuck in their memory. Cratchit’s family seems to be very nice to each other, we can see this by looking at this line ‘’It was sufficient dinner for the whole family’’ meaning that there was enough dinner for the whole family and it shows that they can cope with it.
Scrooge’s nephew is the last person that I am going to write about how he makes look Christmas enjoyable. Fred is very cheerful and happy. Even he does not have money, unlike his uncle; Fred can manage and live without millions. Scrooge’s nephew believes that money does not give happiness. Fred does not make a big fuss when his uncle says that Christmas is a humbug, because he feels sorry for his uncle Scrooge, that he does not have Christmas spirit, and he thinks he is so happy but everyone can see that he is actually unhappy but he never will accept it. Fred’s conversation with Scrooge’s niece was about how Scrooge hated Christmas and what was his problem with it, as we see when Fred says ‘’I couldn’t be angry with him if I tried. Who suffers by his ill whims!’’ suffering by his ill whims in other words mean that Scrooge is ill from his own needs, he is ill from what he wants so if he does not want to celebrate Christmas, Scrooge must be distress mentally by some kind of illness. Fred also states ‘’ He looses some pleasant moments’’ indicating that Scrooge looses moments when all family and friends get together having such a nice Christmas while Scrooge ‘’enjoys’’ himself in his mouldy office which seems to him be more pleasant than being with family instead. Scrooge’s nephew keep Christmas well by being happy and joyful on Christmas day, having Christmas spirit and being nice to others, also trying to make other people happy. Even without money he can manage it and himself he is very happy.
Charles Dickens is interested in people keeping Christmas well, even if they’re poor, they don’t need money to have a Christmas spirit. The reason why Dickens is interested in this, is because when he was a child, Charles experienced how it feels of being with no money. While Dickens father spent couple of months in prison, Dickens was only twelve and he had to work in a Bottle Factory which he hated. Charles thought that rich people should help the poor.
In ‘Christmas Carol’ Dickens makes readers feel sorry for the Cratchits family, who are poor. He does this by introducing us to Tiny Tim who is very sick and is in danger of dying, also by describing families’ dinner which is sufficient dinner for the whole family. Even though they are pour, the family can share the food between each other so there is going to be enough for every person in he family.
There were lots of poor people in London in Dickens times because of the Industrial Revolution which caused many people to move to London and work in very bad conditions in the factories. At this time, many of poor people were leading to death because of life conditions they had.
The second spirit shows Scrooge that he should help the poor and be kind to them because if he does not try, some people that he knows, could die. When Scrooge enquires the spirit ‘’ Tell me if Tiny Tim will live’’ the ghost’s response was ‘’I see a vacant seat’’ meaning that the ghost can see empty seat where Tiny Tim always sits. Ghost suggests to Scrooge that if he does not do something and if something does not change, Tiny Tim will die.
In my opinion, what Scrooge could do is be kind and raise Mr Cratchits salary because at the moment Scrooge is being cheap and gives very little to poor man for hard work. Tiny Tim’s illness can be solved if the family would have money, and this is the Scrooge’s choice what he is going to do for this poor family.
The Ghost of Christmas yet to come is the third spirit. This spirit shows Scrooge what will happen to him if he does not change. Ghost shows Scrooge different people’s reactions to the dead man which is being robbed and so uncared that he is like the food for rats. One woman’s reaction was when she said ‘’ He frightened everyone away from him when he was alive, to profit us when he was dead! Ha, ha, ha!’’ she meant that everyone was frightened of the man, but when he eventually died, people took his money from him, they took his shirt and bed curtains. This is the vision of Scrooge when he will die, he’ll be alone and unloved. Tiny Tim, who is actually poor, is better off than Scrooge, who is rich, when he is dead because Tiny Tim has people who love him, who care for him, and who will visit his grave when he dies. When Scrooge is going to die there won’t be anyone who will visit his grave because he is going to be unloved and the people will treat him as he did treat them. Scrooge is going to be like dead man in ghost’s vision, being robbed and alone.
The reader wants to be like Tiny Tim rather than like Scrooge when they are going to die because we want to die loved, and we want someone to visit our grave. The reader must be kind, forgiving, believe in Christmas spirit, unlike Scrooge, if they are to avoid this future, Charles Dickens frightens us of ending dead and unloved.
Scrooge seems to be happier at the end of the book rather than at the beginning. He is happier at the end of the book because he has decided to make amends in, we can see this by looking at this quote ‘’Time before him was his own, to make amends in!’’ meaning that Scrooge is scared what can happen in the future to himself, Cratchits’ family, his nephew Fred. Scrooge decided to change because is he continue there will be bad things happening because of him. Scrooge keeps Christmas well by going to church, sending large turkey to Cratchits’ family, going to Fred’s house for dinner, and even when Bob Cratchit arrived to work late, Scrooge did not say anything about his lateness, one of the things that he said was ‘’Merry Christmas!’’.
I think that the reader would want to be like Scrooge at the end of the book because he became a good man, who has started to believe in Christmas spirit, helped poor people and was kind to them. I think that the book’s message is that people should be charitable, kind, forgiving, nice to each other, so we wouldn’t have ignorance in society.
Charles Dickens has convinced me in the way of the importance of keeping Christmas well. The reason is that by reading his book I’ve understood more about the Christmas and how we should be at the Christmas time. Personally, this book gave me a story that sometimes makes me think what would happen if this will be happening in real life.
By Beata Sebeckyte 11JB
