Who or what is responsible for Scrooge's change of character in 'A Christmas Carol'?

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Who or what is responsible for Scrooge's change of character in 'A Christmas Carol'?

‘A Christmas carol’ written by the Unitarian and well respected Charles Dickens narrates the novella of the dark and exploitative nature of man whom embodies the story's main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, renowned as a cantankerous and callous Industrialist of the Victorian era. He exercises his parsimonious, gluttonous ways on Christmas Eve and intentionally refuses Christmas festivity. Indeed, A Christmas Carol is a severe and scathing diatribe on the social conditions of the time and the nature of man that exploits those conditions. Dickens therefore employs the four ghosts as a necessary measure to redeem the compassionate full humanity, and restore harmony to society. Christmas is seen as the best season to revolve this revolution, as it is the time Christ was born, which is symbolic of new life, and therefore a restoration or ‘rebirth’ of Scrooge. This is done over a series of ghosts, each fundamental to reconnecting the time synapses of Scrooge’s life, and therefore allowing his redemption.

Dickens uses onomatopoeia to describe Marley's dramatic entrance, "The cellar-door flew open with a booming sound." This experience with Jacob Marley is full of suspense and tension and the use of the word "flew" indicates that the involvement of Marley is dramatic. This helps to evoke fear because of its suddenness. The cellar door could also represent the opening to the changing of Scrooges character. Its opening could resemble Scrooges ability to revert his ways.

When Marley's ghost appears, Dickens' varies the length of the sentences, 'Do it then', 'I don't' and 'I do. I must' to show his hesitation, and fear of the supernatural. This is the same attitude he inherits with the poor and celebration. As Scrooge gets used to the presence of the ghost, he asks more questions, which shows the immediate transition in Scrooges character. Marley informs Scrooge that 'I wear the chain I forged in life'. This discourse indicates that you ‘reap what you sew’ and therefore though the poor whom may be imprisoned literally by ‘chains’ it is the rich whom suffocate them that are emotionally in chains, through their guilt.

He takes Scrooge back to his childhood when he was neglected as a child, which making him in a nostalgic mood, 'Oh Heaven! I was bred in this place. I was a boy here'. The conjunction of the Christian discourse “Oh Heaven” and “I was a boy here” would implicate that his youth was beloved, and the nostalgic “Oh” would suggest his overwhelming desire to revisit his youth. This would therefore suggest his regret for not continuing his compassion for a full humanity.

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He is reminded of Fezziwig’s benevolent demeanour and good business ethics as, 'he has the power to render us happy or unhappy', as does Scrooge. This conveys that Scrooge is in the same position now that Fezziwig was in then, and the word “render” is a connotation of the word “dictate” meaning that Scrooge has the ability to “render” his employee Bob “happy or unhappy”. Employers literally held this power, as in the Victorian era, many immigrants escaping the potato famine in Ireland led to fewer jobs, and a plight for large working class families, and resulting in wages being ...

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