Here in stave one Marley’s ghost emerges and informs Scrooge that it is necessary for him to change otherwise he will have to bear a chain much the same as Marley. Through his old colleagues spirit Scrooge learns that he needs to alter whilst there is still time. Marley expresses his own sorrows to Scrooge and Scrooge believes that his own personal senses are deceiving him and he says, ‘ “ A little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats.” ’ Here Scrooge evidently states that he doubts that anything beyond reality exists, nevertheless, Marley’s visit will be certain to reside within his mind throughout the visits of the other spirits.
Scrooge represents Victorian society through many factors; there are four key ones, which represent the majority of Victorians.
The first is hatred. Scrooge hates Christmas and everything to do with it. ‘ “Merry Christmas! What right do you have to be merry?!” ’ He doesn’t want to spend time with his family at any time of the year and doesn’t see why Christmas should be an exception. He doesn’t want to spend time with his family because as a child his immediate family were not loving and kind towards him. Because of all this Christmas is a very unhappy time of year for Scrooge and because of that fact he doesn’t want anybody else to enjoy it. This also represents selfishness. Most Victorians were both selfish and jealous, faults that generate hate towards those who have what they want.
The second factor is disrespect. Scrooge shows great disrespect to a lot of people, including the gentlemen collecting for charity. “I wish to be left alone… since you ask me what I wish, gentlemen, that is my answer. I don’t make myself merry at Christmas, and I can’t afford to make idle people merry.” I think he says this because he thinks the gentlemen are below him. This represents Victorian society because back then the class system was more enforced than it is now.
Scrooge doesn’t realise but in being disrespectful to the gentlemen, he is disrespecting God. Because by refusing to share and not making good use of his wealth he is not following the 10 commandments.
The third is rudeness. One of Scrooge’s traits is his rudeness towards others in society. One major example is when he is introduced to the carol singer. As he is a miserable person who, probably, detests having to move too fast normally, suddenly to do this obviously shows how much effort is involved to try and scare this young pauper. Plus, it can be said throughout the era of the Victorians, carol singing and other social things of a similar meaning could normally be linked to biblical stories. So in hindsight it could be blasphemy (yet not as a major incident). Plus, it’s just basic rudeness as it states with Scrooge’s manner… “With an ill will Scrooge…” It means that he is ill mannered and will show no mercy no matter the pain he has caused or the consequences.
The final factor in the statement is greed. Scrooge portrays this throughout the story very clearly but there is a plain yet critical bit at the beginning where it involves Belle (his love not to be). “I believe that you would choose a dowerless girl… I do; and I release you…” Well this single quote portrays a vast amount of greed from Scrooge. For instance it mentions dowerless girl. Now dowerless means a sort of inheritance yet it would be given to Scrooge instead which would make him wealthy without having to actually work and still earn money. However, Belle is not rich nor wealthy (with money but with other factors of her personality) which Scrooge does not find ‘attractive’ as this basically entitles that he’s going to have to work and provide for his ‘family’. So with this incident that has compelled these two, Belle, obviously hurt and tearful, decides that it’s best to halt the relationship and walk away, no matter what the consequences.
Scrooge remembers his sister with few, yet fond, memories. “Always a delicate creature, whom a breath might have withered… but she had a large heart.” Although he didn’t spend much time with her (because his father sent him to boarding school) he loved his sister very much and had quite a close relationship with her. However this does not reflect in how he treats his nephew. ‘ “She died a woman,” said the ghost, “and had, as I think, children.” “One child,” Scrooge returned. “True,” said the ghost. “Your nephew!” Scrooge seemed uneasy in his mind, and answered briefly, “Yes.” After the visits of the three spirits, Scrooge starts to recognise the similarities between his late sister, Fan and her son Fred and therefore starts to treat him with respect. After all Fred is the only family Scrooge has.
“They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being waterproof; their clothes were scanty… But they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the time.” So, with this, it is apparent towards us, the readers, which even though he’s greeted with this repulsive family embedded with poverty, there is still a glimmer of hope for this enlightening time of season. Furthermore, it is becoming even more recognisable that the spirits have transported his beliefs about matters like these, as he states the obvious, but in a mild way he contradicts himself as he’s going back on his original morals and starts to show some affection and emotion towards these who are worse off than him. Where as in the past (technically all his life) he wouldn’t have fluttered an eyelid… “If they would rather die… they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.”
At the end of the novel, Scrooge learns how to be polite to others around him. When he passes the two gentlemen, whom he’d been rude to the day before, he asks for forgiveness for his actions. “That is my name, and I fear it may not be pleasant to you. Allow me to ask your pardon.” Here Scrooge shows that he has changed and that he is proud of his name and the person attached to it. Here he also displays that he is ashamed of the way he acted towards them when they came to collect money for the poor. He also asks for forgiveness for possibly the first time in his life.
Scrooge awakens, on Christmas morning, a much happier man. He is delighted to be alive and reminisces the night’s events, which have now compelled him to be a better, more improved, man. “I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy, I am as giddy as a drunken man! A merry Christmas to everybody!” He leaps about rapturously not believing his fortune, and is extremely vivacious.
Scrooge changed in many ways after the visits from the three spirits. He is now charitable without seeking credit for himself, which is a complete contrast to before when he refused to donate any money to charity and was very rude to the ‘collecting’ gentlemen.
An example of this change of character is when Scrooge is buying the turkey for Bob Cratchitts family he says, “I’ll send it to Bob Cratchitts… He shan’t know who sends it!”
I think this is very noble of him because Bob Cratchitt would’ve been very grateful to him and this also would have changed the rest of the Cratchitt’s family, especially Mrs Cratchitt (who expressed her great dislike of Scrooge on Christmas day) perception of him. However Scrooge does not want this glory because it defeats the object of sending the turkey – he wishes to remain anonymous.
He also learns that Christmas is a time for forgiveness and for being with family. “He went to church, and walked about the streets, and watched the people hurrying to and fro, and patted the children on the head, and questioned beggars, and looked and looked down into the kitchens of houses, and up to the window; and found that everything could yield him pleasure.” He already knows that there is no profit in celebrating Christmas, however he now realises that this is not the point and he should appreciate the joy that the Christmas season conveys. He finds delight in everything, even things that previously vexed him. “He never dreamed that any walk – that anything – could give him so much happiness.”
Now with this quote it sounds pretty pointless with a lack of emphasis yet if you look it will become apparent that the little things are beginning to affect his beliefs on Christmas and what its consequences are (not in a bad way). Furthermore, it was showing that he would never even dream of changing his actions towards Christmas so therefore with that, it obviously shows with the dramatic information he has had inflicted on him, has really motivated him for the Christmas season.
I think in general Dickens is trying to tell the Victorian audience that it is possible to change for the better. He shows this through Scrooge when he pays a visit to Fred, his nephew. “He was at home in five minutes. Nothing could be heartier… Wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, won-der-ful happiness!” Here I think Scrooge is in disbelief that his nephew still wants to know him and doesn’t denounce him because of what he said earlier when his nephew visited him in his office. And so we learn that there is change in everybody and sometimes it can be a surprise.
