Scrooge also has no need to be liked by anyone this is evident in page 3 where Dickens says that “No beggars implored him to bestow a trifle, no children asked him what it was o’clock” which is followed by “But what did scrooge care it was the very thing he liked”. This shows that not only has Scrooge no need to be liked but also that he likes being on his own.
This attitude towards money is a stark contrast to what is see in Stave 5 after the three spirits have visited him. The evidence for this is that he gladly gives to a charity collector who he refused to give money to before. This also proves that Scrooge is as tight with his money as he was in Stave one when he only allowed Bob Cratchitt a small fire in his office.
Scrooges attitude also changes to Bob Cratchitt . In Stave one Scrooge has little care for Bob Cratchitt’s welfare this is shown when he describes his disgust at Bob Cratchitt wanting Christmas day off work. He describes Christmas as a “ Poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket”. His not only shows that Scrooge had no Christmas spirit in Stave one but also that he does not care about his employee Bob Cratchitt. But in Stave five his behaviour changes from being tight fisted to generous as he gives the Cratchitt family a large turkey as well as giving Bob a pay rise.
In Stave one Scrooge is quite aggressive to people who want money from him . For instance when a carol singer called at Scrooges offices Scrooge threatens to hit him with a ruler if he does not leave. This is a contrast to what happens in Stave 5 where Scrooge is asking a young boy for the date after the spirits have visited him. Scrooge gives the boy many compliments such as “an intelligent boy’ or what “a delightful boy”. This boy may be none of these things but this helps show that scrooge has changed
In Stave one scrooge is rather arrogant and assumes that he is always right. On example of this is when scrooges nephew comes into Scrooges offices to wish him a Merry Christmas, scrooge replies by saying “What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money”. Scrooge thinks that anyone who celebrates Christmas is a “fool” and he is the only one who is right. But in Stave five scrooges behaviour changes again one example of this is his changed attitude towards the charity collector. On their previous encounter Scrooge refused to donate money because he said that poor people should be sent to the “workhouses” and that he could not afford to make “idle people merry”. Scrooge shows that he has changed because he has gone against what he once thought was right and accepted other peoples views.
Overall I feel that Scrooges encounter with the three spirits changed his way of life and thinking. Dickens uses different atmospheres to show Scrooges emotions at the time; in Stave one the atmosphere is cold and melancholy but in Stave 5 the atmosphere is bright and jovial. This helps to add contrast along with Scrooges character changes.
Scrooge is a very different person in Stave five than he is in Stave one. Dickens finishes the novel with a happy ending by writing about Scrooge rectify his previous mistakes such as his bad treatment of Bob Cratchitt and the charity collector. This shows that people can change. Finally I feel that Scrooge’s encounter with the spirits helped him become the man he would have been if his past had been different.
