Charles Dickens’s life was quite a hard one and can almost be seen when reading ‘Oliver Twist’ published in 1837-1839 as serialization, and ‘Hard Times’ published between 1849 and 1870, the year he died. The descriptions of poor life are so detailed in these that they could only be from close hand experience.
During the Victorian times the ‘Social Problem’ novel was very popular amongst novelists like Dickens. Mrs. Gaskell, also a Victorian novelist, wrote many social problem novels and once said of novelists and writers that:
“It was a duty to give a voice to dumb suffering.”
This basically means that if you have as much power, as writers do, to influence people then you should. Thomas Carlyle was a famous historian and philosopher at the time influenced writers of social problem novels, such as Mrs. Gaskell and Charles Dickens, to write them.
“I imagine that a few of the gentlefolks of Cranford were poor, and had some difficulty in making both ends meet; but they were like the Spartans, and concealed their smart under a smiling face. We none of us spoke of money, because that subject savoured of commerce and trade, and though some might be poor, we were all aristocratic.”
This is an extract from the book Cranford written by Mrs. Gaskell in 1853. In this quote you can see that is was as clear as daylight she was talking about the problems with Victorian views of the poor but manages to write about it so naturally that it is as if she was not writing a ‘Social Problem’ novel. Thomas Carlyle, a famous historian and philosopher of Victorian times, also said:
‘Popular opinion is the greatest lie in the world.’
This means that people who go along with the belief that poverty is your own fault are lying to themselves for the sake of fitting in with the crowd. As well as saying that Thomas Carlyle also said:
‘The greatest of faults, I should say, is to be conscious of none.’
In that Thomas Carlyle is saying that it is more of a problem not to be aware of the problem with poverty than the problem of poverty itself. This is similar to the way that Dickens has used the two children ‘Ignorance’ and ‘Want’ because if they are ignored, like the problems of Victorian society, there is a danger that is pointed out to Scrooge by the spirit of Christmas present, as the child ‘ignorance’ has doom written on his forehead, so being ignorant of the poor would spell out certain doom for the Victorian people. Dickens uses the supernatural story to house this particular social problem novel as it was a very popular style of writing. By using a supernatural story Dickens can get his views to a whole new type of audience. The social problem novel would normally only appeal to those who had political views but supernatural stories attracted a much wider readership.
‘A Christmas Carol’ begins with a description of the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge was the partner of Jacob Marley who died 7 years previous to the start of this novel, on Christmas Eve, which is also the night he returns. Scrooge owns a small business which has something to do with finance but we cannot be certain as we are not told exactly what it is. Scrooge has a single employee who is called Bob Cratchitt. Cratchitt is poorly paid at just ‘fifteen bob a week.’
Scrooge despises Christmas and because of this his dead partner Jacob Marley comes to visit him on Christmas Eve to tell Scrooge that he will be visited by 3 spirits. The first of the spirits is the spirit of the past. The second is the spirit of the present, and as you can probably guess, the third is the spirit of the future. The spirits show Scrooge the shadows of those three times. The spirits guide Scrooge and from seeing these three things Scrooge changes his mind about Christmas and starts to, not only, celebrate Christmas on December 25th ,but also, in his heart all year round.
Scrooge is the protagonist of the novel and in the first stave a negative opinion can be perceived. Scrooge is seen as a very cold hearted man whom we get from his actions at Marley’s funeral “He was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral.”
On Christmas Eve Scrooge is visited by two men who ask Scrooge if he will give them some money to help the poor. Scrooge refuses and says:
“’Are there no prisons?’ asked Scrooge.
‘Plenty of prisons,’ said the gentlemen, laying down the pen again.
‘And the union workhouses,’ demanded Scrooge, ‘are they still in operation?’
‘They are. Still,’ returned the gentleman, ‘I wish I could say they were not.’” Scrooge is then asked what he will give them to which he replies ‘nothing.’
Scrooge could afford to quite happily give them some money but won’t because he is miserly. Therefore Scrooge is the spokesperson for the views of Victorian society. Many people could afford to help the poor and to stop them being sent to the poor house but they don’t, just like Scrooge.
Although Scrooge is rich and could afford to live a comfortable life he doesn’t, “Scrooge took his melancholy dinner in his usual melancholy tavern.” Scrooge is, on the other hand, easily scared. When visited by his former partner Scrooge is alarmed, “He tried to say ‘humbug’ but stopped at the first syllable.”
Jacob Marley is the first paranormal character that appears in the novel and is first seen in the door knocker of Scrooges house.
“Without its undergoing any intermediate process of change-not a knocker, but Marley’s face.”
Jacob Marley gives Scrooge quite a fright when he appears in Scrooges chamber’s, “The same face, the very same. Marley, 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. The chain he drew was clasped about his middle. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made (for Scrooge observed it closely) of cashboxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel.”
Marley came to inform Scrooge about his visits from the three spirits and also tells him that unless he changes he will have a chain longer than Marley’s, “’You will be haunted by three spirits.’”
The first of the three spirits is the spirit of the past. This spirit is quite strange, “It was a strange figure- like a child, yet not so like a child as like an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium, which gave him the appearance of having receded from the view and being diminished to a child’s proportions.”
This spirit shows Scrooge the shadows of his past and proves to us that he had an imagination. This is because Scrooge once read the ‘Arabian Nights’ which is an original supernatural story. We also learn that Scrooge once enjoyed Christmas. When he was an apprentice Scrooge’s master was a man called Fezziwig, “Yo ho, my boys!’ said Fezziwig. ‘No more work tonight Christmas Eve, Dick. Christmas Ebenezer!’”
With Scrooge being treat that well as an apprentice it is quite a surprise to see that he probably one of the worst employers of Victorian times. He makes his employee, Bob Cratchitt, work long hard hours for little pay and almost refuses to allow him Christmas day off. Scrooge has hardly taken ‘Fezziwigs’ example of an employer seriously.
Scrooge is then taken to his first and last love, Belle. Scrooge fell in love with her when they were both poor but Scrooge became greedy and fanatic about money. At this point she let him go:
“‘It matters little,’ she said softly. ‘ To you, very little. Another idol has displaced me; and if it can cheer and comfort you in time to come, as I would have tried to do, I have no just cause to grieve.’
‘What idol has displaced you?’ he rejoined.
‘A golden one.’ “
This tells us that Scrooge has moved his love from Belle to money.
Scrooge is then taken back to his bedroom where he awaits the second spirit.
Scrooge is greeted by the Spirit of Christmas present who takes him on a journey around London. The spirit is a large, jolly ghost. The room has to be resized to fit him. He wears a simple green robe and has kind clear eyes. This spirit is intimidating. The ghost does not wear shoes but has a holly wreath around his head. He has dark brown hair, which is curly, and is one of 1800, at least. The spirit shows him the streets of London at Christmas this year and also takes him on a flight.
The first place of significance that is visited is the home of Scrooge’s copy clerk, Bob Cratchitt. His family are preparing Christmas dinner and Bob is out with their crippled son Tiny Tim. The family are poor so cannot afford a big Christmas dinner but they talk about it as though it is a feast fit for kings. From the sight of Tiny Tim Scrooge feels bad about Bob’s salary. Bob is paid 15 bob a week which today works out at £0.75. After their dinner they make a toast to Mr. Scrooge. Scrooge asks the spirit about Tiny Tim with which the spirit replies “I see a vacant seat. In the chimney-corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved.”
Although medical science was very limited in Victorian times Tiny Tim could still be helped by doctors. But without a better wage Bob can’t afford it. It all comes down to Scrooge in the end. If Scrooge did pay bob more it wouldn’t be as much of an issue and the spirit of Christmas present probably wouldn’t see an empty seat by the chimney and a crutch without an owner.
Once they have finished at the Cratchitt household the spirit takes Scrooge on a flight to a miners hut a ship and a lighthouse. All these places have one thing in common they are all singing and making merry their situation with it being Christmas day. The flight is made to point out to Scrooge that no matter what their situation is they are all celebrating, like he should.
The final place of call is Fred’s house. Here Scrooge sees that his nephew is having as much fun as everyone else. He also finds out his true feelings for Scrooge. They play a game in which they answer questions to find out what person place or thing a person is thinking of. In this case Fred is thinking of Scrooge and he says something nasty:
“An animal, a live animal, rather a disagreeable animal, a savage animal, an animal that growled and grunted sometimes, and lived in London, and walked the streets, and wasn’t led by anybody,” to which everyone concluded that it was his uncle Scrooge.
The final thing this spirit does is to show Scrooge two children which cling to the spirit’s legs. There is a boy and a girl under the spirit’s robes. They are called Ignorance and Want and the spirit claims that they are man’s. The spirit tells Scrooge to beware of them both “’ Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing is erased. Deny it!’”
Scrooge asks the spirit if there is any refuge for him and his words from the first stave are echoed by the spirit: “’ Are there no prisons?’ said the spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. ‘Are there no workhouses?’”
This is just showing how hurtful those words can be. Now that Scrooge has seen those children that are poor and need help he can see how much he could help. It is a shock to him to hear those words and to really see where the money could have donated would have helped.
Scrooge is then left alone by the spirit of Christmas present. The bell strokes twelve and the Spirit of Christmas yet to come enters. This spirit is the one that looks the most frightening. This ghost looks like the Grim Reaper without his sickle. Scrooge is scared of this spirit the most. His face is never seen and it never speaks. “It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed it’s head, it’s face, it’s form and left nothing of it visible save one outstretched hand.”
This spirit takes Scrooge round London in the future on Christmas day. They first see some business men that Scrooge knows. They are talking about the death of ‘Old Scratch’ the business men talk of him as though he was quite rich:
“’What has he done with his money?’ asked a red faced gentleman with a pendulous excrescence on the end of his nose, that shook like the gills of a turkey cock”
“’Left it to the company perhaps. He hasn’t left it to me that’s all I know”’
“’it’s likely to be a cheap funeral.’”
“’I don’t mind going if lunch is provided’ ‘But I must be fed if I make one.”’
Scrooge is then taken to the pawn broker’s shop where he sees four people in the shop. Three of them have brought things with them to pay off their debt. These people have taken these things from ‘Old Scratch’ and couldn’t care less that they were his belongings. The first person was a man who did not have much but he did have a seal or two, a pencil case, a brooch and some sleeve buttons. The next person was a woman called Mrs. Dilber. She had some sheets and towels, some teaspoons, sugar tongues and some boots but not much. The third and final person was the laundress who was obviously a ruthless woman. She had taken the bed curtains of the dead person and even the very shirt he was wearing at the time she was there. She had also taken his blankets. These people remarked that if they hadn’t have taken his things someone else would have done because he had no real family and he did not need them any longer. This is Dickens’s way of showing that poor people will do anything to stay out of the workhouses and prisons. These people will do anything to stop there families and there lives been as badly affected as Dickens’s was. This is almost an autobiographical part of this book because like these people Dickens’s family would have done and did do anything they could to stay out of Debters prison and the workhouses. Scrooge asked the spirit to take him to a place where there are some people that are affected by this death and show some emotion. The spirit takes him to see a young couple who are in debt and are both happy and sad that he has died. They are happy because on the one hand their debt could now be erased due to his death and on the other hand the debt could have been passed on to someone else. Scrooge is taken to see the dead man but daren’t look at his face in case it is Scrooge. This also upsets Scrooge. The spirit then takes him to the Cratchitt house. The family are upset coping with a death but not the death of ‘Old Scratch,’ Tiny Tim has died. The children take Tiny Tim’s death better than his parents. Mrs. Cratchitt is very upset and is crying when Scrooge sees her.
“The colour hurts my eyes,’ she said. The colour? Ah poor Tiny Tim! ‘They’re better now,’ said Cratchitt’s wife. ‘It makes them weak by candlelight; and I wouldn’t want to show weak eyes to your father when he comes home, for the world.’”
Bob walks slower without Tiny Tim on his shoulders and he misses Tim the most.
“’I have known him walk with Tiny Tim upon his shoulder, very fast indeed.’”
“’But he was very light to carry.’”
We know Tim is dead because of the past tense verbs used in these sentences. Tiny Tim is still in his bed and Bob who misses him the most often goes to see him.
“He left the room, and went upstairs into the room above, which was lighted cheerfully and hung with Christmas. There was a chair set close behind the child, and there were signs of someone having been there lately. Poor Bob sat down if and when he had thought a little and composed himself, he kissed the little face.
This upsets Scrooge who then listens to them talk of Bob meeting his nephew Fred earlier on and saying that if they needed any help he would help them.
Scrooge is then taken away by the spirit. Scrooge questions the spirit and asks him if these shadows can be changed. The spirit, as ever, does not reply. Scrooge is taken to a cemetery and is shown a grave stone that has his name on it Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge clings to the spirit and starts begging. The spirit, all of a sudden, turns into one of Scrooge’s bed posts.
The final stave sums up the story. Scrooge asks a boy in the street what the day is to which scrooge is told that it is Christmas. He tells the boy to go and buy the biggest Turkey from the grocers and then sends it to Bob Cratchitt’s house. Scrooge takes up his invitation and goes for Christmas dinner at his nephew’s house. The next day Bob is late to work. Scrooge plays with Bob and gets angry but then tells him that he is getting a raise. Bob does not know how to react but then sees that Scrooge is serious and he is happy. The men who were asking for money for the poor house are given enough money for this year and back payments as well by Scrooge. And .of course, Tiny Tim lives.
‘A Christmas Carol’ is a social problem novel wrapped up in the supernatural style. Of course it works very well as a supernatural story as it has all the criteria needed for one. Dickens has written this book very well and gets the message across that the image of the poor is completely wrong. The book’s true moral is a hidden one that is picked up sub consciously by the reader. You may think that the moral of this story is that if you share your love and fortune you will be happier than if you keep them locked away for no one to see. The true moral of this story is that the poor need help by those that can afford to help. It does not matter whether your next door neighbour thinks that it is their own fault that they are poor. You should always help. Although not as autobiographical as his other novel’s this one still mirrors some part of his life. This novel is not the only one of Dickens’s that has a social view wrapped up into a different genre but it is one of his most memorable novels. Because of this novel you hear people calling their family and friends Scrooge’s because they try to save their money up rather than spending it. The word Scrooge is even in the dictionary. In the Oxford English dictionary the word Scrooge is defined as “A mean or miserly person”
This obviously means that ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a very memorable piece and that the character of Scrooge is quite a significant one. I do feel, however, that ‘A Christmas Carol’ is not a great Social Problem novel. ‘A Christmas Carol’ does have the elements of social problem novels but not as strongly as others.
In conclusion I do agree that Dickens does use ‘A Christmas Carol’ as a vehicle for his own social views. Many other people would have written a similar novel but not included the severe poverty of the Cratchitt family, for instance. I believe that ‘A Christmas Carol’ fits into the supernatural genre completely. This is because it has all of the classic ingredients of supernatural tales. ‘A Christmas Carol’ has a setting, which is the big dark building in London that Scrooge is alone in all through the dead of night and his past, present and future. Atmosphere, the atmosphere is built up by the entry of the spirits. And a plot, the plot of ‘A Christmas Carol is about Scrooge changing from a man who is clearly immoral to a humane person. This happens because of a visit from the three spirits.
‘A Christmas Carol’ also has the main types of Supernatural characters. These are something from the paranormal world, in this case Jacob Marley, The spirit of Christmas past, present and Christmas future. Also there needs to be a person, usually the protagonist, who does not believe in the paranormal. In ‘A Christmas Carol’ not only does the protagonist, Scrooge, not believe in the paranormal but he does not believe in anything but being rich. This is why he is visited by the paranormal world.
The language that Dickens has used seems to be the language of the period although some language from this particular genre can also be found.
Many of the sentences in the book have a feel for the supernatural and of his own views, especially when talking about the poor:
“The spirit smiled, and stopped to bless Bob Cratchitt’s dwelling with a sprinkling from his torch. Think of that! Bob had but fifteen ‘Bob’ a-week himself; he pocketed on Saturdays but fifteen copies of his Christian name; and yet the Ghost of Christmas Present blessed his four-roomed house!”
That sentence has mainly the language of the period but it also has a little bit of supernatural language. This just goes to show Dickens’ views once again. He is writing as though it is shocking for some one to bless a poor persons little four-roomed house.
Therefore ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a perfect supernatural story and acts as a vehicle for Dickens’ views, but rather than it being a large vehicle of his views, like a social problem novel, it is a small vehicle which only has room for a small amount of his social views whereas other Dickens novels such as ‘Great Expectations’, ‘Oliver Twist’, ‘Nicholas Nickleby’ and ‘Hard Times’ fit into the social problem genre better than ‘A Christmas Carol’ does. Having said that ‘A Christmas Carol’ still gets the message across about the Victorian people’s anti-social and idiotic views about the poor and how they need to be changed. ‘A Christmas Carol’ also gets the message across to a wider audience which means that more people realise that their views about the poor are wrong and that it really isn’t their own fault if they are poor. This is where ‘A Christmas Carol’ really becomes a vehicle for Dickens’ social views because it transports the views to people that wouldn’t normally read a social problem novel.