Dickens describes Scrooge’s character and the setting in much detail. It is Christmas Eve and the weather is dark, bleak and foggy. Dickens uses words that connect to the weather to describe Scrooge’s character, ‘The cold within him froze his old features… he carried his own low temperature always about with him.’ This characterisation of Scrooge suggests to the audience that just like the weather, Scrooge is gloomy, lacks warmth and is uninviting. Dickens continues to emphasise the similarities between the setting and Scrooge ‘No warmth could warm him, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he.’ This deliberate and explicit opinion leaves the reader in no doubt of how mean and evil Scrooge is. Dickens uses different similes to highlight Scrooge’s uncaring attitude, such as ‘hard and sharp as a flint’ and ‘secret and self-contained and solitary as an oyster.’ These similes show Scrooge’s hardness and his isolation from the rest of society. By making Scrooge such an evil person the reader is drawn to carry on reading the novel to see what fate awaits him. This portrayal is intensified even further as Scrooge demonstrates his lack of generosity towards other even at Christmas despite his own wealth. He is asked to give to a charity and declines saying that poor people should be sent to prison or workhouses as he is not concerned about them. When he is told that the poor would rather die than go to prison or workhouses he replies, “if they would rather die…they had better do it and decrease the surplus population.” This statement from Scrooge creates a feeling of utter disbelief and dislike in the reader.
In Stave Two the reader begins to see beyond Scrooges cold and uncaring attitude. The reader is given some insight into Scrooges life as he was growing up. He came from a poor and lonely existence. This allows the reader to start to understand why Scrooge maybe the way he is and that he is mean with his money because he is afraid of being poor again. We see that Scrooge is able to show some feelings when he starts to sob after recognising himself as the little abandoned boy at school. The image of a lonely boy makes the reader warm to him. Dickens introduces the idea that Scrooge has the potential to change. This captures the reader’s attention again as it demonstrates that Scrooge did once have appreciation for others.
He remembers the little boy that came singing carols and his nephew’s earlier visit. We see that Scrooge is remorseful that he did not treat them better. The spirit takes Scrooge to a place where he used to work and is reminded how he had enjoyed Christmases in the past. He reflects on how he treats his employee when he remembers the kindness of his boss Mr Fezziwig had shown him.
Finally, before the second spirit visits, the reader is drawn into Scrooge’s sadness when he sees Belle happily married to someone else. Scrooge realises the importance of a family and is so saddened by this that he asks the spirit to “remove him from this place.” The reader starts to feel sympathy for Scrooge.
Secondly, Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a story with a happy resolution. This is another key reason for its lasting appeal. The reader is taken through a wide range of emotions but in the final stave the only emotions are of happiness and hope. We see happiness throughout the stave and this prompts the reader to hope for more joy in the characters future. This is important as it reflects the spirit of Christmas for many people and it was how Dickens believed Christmas should be. He appears to have achieved his aim of reversing the decline of Christmas celebrations at the time of writing the novel. Its enduring appeal is that it continues to be a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. Dickens titles Stave Five as ‘The End of it’ this appears to suggest that there should be no other meaning to Christmas except joyfulness and compassion for others. We learn that these are the messages that Dickens wanted to ‘haunt their house pleasantly’ as stated in the preface. This also implies that he wants the messages delivered in the novel to live on and remain with the reader. During this stave when Scrooge speaks his sentences, they often end with exclamation marks which shows that he is now in a more pleasant mood. This adds a sense of excitement within the reader which contributes to the Christmas spirit shown in the stave. The use of exclamation marks changes in this stave as they are used positively which contrasts to the earlier staves when Dickens uses them negatively when associated with Scrooge. The narrator’s voice assures the reader that Scrooge’s transformation was long lasting and complete. The narrator’s omniscient view of the future explains that Scrooge went on to become not only a ‘second father’ to Tiny Tim but also ‘as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man.’ By the end the reader feels that they have been immersed into Scrooge’s world and changed with him. The audience can sense the warmth and compassion that surrounds Scrooge now. The last line ‘as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!’ summarizes how Dickens believes the spirit of Christmas should be. It is significant that the last line is from Tiny Tim as he symbolizes how Christmas can be enjoyed and celebrated despite not having the luxuries that others may have. It also leaves us with the final message that the feeling of goodwill does not only lie with the characters but the readers as well. The concluding feeling of joy and hope symbolizes all that Christmas represents and is one of the reasons that ‘A Christmas Carol’ remains popular today.
Another key issue in this novel is the potential to change and the redemption of a character. It engages the reader in the novel as they want to see Scrooge change so they are encouraged to continue reading. It also maintains the themes of hope and goodwill that is associated with Christmas.
At the beginning Scrooge is seen as a cold miserable character that expresses no joy at Christmas. During Stave Two we see his potential for change as we realise that he did once have friends and family which shows that Scrooge was not always heartless and unkind. He remembers the little boy that came singing carols and his nephew earlier and is remorseful that he did not treat them better. The spirit takes Scrooge to a place where he used to work and is reminded how he had enjoyed Christmases in the past.
Scrooge’s transformation continues through the night as the ghost of Christmas present shows him the Cratchit household who are a loving family even though they have no money. Scrooge shows concern for Tiny Tim the little crippled boy in the family. This shows that he is beginning to change as he takes an interest in other people’s well being.
The last stave is where we see a drastic change in Scrooge’s behaviour. His merry attitude towards Christmas is seen when he says ‘A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you, for many a year! I’ll raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family.’ From this we can see that Scrooge has a new kindness within him. It shows that Scrooge has realised that he has not treated Bob well and that he will try to make amends. It also suggests that Scrooge is now more charitable and generous. We also see that Scrooge is again thinking about others ‘assist your struggling family’ which is an extreme contrast to Stave One ‘If they would rather die…they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.’
A Christmas Carol remains as popular as ever. This is because it continues to be relevant to today’s society. Dickens wanted to cut through the materialism of Christmas and remind people of its real meaning, which is a time to be joyous and charitable. Dickens use of strong language when describing Scrooge’s character at the beginning is to demonstrate that there is always a possibility of change and redemption of a character. This allows the reader to believe that there is some goodness in all. It creates feeling of hope, warmth and joy that is linked to Christmas. In ‘A Christmas Carol’ Dickens’ use of language makes the reader feel that they are amongst the action. It conjures up all the range of emotions that a human being experiences and ultimately results in happiness, which is an emotion everyone strives for.
