A Christmas Carol

Charles Dickens was the original celebrity writer. The people loved him. Other writers loved him. Leo Tolstoy even went as far as hanging a painting of Dickens in his house, proving himself to be one of the most devout Dickens’ followers. Considering how many times producers and filmmakers have adapted Dickens’ novels to the screen, it is quite safe to say that modern life still hasn’t had enough of him either. He, like many other literary genius with crazy beard and funny hair, made a life out of mocking the system and rendering readers to tears. However, in the case of Dickens, by depicting the most depressing scenes in the most comical way possible, he can make you cry, not knowing whether it’s because of his humor or the suffering his characters are going through. Dickens, the writer of the working-class’ miseries, was also sometimes credited as the father of modern Christmas. Though I find this title a bit of a stretch, there’s no denying that Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has stood the test of time, continuing to be one of the most influential works of literature nearly two hundred years after its debut.

Dickens ghostly little tale feels like a 19th century fable written exclusively for Christmas. It’s as dark as anything related to Victorian era without losing the high spirit of the holiday season. Striking the perfect balance between the wretchedness of the working-class life and the wondrous joy of Christmas, Dickens constructed an incredible story that evokes a sense of sadness and gloominess while still giving out a optimistic vibe. The Cratchits are devastated by the death of their beloved Tiny Tim; however, the kindness of Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, partly comforted them, giving them hope about the future. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge his deserted tombstone to warn the peevish old man of his impending doom and desolation. Interestingly, that haunting scene didn’t drive Scrooge to madness and self-destruction. Instead, it fuels him to change for the better and head toward a much brighter future. Dickens’ world, regardless of its harsh industrial way of life, remains one of the most fascinating places that a fiction can take you to, where Christmas miracles can literally save you from ultimate loneliness.

Like most artists with parental issues, Dickens has made a career out of the miseries in his life. In A Christmas Carol, he created Ebenezer Scrooge, a figure that was heavily influenced by Dickens’ early life with his father, John Dickens. Growing up with a prodigal father who frequented debtors’ prison, Dickens was emotionally scared. Because of his father spending habits, he was forced out of school and into a factory at the age of twelve. While never wanting to become someone like his father, he was also in constant fear of overcompensation. By making Scrooge miserable despite being the opposite of his father, Dickens reminded his readers and himself that being filthy rich and stingy wouldn’t make anyone happier than being despairingly poor and wasteful. In other words, A Christmas Carol is a cautionary tale for readers as well as Dickens himself.

The moral of the story, undoubtedly, lies in the transformation of Scrooge from the despicably thrifty businessman to a generous benefactor of the poor. Scrooge’s current life is shaped by the struggles that he experienced as a boy and a young man. As a child, he had little paternal love from the indifferent father who left him all by himself at a boarding school with only a book to keep him company. In his youth, he focused so much on escaping poverty that his fiancee broke off their engagement. Life was hard for Scrooge; therefore, his current self is not only unabashed but also proud of his selfish way of treating others, which he considers as cautious spending. Nonetheless, fragments of Scrooge’s past also reveal his potential to care and to love. Scrooge relationship with his deceased sister, Fan, was one of affection and warmth. He once lived a lively life as an apprentice for Mr. Fezziwig, a man with a heart big enough to give Scrooge the attention of a father. Given how horrible Scrooge feels upon reliving these memories, it is certain that he understands how his choices have made him unhappy. If he decides to change, he can make himself happy again. After a series of events led by the next two ghosts, which climaxed at the future death of Scrooge, he wakes up with the goal of reforming himself, further proving that a man’s destiny is determined by the choices he make.

It is important to note that as obsessive with money as Scrooge has been, he didn’t make his fortune out of misdeeds and treacheries. He was not necessary a morally compromised businessman; in fact, the Scrooge and Marley company is well-trusted by peers. It is his ignorance, selfishness and cold-bloodedness that make him a horrible man who distances himself from society. Through Scrooge, Dickens sent a crucial message to readers: we don’t have to commit crimes to be considered bad people. Our carelessness is more dangerous than we think, with just as much power to harm others as our violence. It is our interactions with others, especially those who are near us that make us who we are. For a person like Scrooge, whose connections with fellow humans are loose, mending himself could be challenging. Therefore, when someone reaches out to help, like Fred does to Scrooge, the shrivelled old man snatches the opportunity. That’s a very good move, for as the Ghost of Bob Marley reveals to us, Scrooge’s shrewdness and nonchalance will turn on him in the long run.

When talking about Dickens’ style, we can’t miss out his remarkably informative way of naming the people in his works. Time and time again, Dickens used his characters’ names to hint their personalities and situations to readers. Just by reading out loud the phrase “Ebenezer Scrooge”, we already know, to some extent, how we should feel about him. There’s a certain ring to these two specific words that doesn’t make us feel at ease. The more we learn about this grumpy and crusty protagonist, the more we realize how fitting the name was. In the case of Tiny Tim, the name is a dead giveaway about the boy’s weak constitution. From this point, we, the readers, began to speculate on the fate of Tiny Tim. Near the end of stave three, our assumption is confirmed: Tim’s eventual death is unavoidable. Nevertheless, no name in the novella is as obvious as those belonged to the three spirits, who are called the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. All of these characters are referred to by their jobs, which are showing Scrooge the images of Christmas in his past, present and future respectively.

Written during a time when many Christmas’ traditions as we know them today were either revised or created, this short lovely book is both a celebration of the holiday and a little treat for Dickens’ legions of fans. There’s still a lot of things about this novella, Dickens and his writing style that we can discuss. In some future posts about David Copperfield and Great Expectations, I would like to talk more about his distinct humor and the autobiographical aspect of his works.