A Christmas Carol Essay

A Christmas Carol is a classical story that Charles Dickens writes. The reader may have heard of this classic at some point in their lives because of the wide popularity it gained from all the films, plays and parodies that people created based on the story. The author sets the story in 1843 on a very chilly night of Christmas Eve with the main protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge, an ignorant and greedy man who excludes himself from the rest of his community and couldn’t care less about anyone or anything in exception of his money and business. On this cold and frigid night the ghost of Scrooge’s deceased business partner Jacob Marley pays a visit to warn Scrooge in advance about three ghosts: The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future who

One of the characteristics that is described in his novella is Marley’s bandaged head. “Though he felt the chilling influence of its death cold eyes; and marked the very texture of the folded kerchief bound about it’s head and chin” (Dickens 11). Mister Magoo’s version of A Christmas Carol also shows the Ghost of Marley who wears a bandage on his head (Mister Magoo). Since Dickens describes that the Ghost of Marley has a bandaged head, the filmmakers of Mister Magoo’s Christmas Carol stay true to his description and include a bandaged Ghost of Marley in their film. Another characteristic of The Ghost of Marley that the filmmakers stay true to is the transparency of the ghost. “His body was transparent: so that Scrooge, observing him, and looking through his waistcoat, could see the two buttons on his coat behind” (Dickens 11). In Alastair Simm’s version of A Christmas Carol the Ghost of Marley is transparent also (Alastair Simm). Charles Dickens’ novella explains that the Ghost of Marley has a transparent body. The filmmakers go ahead and follow his words to make the Ghost of Marley transparent in Alastair Simm’s version of A Christmas Carol. A final description of the Ghost of Marley that the filmmakers illustrate in their films is the chain the ghost drags and all the padlocks, cash boxes and keys it consists of. “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 closely) of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel” (Dickens 11). Mister Magoo’s version of the Christmas Carol shows the Ghost of Marley as he drags along a chain with cash boxes, padlocks and key as well. (Mr Magoo). Because Dickens describes that the Ghost of Marley has a chain made up of many