Looking for Change Hurts
Many film and literature characters fail to leave an impact on the reader. This is not the case for Charles Dickens’ character Ebenezer Scrooge from A Christmas Carol and Frank Capra’s creation of a character, George Bailey from It’s a Wonderful Life. Both protagonists are beloved characters, but have drastic similarities and differences. Ebenezer Scrooge and George Bailey are best compared by their outlook on life, time spent with the spirits, and each character’s transformation in the story.
In the place of Ebenezer Scrooge’s outlook on life, he feels no joy. Ever since his lifelong business partner, Jacob Marley, kicked the bucket, Scrooge became more stingy than he ever was. A time of useless giving, robbery, is what Scrooge sees Christmas as.
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When the Ghost of Christmas Past visits him, he is worried and very confused. Ebenezer Scrooge thinks that the entire thing is a joke. “There’s more gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are.” His actions illustrate how simple his life was, by catching him completely off guard, and showing that all of his joy is gone. He becomes terribly frightened by reliving his past. By looking back on his past makes Scrooge realize why he truly hates Christmas time. It is because his lover, Belle, left him for money. This ironically parallels Scrooge’s future with love ones. He pushes others away and even holds back money from his own family. The Ghost of Christmas Present just makes Scrooge worse, by showing that his actions are slowly killing Bob Cratchit and the rest of his family. To finish it off the Ghost of Christmas Future silently shows Scrooge his own grave, and has him interpret his death. The ghost is described as a non-speaking grim reaper, and symbolically represents that Scrooge’s death will be silent, and he will not be able to explain his choices to others. They will just be forced to make their own