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Humanity And Social Responsibility In A Christmas Carol By Charles Dickens

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Christmas carol is an allegorical tale to teach the reader the importance of kindness and social responsibility. Dicken’s is allegorical tale exposes the social injustice that pervaded Victorian society as a result of greed. Dickens constructs this character of Scrooge to expose the mass ignorance that purveyed in the upper classes particularly towards the workhouses. Throughout the play, we see a reoccurring neglect for kindness particularly within Scrooge’s words and actions being a part of the upper class in Victorian England. However, the ghosts enlighten Scrooge on his impacts on society and unveil the importance of social responsibility and kindness towards the population around him, providing hope for society. In stave one, we see Scrooge …show more content…

This quote acts as a warning to scrooge, in an attempt to deter him from a similar fate as that of Marley; if he doesn’t present kindness within his community, his overarching fate will also not be so kind. However, Scrooge represses his dolour for Marley's death making him an unkind person. The length and weight of the chains highlights the repercussions that will be faced due to his misery and greed. In my opinion, by Marley providing this warning to Scrooge, not only does it foreshadow the future but conveys a sense of kindness from Marley as he doesn’t want Scrooge to end up like him - he's looking out for Scrooge. We know Dickens experienced the repercussions of the 1834 poor law, where he alongside many others were kept in gruelling hubs of swaller to survive due to their class. I feel these connotations of imprisonment through the chains could also represent the imprisonment he felt in the workhouses as repercussions of the naivety and lack of kindness the upper class had towards lower classes. Despite the fact Marley does “wear” these chains in a literal sense, it can also be seen metaphorically with connotations of christianity. In the eyes of Christianity, Marley is stuck in a purgatory state forever as a consequence of his past actions, which was a widespread idea during this period- lack of kindness and social responsibility. Each link of the chain represents Marley’s miserly actions

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The message that Dickens is communicating through Marley is that you must be a good person while alive, or else it will hurt you in the afterlife. Marley tells Scrooge, “Or would you know the weight of the strong coil you bear yourself” (Dickens, Pg 22). In this part of the stave, Marley has appeared to Scrooge wearing a chain of wrongs that he has committed in his mortal life, that are hurting him in his afterlife. Marley is telling this to Scrooge because Scrooge’s “chain” is greater than Marley’s, because of all of the wrongs that he has committed. He also tells Scrooge that their chains were the same length when Marley died, but Scrooge’s chain has expanded greatly since then.

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Dickens explores the theme of transformation in his novella- A Christmas Carol- by Scrooge’s attitude to the poor and how it converts over the course of his redemption. As a result of his divine intervention; he changes from a selfish and self-centred man consumed by greed to someone charitable and caring. The most notable difference in Scrooge is how he views those living in poverty and the struggles they face. In the opening Stave of the novella, Scrooge is clearly demonstrated as apathetic to those other than himself.

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900 Words | 4 Pages

He appreciated his time with people and realized Christmas was more than he thought. In A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens’ the ghosts teach scrooge, his past doesn’t define him, the true meaning of the holidays, and that his present affects the future so that scrooge can have a chance to change for the better.

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854 Words | 4 Pages

In Staves 3 and 4 of A Christmas Carol, Scrooge undergoes a drastic change in personality due to the events shown by the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. At the end of the novella, Scrooge is found to be a better man. He learns to be charitable and to value family and companionship. PARAGRAPH 1 Stave 3 affects Scrooge immensely as it shows him that Christmas is a time to be shared with loved ones and that it should not matter whether the person is rich or poor. An example being the Cratchit family as they have little in the way of money but they abound in love and joy.

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1013 Words | 5 Pages

By comparing and contrasting how he feels at the exposition and the end of the novel and going through the ghost’s visions influenced both Scrooge and us, the readers. Any reader can come to realize that he is an emotionally changed character for life. On top of that, readers can take away many valuable lessons. This classic novel will forever be cherished with the journey to the Victorian times, the meeting of spectacular characters along the way, but especially the remembrance of old Ebenezer Scrooge, the true father of Christmas spirit. As Dickens has said once, “God bless us every one.”

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588 Words | 3 Pages

In "A Christmas Carol," Charles Dickens uses the characters of Ignorance and Want to evoke a sense of empathy and compassion and also educate the audience. These characters symbolize the societal issue of poverty. When Ignorance and Want are revealed to Scrooge by the Ghost of Christmas Present he says, "Have they no refuge or resource?... Are there no prisons? said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words”(Dickens).

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1391 Words | 6 Pages

In Stave one, Scrooge expressed his cynicism to his nephew. The text states, “ ‘What else can I be,’ returned the uncle, ‘when I live in such a world of fools as this?’ “ (Dickens 1). A second catalyst for change is in Stave three, where the ghost of Christmas present spits back Scrooge’s hurtful words back at him when Scrooge asks about the future of Tiny Tim. In Stave three, the text states, “ ‘If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race,’ returned the Ghost, ‘will find him here.

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At this moment, the dramatic irony heightens the tension because we know that Scrooge has been left helpless by death, even though he isn't conscious of it (although one could argue that he is subconsciously aware of it and is simply unable to acknowledge it due to his terror). Scrooge admits his weakness to the ghost when he says, "I have not the power," and the fact that he says it again indicates that he is now ready to own up to his mistakes, demonstrates that he understands that death is painful and useless for him, and demonstrates his fear of it since he is not yet ready to give up on life. In fact, he is ready to change, which is demonstrated by the way he fervently repeats the mantra "I will live in the past, the present, and the future" at the beginning of Stave 5 to demonstrate that he has realised he fears death, wants to live, and will be a better man as a direct result of all the ghosts'

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492 Words | 2 Pages

This comes to show that Scrooge was very lonely and grumpy. Scrooge wasn't morally doing the right thing. He could have chosen to be merry and give merry back but he

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928 Words | 4 Pages

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’s famous story, is about a filthy rich but cold-blooded businessman named Scrooge, who is in need of redemption. He is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Future in order to redeem himself and be remembered for good. Each of these ghosts presents Scrooge with lessons that help him on his journey and ultimately set up his redemption at the end of the story. Many argue that the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come influenced Scrooge the most to redeem himself, but in reality, the Ghost of Christmas Past influenced him more, as it not only retold Scrooge’s story and showed where his life turned around, but it also taught him valuable lessons along the way. This is shown when the spirit causes him to

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521 Words | 3 Pages

In the playwright, the author tries to make Scrooge look like the bad guy and how much of a monster he can genuinely be. One way they show how bad of a person Scrooge is, is when they say how he thinks that anyone who celebrates Christmas is an idiot. Also how he does not want to donate to charity by saying “ … Are there no workhouses or prisons?”. Marley’s arrival from the dead frightens Scrooge so much that he denies Marley being there before him.

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1158 Words | 5 Pages

Written in the 1840s, Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” is a classic novella that displays themes about greed, generosity, and redemption. Although written in the Elizabethan Era, it is still relevant today’s society. The Ghost of Christmas Present changes Scrooge’s perspective on how he should view Christmas as a whole and changes his negative views into positive ones. In Stave 3 of a Christmas Carol, the Ghost brings Scrooge to see a vision of the Cratchit’s celebrating Christmas together as a family.

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492 Words | 2 Pages

Charles Dicken’s theme for his classic novel “A Christmas Carol,” is a theme that is meant for all mankind. Dickens wanted to stress the theme so much to his audience, and did so by making Marley claim “Mankind was my business.” (Dickens 14). He showed us that the most greedy and dogmatic people can become winsome and cordial, with the transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge throughout the novel. As well as, a simple act of benevolence can go a long way.

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1233 Words | 5 Pages

“The righteousness of the blameless keeps his ways straight, but the wicked falls by his own wickedness”(Prov. 11:5). The story, “A Christmas Carol”, is about a cold-hearted man named Scrooge who transforms himself into a jolly, kind man when three Ghosts teach Scrooge about the spirit of Christmas. In the story, Charles Dickens illustrates the theme of how no one is past redemption through the transformation of Scrooge’s personality by the lessons of the Spirits. At the beginning of the story, Scrooge’s selfish personality is revealed, and the Ghost of Christmas Past comes and shows him the memories and truth of his life long ago.

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1066 Words | 5 Pages

When the ghosts started coming he started changing , each time one ghost came he changed little by little . In the book “ a christmas carol “ by charles dickens , the theme is influenced by the process of change by scrooge 's character , and the ways he changed through the ghost 's appearance in the story. In the beginning of The story, Scrooge’s selfish behavior is evident until he meets the Ghost of Christmas Past. Two charitable

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