Theme Of Sacrifice In A Christmas Carol

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The concept of sacrifice and selflessness is a recurring theme in "The Gift of the Magi," "A Christmas Carol," and Chapter 3 of Thomas C. Foster's "How to Read Literature like a Professor." This is because in all 3 stories, the main characters all explore the themes of genuine kindness, selflessness, and sacrifice. Throughout their story,

The main characters in "The Gift of the Magi," Jim and Della, consider giving up their most prized possessions in order to exchange gifts. According to the story, “Where she stopped, the sign read: “Mme. Sofronie. Hair Goods of All Kinds.” One flight up, Della ran and collected herself, panting. Madame, large, too white, chilly, hardly looked at the “Sofronie.” “Will you buy my hair?” asked Della. “I buy …show more content…

He is shown memories of his past as a kind and compassionate person by the Ghost of Christmas Past.As shown here, “During the whole of this time, Scrooge had acted like a man out of his wits. His heart and soul were in the scene, and with his former self. He corroborated everything, remembered everything, enjoyed everything, and underwent the strangest agitation. It was not until now, when the bright faces of his former self and Dick were turned from them, that he remembered the Ghost, and became conscious that it was looking full upon him, while the light upon its head burnt very clear.” The Ghost of Christmas Past demonstrates to him how his deeds have contributed to the poor people's misery and poverty. He is shown by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come the gloomy future that awaits him if he keeps up his miserly and selfish behavior. According to A Christmas Carol, ““Spirit!” he cried, tight clutching at its robe, “hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope!” For the first time the hand appeared to shake. “Good Spirit,” he pursued, as down upon the ground he fell before it: “Your nature intercedes for me, and pities me. Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life!” The kind hand trembled. “I will …show more content…

The vampire is frequently interpreted as a representation of greed and the pursuit of eternal life at the cost of others. The theme of sacrifice and selflessness are discussed in relation to the vampire archetype in literature in Chapter 3 of Foster's book. The vampire is frequently interpreted as a representation of greed and the pursuit of eternal life at the cost of others. However, the vampire is sometimes portrayed in literature as a tragic character who neglects their own happiness in order to make others happy. This is demonstrated by vampirism like ghosts where he states, “We can take it almost as an act of faith that ghosts are about something besides themselves. That may not be true in naive ghost stories, but most literary ghosts – the kind that occur in stories of lasting interest – have to do with things beyond themselves.” Another example of vampirism shown by Thomas C. Foster is, “We can take it almost as an act of faith that ghosts are about something besides themselves. That may not be true in naive ghost stories, but most literary ghosts – the kind that occur in stories of lasting interest – have to do with things beyond themselves.” This illustrates how vampirism is portrayed in A Christmas Carol, where the ghosts assist Scrooge in learning a lesson in selflessness and generosity, showing how vampirism is portrayed as