Corinna Rodriguez
Dr. Ledbetter
ENG 3301
25 October 2018
A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens is the author of the novel ‘A Christmas Carol’ and he takes Marxist’s perspective throughout the story. Dickens adopts the Marxist perspective in the sense that he identifies a ladder of achievement that begins with social improvement and ends with social order. For a social ladder to occur, the story portrays an audience that public life matters much more than private life. The story ‘A Christmas Carol’ takes place during the nineteenth century, and this was the primary reason why people judged others over their dressing or even how they acted in public.
In the beginning of the story, the author introduces Ebenezer Scrooge as an older man who is grumpy, selfish, and cold-hearted as he criticizes everyone that he tend to encounter. To paint the image of Scrooge, the author introduces two gentlemen to Scrooge and asked if he was generous enough to donate money to the poor. However, in regards to asking Scrooge for money, it shows the audience that it is a way to be able to provide food and drinks. They ask, “What shall I put you down for?” “Nothing!” Scrooge answers. “You wish to be anonymous?” “I wish to be left alone,” said Scrooge. (Dickens 31). Scrooge’s ignorance and critic to the two gentlemen implies that he doesn’t believe in helping people or in the sense of happiness and therefore this is another reason that compelled Dickens to write the novel showing the audience that the rich people are ignorant and selfish and that they think they are bigger and better than the people around them.
As a matter of fact, during Stave One, there is a time where Scrooge encounters his partner who has been dead for the past seven years. However, the quote “The same face, the very same. Marley, in his pigtail, usual waistcoat, tights and boots; the tassels on the latter bristling like his pigtail, and his coat-skirts, and the hair upon his head.” (Dickens 38), describes the way Jacob Marley looked like now that he is a ghost. Therefore, even when Scrooge saw Marley as a ghost, he began to question himself if he was hallucinating due to the fact that Marley could make a conversation happen. On the other hand, Scrooge realizes that Marley could sit perfectly motionless in a chair.
Also, of all this happening Scrooge begins to question Marley about his chains compelling Marley to break down the process in a more comfortable and better way. He does it for Scrooge to understand the fact that Marley has the chains attached to him is because during the time that he was alive all he did was hard work labor for Scrooge instead of being able to live his life as an individual. Marley informed Scrooge that he had been receiving visits from three ghosts due to the fact that it was based on the many different things that Scrooge had done during his lifetime. However, even when Marley seemed to inform Scrooge, he believed that it was all a dream at one point due to the fact that he thought it was his mind playing tricks on him. Therefore, even with the mindset that he had of him believing that his mind was casually playing trick on him was just some sort sense of denial due to the fact that it shows the audience that Scrooge is the type of character who wants to be casually right all the time even when they know that they are wrong.
However, towards the first few pages of Stave Two, it shows the audience that Scrooge had just received his first visit from The Ghost of Christmas Past and therefore, once The Ghost of Christmas past assisted Scrooge to relieve his memories from when he was a little boy, it made him all feel ecstatic. The reason behind is that he began to recognize everything from childhood. Coming from the audience’s point of view it depicts that there is this nostalgic feeling that Scrooge is having since it shows that he was once a happy child. Besides to this being a nostalgic feeling for him, there is a part where Dickens mentions that there is a little girl back in his past. For example, the quote “You are quite a woman, little Fan!” exclaimed the boy. She clapped her hands and laughed, and tried to touch his head; but, being too little, laughed again, and stood on tiptoe to embrace him.” (Dickens 56). The phrase shows the audience that there is such a strong connection with this little girl due to the fact that Scrooge and Fan seemed to share such a strong bond since they are brother and sister. As a matter of fact, for the way it was described it seems to the audience that when his sister passed away, it took such a big toll on Scrooge due to the fact, that they had such a strong bond, unlike any other siblings.
On the other hand, coming from the perspective of the reader it seems that the more it covers over the topic of his sister’s death, the more the audience gets to realize that this is where Scrooge begins being mean and rude to every person he gets to encounter. Coming from the reader’s perspective, it is entirely understandable the way Scrooge has been acting from his sister’s death due to the fact, that every person must go through the five stages of grief in their way. Also, of accepting the five stages of grief, it shows the audience that Scrooge might have been just stuck on the topic of grief for such a long time, which perhaps made him go through so much pain since he had nobody to share his grief.
Towards the end of Stave Two, that is where a beautiful woman is being introduced that goes by the name of Belle. Besides to her introduction, it is mentioned that Scrooge was deeply and madly in love with her when he was a young man. However, there came a time where they were both engaged to each other, but at the end, Belle decided to break off the engagement due to the fact that Belle started to realize that time had come where Scrooge was being consumed with greed and lust. Therefore, when he encounters her once again but this time via the Ghost of Christmas Past, he starts to realize that he completely lost the one true love he possessed to her due to the fact, he kept putting his need for money way ahead of everything else. If he did not believe that money was more important than her, then he would have still have Belle at some point in his life due to the fact, before money came into the picture, they were both two poor people.
In addition to Belle breaking the engagement off due to the few reasons she decided to marry someone else who had his life set out and who believed that they were right for her. For example the quote, “Belle,” said her husband, turning to his wife with a smile, “I saw an old friend of yours this afternoon.” “Who was it?” “Guess!” “How can I? Tut, don’t I know?” she added in the same breath, laughing as he laughed. “Mr. Scrooge.” “Mr. Scrooge it was. I passed his office window, and as it was not shut up, and he had a candle inside.” (Dickens 66 – 67) illustrates the fact that Belle’s new husband had a time where he saw Scrooge which he tells Belle that Scrooge seems like he is a miserable man because Scrooge had lost his long-term business partner. Even when the ghost of Christmas past is showing him this piece that happened between Belle and her husband, it shows the audience that Scrooge was showing all sorts of emotions, for example, he was showing anger and hurt due to the fact, that was his first love whom he had lost over the fact, that he decided that lust and greed were much more important than her.
However in the third stave, once Scrooge wakes up from his slumber due to the fact, that the church clock had startled him since he is already started to prepare himself for the second ghost’s arrival. Therefore, once the ghost of Christmas present has arrived, he has Scrooge touch his giant green robe due to the fact that it looked so elegant because of the white fur that boarded along the garment. As a matter of fact, when the Ghost of Christmas Present shows up, he seems to be sitting down on a throne of gourmet food. Besides to the Ghost of Christmas Present, he decides to show Scrooge all these amazing things he is missing out on due to the fact, that he is this bitter and uptight person who does not know how to enjoy celebrating a holiday or even how to accept any happiness. As this is taken in the present time, the ghost seems to first take Scrooge to Bob Cratchit home where it shows that the family is doing the best they can to be able to put food and treats on the table.
However, it is also showing the audience that Bob’s oldest son is wearing a hand me down from his father; therefore, it also shows that the only daughter is returning from her job that way she can spend time with her family. The ghost of Christmas Present also shows that Bob is carrying his youngest who goes by the name of Tiny Tim. However, the ghost seems to tell Scrooge that the same time next year there will be an empty chair at Bob Cratchit’s Christmas dinner. The only reason he seems to inform Scrooge is that Scrooge seems to know what the pain of losing someone feels like and Scrooge does not want anybody to go through the same thing he went through. On the other hand, the only reasons Scrooge is being haunted is because each ghost wants Scrooge to be able to have a change of perspective since they want him to be able to open his eyes in regards of being able to do good for others occasionally.
However, once he has met with the ghost of Christmas yet to come, he gives off such a mystery and gloomy sense due to the fact that he knows what he is going to show Scrooge if he does not change for the better. Therefore, when Scrooge has met with the last ghost, he comes to terms that he has to change for the better due to the fact that he does not want to be left alone as he saw in the vision that the ghost shows him. As a matter of fact, Scrooge finds this last ghost much more terrifying than the past two since the ghost of Christmas yet to come has this vague horror because of the things he has shown people, and that is everything that will happen if they do not get their act together. The only reason Scrooge might find the ghost a bit more fearsome is that of the way he is dressed since he is mainly dressed in a black hooded cloak. However, even when he shows Scrooge an ominous view of his lonely death, it makes Scrooge want to be able to change for the better due to the fact, that he experienced what he does not wish to. For most people nowadays, they need something drastic to happen to them or in their lives for them to be able to have a change of thought or a change of appearance.
Works Cited
Dickens, Charles. Christmas carol. Alma Books, 2018.
