A Christmas Carol in Prose, Being a
Ghost-Story of Christmas,
commonly known as A Christmas Carol, is a novella by Charles Dickens, first
published in 1843. It tells the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, an old miser who is
visited by the ghost of his former business partner Jacob Marley and the Ghosts
of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. After their visits, Scrooge is
transformed into a kinder, gentler man.
Dickens wrote A
Christmas Carol at a time when the British were examining and exploring
Christmas traditions from the past, such as carols, as well as new customs such
as Christmas trees. He was influenced by experiences from his own past, and
from the Christmas stories of other authors, including Washington Irving.
Dickens had written three Christmas stories prior to the novella, and was
inspired to write the story following a visit to the Field Lane Ragged school,
one of several establishments for London's half-starved, illiterate street
children. The treatment of the poor and the ability of a self-interested man
redeeming himself by transforming into a more sympathetic character are the key
themes of the story. There is discussion among academics as to whether this was
a fully secular story, or if it is a Christian allegory.
A Christmas
Carol has never been out
of print and has been translated into several languages; the story has been
adapted many times for film, stage, opera, and other media. With A Christmas
Carol, Dickens captured the zeitgeist of the mid-Victorian revival of the
Christmas holiday. He has been acknowledged as an influence on the modern
Western observance of Christmas and inspired several aspects of Christmas, such
as family gatherings, seasonal food and drink, dancing, games and a festive
generosity of spirit.
Dickens divided
the book into five chapters, which he labelled "staves".
Stave one
The story begins
on a cold and bleak Christmas Eve in London, seven years after the death of
Ebenezer Scrooge's business partner, Jacob Marley. Scrooge, an old miser, hates
Christmas and refuses an invitation to Christmas dinner from his nephew Fred.
He turns away two men who seek a donation from him in order to provide food and
heating for the poor, and only grudgingly allows his overworked, underpaid
clerk, Bob Cratchit, Christmas Day off with pay to conform to the social
custom.
At home that
night, Scrooge is visited by Marley's ghost, who wanders the Earth, entwined by
heavy chains and money boxes, forged during a lifetime of greed and
selfishness. Marley tells Scrooge that he has one chance to avoid the same
fate: he will be visited by three spirits and he must listen to them or be
cursed to carry chains of his own, much longer than Marley's chains.
Stave two
The first of the
spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Past, takes Scrooge to Christmas scenes of
Scrooge's boyhood and youth, reminding him of a time when he was more innocent.
The boyhood scenes portray Scrooge's lonely childhood, his relationship with
his beloved sister Fan, and a Christmas party hosted by his first employer, Mr.
Fezziwig, who treated Scrooge like a son. They also portray Scrooge's neglected
fiancée Belle, who ends their relationship after she realizes that Scrooge will
never love her as much as he loves money. Finally, they visit a now-married
Belle with her large, happy family on a recent Christmas Eve.
Stave three
The second
spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Present, takes Scrooge to a joy-filled market of
people buying the makings of Christmas dinner and celebrations of Christmas in
a miner's cottage and in a lighthouse. Scrooge and the ghost also visit Fred's
Christmas party. A major part of this stave is taken up with Bob Cratchit's
family feast and introduces his youngest son, Tiny Tim, a happy boy who is
seriously ill. The spirit informs Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die soon unless
the course of events changes. Before disappearing, the spirit shows Scrooge two
hideous, emaciated children named Ignorance and Want. He tells Scrooge to
beware the former above all and mocks Scrooge's concern for their welfare.
Stave four
The third spirit,
the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, shows Scrooge a Christmas Day in the
future. The ghost shows him scenes involving the death of a disliked man. The
man's funeral will only be attended by local businessmen if lunch is provided.
His charwoman, his laundress, and the local undertaker steal some of his
possessions and sell them to a fence. When Scrooge asks the ghost to show
anyone who feels any emotion over the man's death, the ghost can only show him
the pleasure of a poor couple in debt to the man, rejoicing that his death
gives them more time to put their finances in order. After Scrooge asks to see
some tenderness connected with any death, the ghost shows him Bob Cratchit and
his family mourning the passing of Tiny Tim. The ghost then shows Scrooge the
man's neglected grave, whose tombstone bears Scrooge's name. Sobbing, Scrooge
pledges to the ghost that he will change his ways to avoid this outcome.
Stave five
Scrooge awakens
on Christmas morning a changed man. He spends the day with Fred's family and
anonymously sends a large turkey to the Cratchit home for Christmas dinner. The
following day he gives Cratchit an increase in pay and becomes like another
father to Tiny Tim. From then on Scrooge began to treat everyone with kindness,
generosity and compassion, embodying the spirit of Christmas.
