Literary Summary on A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Uploaded by wendimill on Nov 03, 2011
In Charles Dickens’ beautiful “A Christmas Carol,” the familiar tale of repentance is told, as Ebenezer Scrooge journeys through the Past, the Present and the Future, learning a valuable lesson about humanity. The last specter to visit him is the ominous “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.” This haunting figure provides Scrooge with paralyzing fear, but in the end, convinces him of the error of his ways. Though Scrooge was on his way towards self-examination already, the threat of this last ghost provides him with the final motivation to change.
“Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?” (Dickens, p. 79) – Scrooge asks the ghost this after witnessing the sadness and loss that will occur in the future, including his own lonesome death. This question reveals Scrooge’s state of mind. Already from the beginning of the tale, he was warned by his former partner, Jacob Marley, about what may await him if he continues to live the way he has – a life of rattling chains, of eternal suffering. This is the fate that has befallen Marley and yet, Scrooge has an opportunity to change his path. But this does not convince him, as it is clear from his question to the “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.” Though Marley has already told him of the possibility of change, he still needs reassurances from this ghost. This dark figure represents reality to Scrooge, despite its phantom nature.
Could Scrooge have righted his ways had it not been for this last ghost? Since Dickens wrote it the way he did, it seems reasonable to answer this in the negative. The specter of the future not only encompasses the climax of the tale, but also represents the unknown, and with that, possibility. Hope. Thackeray once said, “Who can listen to objections regarding such a book as this? It seems to me a national benefit, and to every man or woman who reads it a personal kindness” (Cerrito, p. 222).
When he is on the first leg of his journey, Scrooge witnesses his painful youth, complete with a lonely existence and a lost love. He is saddened by what is before him and then later, when he sees his love married with a family...