Throughout history we have seen certain characteristics which are always present in human nature and are relevant and ongoing even today. We call these timeless themes, and they describe generalizations which fit into all of recorded history. One of the these timeless themes which has been seen in almost every, culture and nation is redemption, the change in a person for more desirable attributes and the righting past wrongdoings. Many groups in the past have included stories of redemption in their myths and folklore, as this provides a good narrative and people can identify with the ideas of making past sins right. In human existence, redemption has been a positive aspect of literature, however within the chronicles of history the main factor of redemption has …show more content…
In the theatrical play, A Christmas Carol, written by Charles Dickens, we observe the theme of redemption in Ebenezer Scrooge as he transforms from a penny-pinching fossil of a man to a benevolent and merciful individual. At the beginning of the play, Scrooge is a money grubbing employer who clearly has no care for others. This is clearly shown as he only very reluctantly give Bob Cratchit, an overworked and underpaid employee Christmas Day off. In fact, Scrooge made Bob work until midnight on Christmas Eve, demonstrating a clear lack of sympathy for him. Scrooge did not donate any money for the poor, telling the charity workers “Are there no workhouses or Debtors Prisons?” and “If they would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population”. This evidence shows us that Scrooge is a cold-hearted miser who so far has no motivation for the redemption which he will need to go through. At the time this story was set, Victorian England, not much empathy was shown towards the poor. For debtors who could not pay their debts, debtor prisons popped up and workhouses were established
Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol is a moral tale that depicts the protagonist’s Ebenezer Scrooge’s moral journey from selfishness to redemption. It can be seen that his new found way of life is derived from the desire to be a good man of the community and to assist others such as Tiny Tim. The idea of Scrooge’s transformation not being selfish can also be seen in his aspiration to contribute to the wider community that suffers from a poverty stricken way of life. In addition to this, Scrooge also reforms his way of life in order to feel love and care from family, which satisfied his nephew Fred aswell as himself. However, this selflessness is only to an
This quote counteracts the greed suggested in Stave 1. Also, when Bob Cratchit comes into work the day after Christmas, instead of firing Bob, Scrooge gives him a raise. “‘Lord bless me!’” cried the gentleman, as if his breath were Gone. ‘My dear Mr. Scrooge, are you serious?’
As it is shown in A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is a man that cares mainly about his wealth. In the beginning of the story he is asked to give money to the less fortunate and destitute, his response is shocking, Scrooge says,” … I can’t afford to make idle people merry… they cost enough”. The men are tremendously disgusted by his statement. Scrooge shows that he mainly cares about keeping his wealth to himself, he doesn’t feel the need to give to others who are less fortunate. After they continue to speak, Scrooge also states,” If they would rather die, they better do it, and decrease the surplus population”. Scrooge feels that if people are going to be poor and not have as much wealth as him, that they should be put to work in factories, or they should just go away altogether. He mainly cares about how much
A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, is a story of Christmas spirit and repentance. Ebenezer Scrooge is a hard-hearted businessman who thinks that the less attention he pays to mankind’s problems the better. He is cruel to his clerk, feared by almost all, and repulses the friendly advances of his nephew. However, on Christmas Eve, Scrooge gets a start that begins to jolt him into seeing the errors of his ways. He sees the ghost of his old partner Jacob Marley, who is doomed to walk the earth in a chain that he made in his unkind dealings with mankind, and who tells Scrooge that, in order to have hope of avoiding this, he will be visited by three spirits. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows him memories of the man he used
Scrooge is a rude, dismal man who hates mankind, and Christmas. During Christmastime there is a lot of charity and for being such a wealthy man that Scrooge is, he hates to give money to charity. He also thinks that Christmas is waste of time, and it could be used for
Dickens has accredited greed in the course of his novel and discusses Scrooge as a “covetous old sinner.” Scrooge believed that poverty could be avoided by hard-work and claims that the prisons
In 'A Christmas Carol', Dickens represents Scrooge as a 'squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner' who is against Christmas and happiness and values money, yet given a chance to redeem his fate. Marley's Ghost has come to warn Scrooge to change
Scrooge was cruel and heartless and did not allow others to celebrate Christmas. He said, “A poor excuse to pick a man's pocket every twenty-fifth December!" He was extremely insensitive and cold-hearted he became furious when his clerk asks him for a day off on Christmas Day. He ignored his nephew when he said, "Merry Christmas Uncle" As this demonstrated he wanted everyone to be miserable at Christmas and did not allow his clerk and nephew to celebrate Christmas in the traditional way by being merry and enjoying Christmas. Bob Cratchit was probably on low wages because Scrooge was tight with his money.
The classic play “A Christmas Carol” written by Charles Dickens in 1843 showed a timeless theme, redemption, throughout the whole play. It is a timeless theme that we study through literature throughout human civilization regardless of time. Redemption was brought to our attention by Charles Dickens showing a second look in life, especially when you committed a sin in which you are literally unaware until someone or something walks you through your sin, and spark self-realization.The following “A Diva’s Christmas Carol” directed by Richard Schenkman in the year 2000, and “The Grinch Who Stole Christmas” directed by Ron Howard in the year 2000 or written by Dr. Seuss in the year 1957, both demonstrated redemption.
In A Christmas Carol, an allegory of spiritual values versus material ones, Charles Dickens shows Scrooge having to learn the lesson of the spirit of Christmas, facing the reality of his own callous attitude to others, and reforming himself as a compassionate human being. The reader is shown his harshness in the office, where he will not allow Bob Cratchit enough coal to warm his work cubicle and begrudges his employee a day off for Christmas, even claiming that his clerk is exploiting him. In the scene from the past at Fezziwig’s warehouse, Scrooge becomes aware of the actions of a conscientious, caring employer and feels his first twinge of conscience. The author suggests an origin for Scrooge’s indifference to others as Scrooge is portrayed as a neglected child, the victim of a harsh father intent on denying him a trip home for the holidays and only reluctantly relenting.
Any sympathy for Scrooge will have been lost at this point because he enjoyed the things that he put himself through. Dickens has done this to emphasise that Scrooge is not part of the world, he simply exists in
The film adaptation of Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol, the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, has led a life of greed and selfishness due to his circumstances as a child. His contemptuous and derisive attitude toward others often renders him the outcast of the town in which he lives in. On many occasions he proves himself to be uncharitable and unwilling to be lenient to give Bob Cratchit, a abused and underpaid man who works for Scrooge, any extra time off or pay on Christmas. When the two business owners came by Scrooge’s workplace to ask for money to donate to charity, he profusely refused their efforts to get him to provide any and shooed them away. All of these qualities only added to his negative social standing. People feared him and often avoided him due to his pessimistic demeanor. Even with this attitude, characters Bob Cratchit and Fred, who is Scrooge’s nephew, take pity on him and want the best for him because they can empathise with him. When Mrs. Cratchit starts to praise Scrooge in a negative light, Bob strays away from the subject and wills the subject to drop because it was Christmas, and people should be thankful for what they have. Another instance is when the Ghost of Christmas Present showed him Fred talking to the rest of his family, and despite after making fun of him, he chose to cheer to him in his honor. This is because he forgave Scrooge for his actions due to the fact that he pitied him and
At the beginning of the novel, Scrooge treats his only worker, Bob Cratchit, very poorly. He forces Bob to work everyday but Christmas, and he gets paid only enough to feed himself and his family. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge the love and care that is present in the Cratchit’s house even with Scrooge’s atrocious treatment to Bob, and when he sees Tiny Tim with his disability, he regrets his actions towards Bob and wants to make him feel better. Scrooge learns the lesson of compassion by seeing the Cratchit’s household filled with love and being deeply moved, he promises to treat Bob better and give him a raise, and, in
“‘If they would rather die, ‘ said Scrooge, ‘they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. ‘“ (Dickens 6) The readers can see that Scrooge is very attached to his money and too selfish to give to lower classmen. This is also shown in Click, as Michael is attached to the “universal
Let's go back and contrast what Scrooge is also faced with here. He is told that all he cares about is