Essay on A Christmas Carol as Allegory

Imagine a staged production of A Christmas Carol set in 1843. See the stage set in the exact time it was written by Charles Dickens. The foggy, crowded streets abuzz with carolers and shoppers, the children staring wide eyed into the shops and bakeries. Hear the bells ringing as a round of “Hark the Herald Angels Sing” fills the gaslit streets with joy. As a child, going to see A Christmas Carol was one of my fondest Christmas memories. To witness Scrooge 's’ transformation from a mean, greedy old man to a joyous, loving benefactor always left me smiling and filled me with hope.

“I am not the man I once was…” (Dickens 675) might be the most famous words of Ebenezer Scrooge in “A Christmas Carol” Written by Charles Dickens. Ebenezer Scrooge is a horrible man who is haunted by three spirits overnight in hopes to make a new man out of the old miser. Throughout this story, Ebenezer Scrooge is haunted by three spirits ,Christmas present, past, and future, and during this time he learns about his greed, what joy he missed on christmas, and that he had a chance to become better.

Some of these may be very scary and some may only be mildly scary. It

Charles Dickens: A Christmas Carol ‘A Christmas Carol’ written by Charles Dickens tells the story of a man named Ebenezer Scrooge who is taught the true meaning of Christmas and is shown the errors of his ways. ‘A Christmas Carol’ was published in 1843, this was a time of social and political unrest. Dickens motivation for writing this story was to encourage employers to treat workers well, he uses the Christmas Carol to portray this message. Charles Dickens felt strongly about the working conditions and poverty that many people endured. He wanted to encourage employers to treat their workers well.

a prison or a treadmill; he did not think for a second that the places

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

In the novel “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens, a scene occurs in which the Ghost of Christmas Present takes Scrooge to visit miners, lighthouse keepers, and sailors to witness how they celebrate the day of Christmas. This scene contributes to the overall theme and message of “A Christmas Carol” by reinforcing the notion of companionship over isolation. The miners, lighthouse keepers, and sailors all embody companionship, something Scrooge is lacking at the beginning of this journey. The Ghost of Christmas Present takes scrooge to these locations to demonstrate all that is missing from his life due to living in isolation.

The author illustrates that Scrooge who is depicted as "hard and sharp as a flint" is a greedy miser whom is so old and coldhearted that nothing other than his profits will phase him. Dickens uses the scene when the ghost of Christmas past, "a child-like old man" uses flashbacks to show Scrooge of the memories he once made to show the nature of the much younger character. This is evident when Fan "a little girl much younger than Scrooge" had brought out the affection of her older brother as they planned "to be together all the Christmas long, and have the merriest time in all the world." What is important about this example is not just that it shows the compassion Scrooge once felt but also that Scrooge is not truly crooked and horrible to the core establishing the uplifting and inspiring feeling to readers.

The novels A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, and Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte display a strong parallel in the ways in which they use their different styles of narration in the story to reveal the true inner-feelings of characters. In A Christmas Carol, the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, is taught many valuable lessons through the testament of three different spirits, each working to bring out the true emotions of this man. Likewise, in Wuthering Heights, the main character, Mr. Lockwood, is taught stories of his landlord, Mr. Heathcliff, through written recollections from the testaments of others, showing the inner-feelings and thoughts of him through diary entries. Although they are written in two different styles, indirect

‘Show me no more!’ Scrooge cries to the Ghost of Christmas Past. What he sees is a punishment to him. ‘But the relentless Ghost pinioned him in both his arms, and forced him to observe what happened next’ (Stave 2). The phantom as literary device enables Dickens to explore the social and moral issues central to his fiction: – poverty, miserliness, guilt, redemption. The ghosts borrow in their appearance from a tradition of allegory. There is the strange child/old man that is Christmas Past, clutching a branch of holly yet trimmed with summer flowers. There is the large and avuncular Ghost of Christmas Present, tinged more and more with age as his visions draw to their close. And there is ‘The Phantom’ that is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, shrouded and ‘stately’ and mysterious. Their shapes tell you about author's moral

INTRODUCTION: Charles Dickens is said to be one of the greatest writers that has ever lived. Before we read one of his works in class, I would like you to spend some time getting to know this man and learning what the world was like as he knew it.

old sinner! Hard as a steel and sharp as a flint, from which no steel

A morality play, not unlike some of the popular plays I have seen. I think we all have seen this familiar theme many times over the years. As we head into the Christmas season, where reflective thinking becomes this very theme. I can compare this play with some of these seasonal plays. The play that comes to my mind immediately is, "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

The movie “A Christmas Carol” is better than the book. The book is a very descriptive christmas novel. The movie shows more feeling than the book did. The setting and lighting has set a better mood overall than the book.this is why the movie is better than the book.

“ Spirit, hear me. I am not he man I was. I will not be the man I have been for so many years. Why show me all of this if I am past all hope? Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me. Let the boy live! I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The spirits of all three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.” (Scrooge, p.140). A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is an important story as it has a meaningful theme of change, as the quotes states above. But that isn’t the only theme that this beautiful story shows us. Many different spirits encounter him to help him realize why Christmas is important (I’m pretty sure that is the meaning of the spirits). When the first spirit of the past encounters him, he realizes what he has done, and regrets some of the things he did. The second spirit helped Ebenezer Scrooge recognize how what he has been doing has had an impact in other peoples life. When the frightening third spirit came and showed him his future and others futures, he discovers about himself and how people didn’t care that he died. When we read A Christmas Carol, we learn that it can have many different themes that can be a very important component to the story and even our lives.