Heartless Capitalism Exposed in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The book was first published in 1843, a time when many of the wealthy people neglected the old Christmas spirit of charity. In addition, the Industrial Revolution had further done away with the simple pleasures of the season. Dickens’ intentions in writing ‘A Christmas Carol’ were not only linked to his childhood and sympathy for the poor, but he was also acting as a philanthropist by making an appeal to the rich people of society to mend their selfish ways.

& nbsp ; Dickens' A Christmas Carol and the Industrial Revolution         Besides being the secular story of Christmas time in an urban setting, A Christmas Carol, tells the sacred story of Christmas as well. With A Christmas Carol, Dickens initiated an ongoing creative process in the Anglo-American imagination. As a result of the Industrial Revolution and the growth and development of cities people's lives changed drastically as they moved from the life and traditions of the country into those of the city.

Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol was first published in London on the 19th of December 1843, the novella was instantly popular and still is to this day. Dickens inspiration for the short story seems to come from his childhood experiences and his sympathy for the poor. In the story a miserable old man, Ebenezer Scrooge, is shown the error of his ways and what will come of it if he doesn’t make drastic changes. Various ghosts and spirits slowly transform him into a kinder more pleasant man. A Christmas Carol is a powerful novella that uses symbolism like the children Ignorance and Want, Scrooge’s transformation, and Scrooges nephew Fred, to reinforce significant themes like social isolation, rebirth, and family.

Following this bitter blow, the Ghost of Christmas Present leads Scrooge on a tour of two more families: that of his nephew and of his clerk. The vision of Scrooge’s clerk’s family – the Cratchits – paints an intricate example of the beauty of family. As Dickens explains, “They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being water-proof; their clothes were scanty… But they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the times…” (page 54). The Cratchits possessed minimal earthly wealth, and even had an ill son, yet they displayed incredible joy! The joy, warmth, affection, and laughter surrounding the Cratchits’ Christmas celebration brought Scrooge to the realization that the “Christmas spirit” does not depend on any material possessions, or even on situations. Joy is a choice, and that choice is made easier when we are surrounded by the ones we love.

During the Industrial Revolution in London, the poor were treated as inadequate citizens. Most worked just so they could have food and shelter. In A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens uses Ebenezer Scrooge to convey his critiques of Victorian society. Dickens uses the character Scrooge to express his judgements of Victorian society, greed, and the treatment of the poor. He also suggests a reform to these problems, charity and the spirit of Christmas.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens is about misanthropist Ebenezer Scrooge who is an ignorant, greedy rich person. However after getting visits from the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future he changes into a better person which shows how through changing how someone acts and their values their future can have a different outcome.

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.

In many ways Dickens was viewed to denounce the Capitalist ethic. However never to found to be Communist/ Marxist it can be stated he was merely anti-materialistic. He felt the social injustice, which was created due to the heavy industry. Most of the mechanized account and in particular p.20 creates such an impression on the reader to think this. Dickens believed that this was a brutal world where everything is “measured by figures” in a Gradgrind gospel of “Fact”.

Set up against the rampant industrialization of the 18th century, Charles Dickens classic novella “A Christmas Carol” endorses the notion that all people have a responsibility to ensure the safety and welfare of every member of society. By taking his seemingly irredeemable protagonist Ebenezer Scrooge on an other worldly journey. Dickens intends to convey to the complacent classes of the age, the necessity of various traits that are essential in life, such as the responsibility for those whom are less fortunate and other vital traits such as charity, generosity and simply caring for others. Dickens warns the reader of the consequences that will follow if these lessons are not taken into consideration.

A Christmas Carol is about a man named Ebenezer Scrooge.Who had a lot of greed. He even called Christmas a “humbug”. Ebenezer Scrooge had more greed than any other man in England. He worked all year long even through Christmas, The most happiest time of year, but not for Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge had parter, Bob Cratchit, he paid him only 15 shillings a week. Cratchit had 5 children and one of his children had a crippled foot, and walked with a crutch. That Christmas the Cratchit family had a small turkey because of Scrooge's greed.

Greed influences people in negative ways. Money and power can corrupt people and replace their relationships with material possessions. In Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge starts as a greedy, grumpy elderly man. After three spirits visit him and reveal his past, present, and future, he realizes the error of his selfish ways and comes to understand the poverty that surrounds him. Scrooge examines his own mistakes, which encourages readers to consider their own actions, thoughts, and emotions.

Social class systems in the nineteenth century were comprised of the upper class, the middle class, the working class, and the underclass. The different social classes can be “distinguished by inequalities in such areas as power, authority, wealth, working and living conditions, life-styles, life-span, education, religion, and culture” (Cody). The poor, also known as peasants, were usually mistreated and segregated from the wealthy, or those of higher class. During his time, Charles Dickens “seen as a champion of “the poor” by some of the poor themselves” (“What was”). It is said that one of his greatest achievements “was to bring the problem of poverty to the attention of his readers through introducing varieties of poor persons into almost all of his novels, and showing the “deserving” majority of the poor, bravely struggling against the forces arrayed against them” (“What was”). This is clearly evident in A Tale of Two Cities. During the nineteenth century Victorian era, social class systems were a common excuse for the division and mistreatment of many individuals, as evidenced in Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities.

Dickens’ ‘A Christmas Carol’ presents a warning to society through the representation of characters and the journey and transformation of the notorious miser, Ebenezer Scrooge. Dickens warns society of the grim future that awaits humanity if people fail to respond to the plight of the poor. Finally, if Dickens intentions weren’t made clear enough through these examples, his preface says it all. “I have endeavoured in this ghostly little book, to raise the ghost of an idea…May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and

We see that Charles Dickens recognizes the poverty in the people. He describes the people as “… men with bare arms, matted locks, and cadaverous

Dickens begins the novel with a pro-revolutionary tone. His regard for the idea of the upcoming and inevitable revolution in a positive light is reflected by the atmosphere he sets for the reader. Dickens is able to make his readers pity the peasantry and sympathize with them. Through inclusion of detail, Dickens portrays the plight of the lower class writing, “gloom [gathers] on the scene that [appears] more natural to it than sunshine” (21). This allows the reader to imply that the suffering of the lower class has fallen into a continuous pattern, and they can understand the need for revolution. Additionally, Dickens uses anaphora with the phrase “Hunger [is]” (21). This gives the reader a sense of how much hunger dominates and defines their lives, effectively making their