The Novel A Christmas Carol Essay Example

The Novel A Christmas Carol Essay Example The Novel A Christmas Carol Essay The Novel A Christmas Carol Essay at acquaintance with the spectre Scrooge primarily passes it off as an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato in fear of insanity seeping into him. However instead of insanity setting in, the ghost Jacob Marley was genuinely visiting the tenacious Scrooge. In life I was your partner, Jacob Marley The words spoken from beyond the grave consume Scrooge and start him of onto the path he should have taken a long time ago. Scrooge is foretold of the three ghosts that await him. Without their visits, said the ghost, you cannot hope to shun the path I tread. We leave this stave with Scrooge in a deep sleep, anticipating his destiny of amendment. The opening to any book is arguably the most important part, as it has to hook the reader with a small section of writing into continuing to read the story and the author hasnt fallen short on this occasion. The book starts strangely with Marley was dead which although seems rather bizarre, it grabs the readers attention and sidetracks their thoughts to trying to understand; who is Marley? How did he die? Why is he dead? What is the relevance of this information? However the fact that someone has died [fictional, but nonetheless] the author is in fret to conjure up a few quirky jokes. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail. Mind A might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadiest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the similie; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or our countrys done for. You will then permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail. This is a good example of how Dickens finds humour in even in a persons death even if the joke isnt really that funny, it still lightens up the mood and by adding this paragraph to the story just emphasised Marleys death so that the appearance of the ghost later on adds a more eerie aura to the epic saga. Because Scrooge knows that Marley is dead for sure, the whole incident sparks of a whole chain reaction, before he didnt care what others thought, wasnt scared of anything and believed in nothing [even love]. But after seeing Marleys faced envisaged into his door knocker, Scrooge became afraid and looked all around his house every room and even under the beds! After all the nasty things Scrooge has done, it is amusing to see him put into this situation and revenge taking place. Every action has an equal and opposite reaction, and Scrooges reaction to the ghost of Marley surely is a humorous one. The first ghost to visit was ghost of Christmas past. Its appearance is rather peculiar It was a strange figure like a child: yet not so like a child as an old man, viewed through some supernatural medium, which gave him the appearance of having receded from the view, and being to a childs proportions. Its hair, which hung about its neck and down its back, was white as if with age; and yet the face had not a wrinkle on it, and the tenderest bloom was on the skin. The arms were very long and muscular; the hands were the same, as if its hold were of uncommon strength. Its legs and feet, most delectably formed, were, like strength those upper members bare. This strange description carries on for quite a while, but from what weve seen so far the ghost is very strong. It most likely uses this strength to hold on to Scrooges past that he himself tries to forget. She looks old because she is Scrooges past, and Scrooge himself is old, therefore she looks old. But she looks young because the young are often looked upon as innocent, which may suggest Scrooge used to be nice. The scene I want to talk about is that at Fezziwigs party. During this whole time, Scrooge had acted like a man out of his wits. His heart and soul were in the scene, and with his former self. This visit unveils the true Scrooge that actually enjoys things and knows how to have fun. Scrooge gets so caught up in the moment he even forgot the ghost was there. This definitely shows us that Ebenezer Scrooge once had a heart. The Second ghost visiting Scrooge was that of Christmas present. Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. In easy state upon this couch, there sat a jolly Giant, glorious to see, who bore a glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plentys horn, and held it up, high up, to shed its light on Scrooge, as he came peeping round the door. This description beautifully shows us the shear amount of food there is. And the representation of the 2nd ghost is quite intriguing. It was clothed in one simple green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur. This garment hung so loosely on the figure, that its capacious breast was bare, as if disdaining to be warded or concealed by any artifice. Its feet, observable beneath the ample folds of the garment, were also bare; and on its head it wore no other covering than a holly wreath, set here and there with shining icicles. Its dark brown curls were long and free; free as its genial face, its sparkling eye, its open hand, its cheery voice, its unconstrained demeanour, and its joyful air. Girded round its middle was an antique scabbard; but no sword was in it, and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust. This ghost takes Scrooge to many places, and in each place people still celebrates Christmas. Scrooge is also shown how unpopular he really is when people make fun of him at a party. The final ghost, the ghost of Christmas yet to come is a very dark and mysterious character. Lead on! said Scrooge. Lead on! The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know. Lead on, Spirit! this is different from how we saw Scrooge in the sense that at first he was scared by his own business partner Marley, and now he is talking confidently to a ultra scary ghost. Unlike the previous two, this phantom seems to drain all happiness from its surroundings. It shows Scrooges grave stone covered in rubbish and moss. And then he sees Tiny Tims grave stone immaculate and clean. And to round things off, Scrooge is shown businessman laughing over a dead man [obviously himself]. He moves on to see all his belongings on sale at market. If he wanted to keep them after he was dead, a wicked old screw, pursued the woman, why wasnt he natural in his lifetime? If he had been, hed have had somebody to look after him when he was struck with Death, instead of lying gasping out his last there, alone by himself. . This gives Scrooge an even better view of peoples opinions of him, because now that hes dead they arent afraid to speak their mind. It also is different from stave 1 because then people were scared just by the very presence of Scrooge. And because they think Scrooge deserves all his things being stolen from him. The final scene shows Scrooge looking at his own grave. This hammers home the idea that if Scrooge carries on with his bad ways hell be remembered as the selfish man he is. His conscience is as filthy as his grave. I will honour 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. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone! . Stave 5 ends the novel with applauded content. Scrooge has been liberated from his wicked ways of malevolence. His pleasant counterpart has been salvaged from his mercilessness exterior. I dont know what day of the month it is. said Scrooge. I dont know how long Ive been among the Spirits. I dont know anything. Im quite a baby. Never mind. I dont care. Id rather be a baby. Hallo! Whoop! Hallo here! . This act of unconcern and rather giddiness has pushed the boundaries that held people back from even being on the same sidewalk as Scrooge. Now his act of blissfulness is being extended to others in the environs of him. He now abides by the knowledge Treat others as you would like to be treated. His life of cruelty and indecency has therefore revoked his right to be treated with the courteous ways in which he ceases to yield. However this encounter of ethereal events has cast him to the path of righteousness. Running to the window, he opened it, and put out his head. No fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for the blood to dance to; Golden sunlight; Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells. Oh, glorious! Glorious! These weather conditions deeply contrast those unambiguously dramatic circumstances revealed in stave 1. Foggier yet, and colder. Piercing, searching, biting cold. If the good Saint Dunstan had but nipped the Evel Spirits nose with a touch of such weather as that, instead of using his familiar weapons, then indeed he would have roared to lusty purpose. This is another way in which the author lightens the ambience. He had a momentary idea of knocking Scrooge down with it, holding him, and calling to the people in the court for help and a strait-waistcoat. That just shows how people genuinely cant believe that Scrooge has changed and that instead he has just gone insane, which was ironically Scrooges thought as he first laid eyes upon the spirit of his former business partner, Jacob Marley. At the end of the novel, Scrooge discovers his new passion for Christmas and understands how his ways of skimping on money and overall cruelty has hauled others around him into a descending spiral of misery. And in utter contrast to his former self Scrooge seized the ruler with such energy of action, that the singer fled in terror. into a happy and grateful for everything kind of person Its Christmas Day! said Scrooge to himself. I havent missed it. The Spirits have done it all in one night. They can do anything they like. Of course they can. Of course they can. Hallo, my fine fellow! . The novel ends with a perpetual sense of being and archetypal joy. And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One! In conclusion, I believe this novel was written to not only show the inequality of treatment throughout society forced labour in work houses for poor, slave wages, but also to show that people like Scrooge are not overly popular and wont live a good life. Moreover, it is never too late to change your ways.