A_Christmas_Carol__Dickens's_Is_Trying_to_Change_Victorian_Society._How_Does_He_Use_the_Ghosts_to_Do_This_in_a_Christmas_Carol_

A Christmas Carol was written in 1843, by Charles Dickens also the author of “The Great Expectations” and “David Copperfield”. Before A Christmas Carol was published as a book, it was in a magazine, this way; Victorians could pay for it more easily. Dickens is best known for his contribution to English Literature. He wrote of the truth about the era, things such as bad-working conditions, child labour, union-houses, poor law, class divisions and poverty. He knew of all these, before he succeeded as a writer; he himself worked in a factory, in bad conditions at the age of nine. Unfortunately this was very common during this era. Dickens has used his novel to express his views on social society at this time. This period was called “The Victorian Age”. It was named after the Queen Victoria, who at the time was the Queen of England. Her reign started from 1837 to 1901, a total of 64 years. During Victoria’s reign Britain saw a long period of prosperity, there was lots of factories and rapid growth. When the century began people were living in small villages. By the end of the century villages became large towns and Britain the most powerful country in Europe. For the poor however it was a different story, they were wanting and slowly getting reform and change. They were at the bottom of society and ignored by the middle and upper class. They had the choice to work in Union Houses that were there to support the, poor, old and sick. However, there were many complaints about them, such as being too expensive to run. The poor didn’t like them either. They were made to wear a uniform to be noticed by the whole community. Upon arriving family members could be split up and made to live separately or with other families. There were no health and safety regulation and children were also made to work instead of receiving an education. If punished, they could be disallowed to see their family altogether. Gradually people feared going there, they were described to be like prisons and when people tried to leave they were offered everything to stop them from doing so. The novel is about Christmas spirit and giving. I believe this is why Dickens has set his novel out in staves; to link with a Christmas Carol song. A musical stave is a stanza with a consistent theme and mood. Each stave in the story delivers a different message and each has a definite mood. As in a carol each stave can stand alone but each contributes to the carol’s overall theme. Dickens wanted his story to be repeated and shared each year just as a carol would. The novel is a celebration of Christmas but also a story of redemption and man’s potential to change. Dickens wanted to use his skills as a writer to change rich people’s views of the poor, having been in extreme poverty himself, he wanted to make the higher classes more aware of the problem of how the poor were living in the 19th century. He became so passionate about the book and even paid for the publishing himself. A carol also usually contains a memorable refrain which is repeated at appropriate times throughout. In Dickens’ Christmas Carol the refrain is no doubt the blessing from Tiny Tim “God bless us every one!” However scrooges famous “Bah Humbug” could also be used as one. At the beginning of the book, we can’t help but notice how Dickens has described Scrooge and in so much detail. We have an instant disliking of Ebenezer Scrooge’s cold, grumpy and very selfish nature. Dicker’s is showing us about the rich Victorian Society by using Scrooge to represent them. With Scrooge everything has a purpose. For example he works for money. When his nephew came to ask if he would like to spend Christmas with them he says that a laugh can be contagious even without a purpose. Victorian standards match their own beliefs about morals, hard work, success in business, and power. They were very sure of themselves and had few doubts about their values and beliefs. Victorian society was particularly Christian. Victorian values included a strict moral code and an obsession with social status. Their occupation and social standing was still largely determined by family background and social connections. They were ignoring and being ignorant of how the poor are living. He has no empathy or sympathy on what it is like to live and work in Union houses. Two gentlemen approach Scrooge asking him for a small contribution for a fund they are raising for the poor. Charity was very important during the Victorian era because a lot of people had so little, the people who could give, would, except for Scrooge, who would prefer to send the poor to Union Houses or prisons and that "If they would rather die (than go there), they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population", Why is it that Scrooge is so almighty that he can have an opinion on who should die and who should live' The rich were rich and prosperous; the poor are poor and near to death. Then he says “Oh! I was afraid from what you said at first that something had occurred to stop them in their useful course”. From this we can tell he fully supports them and finds them valuable to the community. The rich had lots of money unlike the poor and yet they are still unhappy and always wanting more. Christians would enjoy reading A Christmas Carol because Dickens is in his own way talking of death and the afterlife by using the four ghosts. We first see Marley who because of all the wrong doing he did in life and because he did not live as a good Christian, he is walking the Earth bearing the chains he himself made. This could perhaps link to punishment and hell after death. To contrast him we then have three ghosts who are there to do good in the world through their power. For a spirit to have such power and presence means that they lived their life as a good Christian. Dickens is suggesting that there is life after death, just as Christians believe there is but you determine how you live after death through decisions you make in life. Scrooge is with no doubt being described in such detail because Dickens wants us to feel angry towards the rich society. He is trying to get us on his side and make people more aware of the problem. It was during the Victorian era that Christmas became more commercialized, such as tempting foods by tills and in shop windows, this made it even harder for the poor who were already struggling. Scrooge is rich but lonely and unhappy. He could have afforded to give a large sum of money to the two gentlemen asking for a small fund for charity, but because of his coldness and ruthless behaviour, he chose not to as he always does. Dickens uses similes such as “solitary as an oyster”. Solitary means isolated, lonely, unsociable and existing alone and oyster means rough and flattened. What Dickens‘is trying to say is that Scrooge is on his own like an oyster would be. He is lonely and likes it that way. In contrast with him and his characteristics, there is the Cratchit family. Poor and living in poverty but are a complete and happy family unit. Mr Cratchit is employed by Scrooge who finds it “unfair” and a “nuisance” that Mr Cratchit wants Christmas Day off. To Scrooge it is like any other day of the year and a “poor excuse for picking a man’s pocket every twenty-fifth of December”. The Cratchit family are angry at Scrooge for finding it an inconvenience. They call him “such an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man”. However they are also thankful to him. He has provided them with the money to celebrate Christmas, “Scrooge, the founder of the feast”. Fred, Scrooges nephew also contrasts his Uncle. Although he is poor and can barely provide for his family, he was living as a good Christian. Giving charity (even though he probably needed the money himself) and very excited about Christmas, giving blessings and Christmas cheers wherever he goes. In stave one; Scrooge is visited by Marley, a ghost who is there to warn him of his future. Strange things happen before he appears. All the bells in the house ring loudly, Scrooge can hear chains banging along the floor and then finally Marley appears by passing through the closed door of the bedroom where Scrooge is listening intently. The ghost warns Scrooge that if he does not change his ways, then he will suffer Marley’s fate, but Scrooge’s fate would be even worse. He will walk the earth forever more after death, invisible to other beings only able to observe them(being lonelier as ever before); burdened with chains, seeing the misery and suffering he could have improved in his life but is now powerless to intervene. Marley has arranged Scrooge's only chance of redemption: three spirits will visit him and they may help change him and save him from his fate. If it had been any other ghost and not Marley of whom he trusted so much. Scrooge may not have believed or thought of the warning a great deal. This trust helped him change his future. Marley says that “I wear the chain I forged in life, I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on my own free will and of my own free will I wore it”. What Marley means is that the chains symbolize all the wrong decisions he made throughout his life. Another link was added to the chain after every wrong decision he made and therefore made his chains that he now bears longer. In spite of this, Scrooge still hasn’t understood and says that Marley “were always a good man of business” at this the phantom cries that “Mankind should have been my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance and benevolence was my business”. He should have been more interested in helping others and not just thinking about himself, he was making the wrong decisions all the time. By how Scrooge reacted to this, we can see what he sees as being a good thing; he thought Marley was a good man because he was a good business man. Scrooge is then visited by the first ghost that Marley has arranged to meet with him. This ghost has been sent to take him on a journey to some of past Christmases, where key events shaped his life and character and also to show the excitement and happiness that Christmas used to bring him. This is the Ghost of Christmas Past. This ghost is described to be “like a child; yet not so like a child as like an old man”. Dicken’s may have described the ghost to be like this because he is trying to link him with the past. The past is made up of ourselves at different ages. Every year we get older and wiser and key events perhaps have changed us from what we were the year before. The way the ghost was clothed would link to the past to. “It wore a tunic of the purest white” this could suggest the innocence of the ghost. For example it is traditional for a bride to wear white for her wedding as it shows you are pure and innocent. The spirit may also be described as old because growing in age is usually associated with wisdom. Scrooge observes that its light was burning high and bright; connecting that with its influence over him. We have seen that he has an influence over Scrooge because he has projected feelings we have not yet seen from scrooge; sympathy, excitement and joy. When the ghost takes Scrooge to when he was at boarding school for Christmas, he is sad. Then his sister Fan appears to take him home and Scrooge is excited and seems to be enjoying the memory. We immediately notice that his sister Fan was very special to Scrooge. They then go to a party that was being hosted by Scrooge’s old boss. Scrooge is excited and happy to be looking upon this scene again, he is suddenly aware that the ghost is watching him. He says to the spirit that Fizzelwig had the power to render us happy or unhappy; to make our service light or burdensome; a pleasure or a toil, the happiness he gives, is quite as great as if it cost a fortune” He suddenly hears his own words and stops “Whats the matter'” the ghost asks and Scrooge replies “I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now”. I believe this shows that Scrooge is guilty and sorry for how he has treated his clerk when he was treated so kindly by his own boss. The next part of his journey is when the ghost takes him to him and his fiance, Belle. She is breaking up with him, saying that she has been “replaced with something golden” meaning money. She also explains that “our contract is an old one. It was made when we were both poor and content to be so, until in good season we could improve our worldly fortune by our patient industry. You are changed. When it was made you were another man!” Scrooge knows he did wrong by letting her go and as he watches all this he is shouting to his former self “say something” However when it comes to his sister’s death, Scrooge feels very sad and there is a glimpse of anger at this event. He is angry that the birth of his nephew caused his sister to die. At the time he didn’t realize that his sister had asked him to look after her son, Scrooge had walked out being so angry at what was happening. When Scrooge hears his sister saying those words he feels terrible and shouts the word “sorry” out to her. Scrooge feels the first signs of regret. Finally scrooge can bear to see no more. He exclaims “Oh no, don’t torture me, take me home” He then notices that the Spirits light is burning high and bright still, again connecting with the influence the spirit has over Scrooge. Scrooge grabs an extinguisher and presses it down upon its head. The extinguisher symbolizes the point that scrooge is in denial and is trying to get rid of the light. In stave two, Scrooge is visited by his second ghost that Marley has sent to him. The Ghost of Christmas Present who has been sent to show what Christmas will be like this year. The ghost is described to be “clothed in one simple deep green robe or mantle boarded with fur. On its head it wore no other covering than a holly wreath”. The dark green robe he wears would have been linked with Santa. Before Cola changed Santa’s suit to red he was advertised in green. This side to the character could be associated with being a warm and generous spirit who is good to children. The holly wreath would be associated with Jesus. Jesus wore a holly wreath when he died and like the ghost is trying to help Scrooge to change and to save his life, Jesus saved people’s lives. And again like Jesus the Spirit walked the earth to help people and tell stories. The spirit also has an “open hand”, ready to give unlike a closed hand (a bit like scrooge), a barrier to what it holds. The spirit sprinkles Christmas essence over the happy inhabitants even the Cratchit family. Scrooge asks about what the ghost is sprinkling, “would it apply to any kind of dinner on this day'” the spirit replies “To any kindly given. To a poor one most.” Scrooge would not be used to giving to the poor, and we know he is shocked because he asks the spirit “Why to a poor one most”. He’s reply is that “Because it needs it most.” When they visit the Cratchit family they find that most of them are there and helping to prepare the goose for dinner. Martha Cratchit who is twelve years old was working late at Christmas and she had to sleep there on Christmas Eve. Bob Cratchit the father isn’t there either because Scrooge has made him work late. He will be bringing Tiny Tim who has to walk with crutches. The celebrations cannot start unless everyone is there. Scrooge seems touched by the families love and happiness. He asks the spirit whether Tiny Tim will live. The spirit replies “I see a vacant seat, in the poor chimney corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved if these shadows remain unaltered by the future, the child will die”. Scrooge finds this distressing. Then the spirit says “If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.” The spirit is echoing the words that Scrooge had said earlier to the two charity men. We know that Scrooge is ashamed because “Scrooge hung his head”. We have seen Scrooge cry and become emotional but now he is ashamed of himself. And that is a very powerful emotion. Before, Scrooge would have looked down upon the Cratchit family now he sees that they are in need of help. Dickens life would have been very similar to the Cratchit family. He was also living in poverty, having to work instead of receiving an education - his family were looked down upon. They travelled far and wide to see how all kind of people celebrate Christmas in their own way, whatever their circumstances. As the night goes on the spirit grows visibly older and tells Scrooge that he must die tonight. He then shows Scrooge two children from under his robe who show the major causes of the suffering in the world. The boy was ignorance, the girl was want. These two children relate to Scrooge he was ignorant of how the poor were living and always wanted more for himself. The ghost explains that most of all we should beware the boy. He is the reason why the poor are in poverty and close to death because the rich are ignoring the poor’s situation. Suddenly after the spirit for the last time re-echoes “are there no prisons or union houses” for the two children to take refuge in, he disappears. The last ghost is The Ghost of Christmas yet to come. The spirit brings with it a gloomy and mysterious atmosphere “for in the very air through which the spirit moved, it seemed to scatter gloom and mystery.”You cannot distinguish the figure from the night, “It would have been difficult to detach its figure from the darkness by which it was surrounded.” The phantom had “slowly, silently, approached and it was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form and left nothing of it visible, save one outstretched hand” The spirit neither spoke nor moved once he had approached. Scrooge probably felt frightened, we usually associate this ghostly figure with death. “It thrilled him with a vague uncertain horror, to know that behind the dusky shroud, there were two ghostly eyes intently fixed upon him” and “its mysterious presence filled him with a solemn dread”. Although the ghost is dressed in black there is an outstretched hand showing that the ghost is willing to help Scrooge still. Scrooge still “feared him the most” though. By the spirit having his hand outstretched could make Scrooge fell relieved that perhaps the ghost, of whom we associate with death, will give Scrooge a chance to redeem himself and die with no chains of wrong doings in his life. The ghost doesn’t speak all he does is points. He takes Scrooge to the death bed of a man; Scrooge doesn’t realize it is his own. Even when he is taken to the people who robbed him of his shirt he wore on his back and bed curtains he still has no idea. Scrooge is appalled that people could treat someone who is dead in such an unkind way. It’s not until the phantom leads him to an unkept graveyard where to Scrooge’s astonishment finds his name printed on one of the graves. Scrooge begins to wonder whether the spirit is there to help him or kill him and he begs for mercy; and a chance to repent. When all three ghosts have left Scrooge changes his life and reverts to the generous, kind-hearted man he was when he was younger before the death of Fan his sister. He anonymously sends the Cratchit family the biggest turkey in the butchers; he meets with the charity workers to give a large amount of money, and spends Christmas Day with his nephew Fred and his wife. The next day Scrooge catches his clerk arriving late and pretends to be his old miserable self, before revealing his new person to an astonished man. He assists Bob and his family, becomes an adoptive uncle to Tiny Tim, and gains a reputation as a kind and generous man who keeps the spirit of Christmas in his life. I believe the message is that it is never too late for man to change and that no matter what circumstances you are in we are all equal. Also Christmas is for giving and sharing with those closest to you and also those less fortunate than yourself. Dicken’s was trying to change Victorian Society and by using the ghosts he has successfully made people aware of the problems that were occurring in the 19th century. There is no other way of showing time than through ghost because we have no way of time travel. Ghosts can show past, present and the future. Ghosts are a mystery, we don’t know if they truly exist or not. His book has been an inspiration for the Victorians and through each generation that has lived up to today. For example a majority of people treat others more humanely and charities now exist and play a major part in today’s society. I believe Dickens was very successful in giving his message.