A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

Synopsis:

This is a short story about Ebenezer Scrooge, an elderly miser businessman who is visited first by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, and afterwards the spirits of Christmas Past, Present and Future. Jacob Marley tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits and that if he listens to them he can still have the chance to redeem himself and become less selfish and greedy. The spirit of Christmas Past shows Scrooge scenes of his youth including his lonely childhood at a boarding school, his relationship with his sister, Fan, the mother of his nephew, Fred, and his first employer, Mr. Fezziwig, who loved Scrooge and treated him like a son. He also sees his fiancee Belle who ended their relationship because Scrooge loved money more than her.

The spirit of Christmas Present shows him the home of Bob Cratchit and his sickly son, Tiny Tim, and the spirit tells Scrooge that Tiny Tim will die unless Scrooge changes the course of events. Finally, the spirit of Christmas Future shows Scrooge the death of Tiny Tim and Scrooge’s grave with no one mourning over him. Scrooge wakes up on Christmas morning as a redeemed and changed man and becomes more kind, generous, and compassionate.

Review:

I loved this story and found it to be very heartwarming and loved how Ebenezer Scrooge redeemed himself and became more kind, generous, and compassionate.

“But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that- as a good time, a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time, the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they were really fellow passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys.”

“External heat and cold had little influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, no wintry weather chill him. No wind that blew was bitterer than he, no fallen snow was more intent upon its purpose, no pelting rain less open to entreaty.”

“Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough, in the good old world.”

“It was always said of him that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us!