Essay About Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol

Throughout his allegorical novella, Dickens’ main objective is to eloquently demonstrate how redemption can change a person regardless of the time in their life. As readers follow Scrooge’s journey, the theme of redemption is prominent and interwoven within the structural patterning of the text whilst existing as a strong undertone throughout.

As readers anticipate whether or not Scrooge will evidently be redeemed, Dickens cleverly utilises the hope to create and build tension, where this effect is heightened through his characterisation of Scrooge who is initially presented as a ‘covetous old sinner’ being ‘hard and sharp as flint’. Therefore, making it arduous to envision a transformation increasing the suspense. In addition, Dickens explores various emotions which build and intensify until they reach a crescendo in the final stave where readers can witness Scrooge’s revolution. In this way, it could be argued the theme is vital to Dickens’ dramatic plotting.

As made evident throughout the novella, the theme of change is instrumental in several ways. Marley’s characterisation is utilised to expose Scrooge’s destiny of being ‘doomed’ if he does not ‘treat mankind’ as his business. When Marley he appears, he proves to Scrooge if he does not realise his errors and improve, he too will experience purgatory and ‘wear the chain’ he ‘forged in life’. Through this scene, Dickens may be criticising the upper class of Victorian Britain for their selfishness and ignorance towards the poor as they were too focused on their own financial gain.

During stave one, Dickens primarily focuses on the unchanging nature of Scrooge’s character as he outlines that even ‘external heat and cold had little influence on him’. This suggests that he is too stubborn and ignorant to be affected by the forces of nature. By constructing such a theatrical change where he transforms from a ‘covetous old sinner’ to a man who is ‘quite a baby’, Dickens inspires his readers showing the importance of redemption as part of his wider social commentary. He reaches out to motivate his audiences; if a man as miserly and misanthropic as Scrooge can change, they too can transform. This solidifies the didactic and allegorical purpose of the novella.

To emphasise the mass of redemption Scrooge commences, Dickens creates direct contrasts between the end staves in the novella. He includes a plethora of imagery in the opening stave to convey the cold and gloomy atmosphere as the setting is described as ‘cold, bleak, biting weather’ and goes on to explore the fog which intruded homes ‘pouring in at every chink and keyhole’. This presents the hostile atmosphere as intrusive and uncontrollable allowing it to dominate the tone of the stave only to then be juxtaposed in the last scene as Dickens writes there was ‘no fog, no mist’ and how the sky was instead ‘clear bright, jovial’ and filled with ‘golden sunlight’. This use of pathetic fallacy dramatically alters the tone of the stave highlighting Scrooge’s successful redemption.

This is solidified by the idea that it was Scrooge who contributed to the cold temperatures in the opening stave as ‘the cold within him’ was so powerful it had the ability to freeze his ‘old features’. This distinguishes his ‘glowing’ and ‘fluttered’ state of mind which is mirrored in the weather portraying his redemption as absolute.

Furthermore, when Scrooge discusses Christmas with Fred he informs him that ‘every idiot that goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart’. This violently hyperbolic assertion conveys the extreme nature of Scrooge’s aversion towards Christmas. Conversely, Dickens presents a much-improved attitude in the final scenes as he reveals once again in a hyperbolic fashion ‘it was always said’ that Scrooge ‘knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge’. This polarised presentation of Scrooge’s character displays the substantial change he has undergone, as he moves from one extreme to another.

Conclusively, the narrative voice in the opening stave is utterly unsympathetic, epitomised by the relentless asyndetic list of verbs which portray Scrooge as a ‘squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching covetous old sinner’. To allow Scrooge’s change to become more apparent, the tone of narration significantly converts to an increasingly optimistic voice in the final stave as it opens with the exclamation ‘Yes!’, establishing the altered tone from the very offset. This is then followed by various descriptions of Scrooge’s ‘good intentions’ such as him ‘quickening his pace’ to provide the charitable collectors with ‘many back-payments’ glorifying his behaviour as he makes amends for his past mistakes. Dickens supports this with a detailed analysis of Scrooge’s laugh outlining it as a ‘splendid…most illustrious laugh’, which was the ‘father of a long, long line of brilliant laughs’. Due to the permanent prediction of more laughs, this ultimately creates the impression that Scrooge’s redemption is convincing and comprehensive.

To summarise, throughout his allegorical novella, Dickens explores various aspects of Scrooge’s redemption journey primarily through direct contrasts of staves, narrative voice, and pathetic fallacy. In essence, Dickens encourages his Victorian audience to be more forthcoming in their own redemption, as a result of the inspiring journey of Scrooge.