CHARLES DICKENS’ “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” ANALYSIS 1

Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”: Analysis of context, characters, themes and physical aspects.
COMPLUTENSE UNIVERSITY OF MADRID

FACULTY OF PHILOLOGY
DEGREE IN ENGLISH STUDIES
INTRODUCTION TO LITERARY TEXTS IN ENGLISH – GROUP A
PROFESSOR: MARGARITA ARDANAZ MORÁN
CHARLES DICKENS’ “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” ANALYSIS 2
Charles Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol”: Analysis of context, characters, themes and physical aspects.

Historical context

Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol in December 1843. Queen Victoria had ascended to

the throne five years before its publication[ CITATION Swi99 \l 3082 ], and the Poor Law Amendment

act, which was meant to keep the number of poor people, and the relief they received under strict control,

had been passed in 1834[CITATION Pau07 \l 3082 ]. It was the beginning of the Victorian era; a time

marked by an adamant drive to maintain religious and moral standards, which had been lost during the

Georgian period [CITATION DIx10 \l 3082 ]. Industrialism was in full swing, and capitalism was on the

rise. Frederick Engels, who was in England in the mid-1840s, published his firsthand observations in his

book The Conditions of the Working Class in England in 1845: “I have never seen a class so deeply

demoralized, so incurably debased by selfishness, so corroded within, so incapable of progress as the English

bourgeoisie […] For it nothing exists in this world except for the sake of money,…” [CITATION Eng87 \p

184 \n \t \l 3082 ] These harsh remarks may well be an ineludible evidence of the society from which the

idea and conception of A Christmas Carol originated. Likewise, Dickens’ Scrooge could be the embodiment

of this type of capitalism; he lives for the sake of acquiring money, yet he cannot seem to even enjoy it.

However, Dickens’ novella cannot be solely regarded as the product of the social injustices of the

Victorian era. The theme of Christmas and redemption, which will be covered in further points in this

research, had been explored by other authors, including Washington Irving’s Christmas Tales and Dickens’

Pickwick Papers. [ CITATION Kel03 \l 3082 ] Queen Victoria and Prince Albert have also been credited

for trying to bring lost Christmas traditions and for including new ones, such as the introduction of the

Christmas tree. [ CITATION Lal01 \l 3082 ] Furthermore, the character of Martin Chuzzlewit, who

appears in Dickens’ eponymous serialized novel, seems to have many parallelisms with Scrooge. Both are

depicted as misers who undergo a transformation to become altruistic men. [CITATION Ack90 \l 3082 ]

On a more personal level, Dickens’ impulse to write A Christmas Carol came as way to salvage his

financial situation after the publication of Martin Chuzzlewit, whose sales had started to flop. His wife was

expecting the marriage’s fifth child and there was a “contractual clause that permitted [the publishers] to

subtract money from his income if the novel’s sales did not meet the expectations set up by his handsome

advance.”[CITATION Dou06 \p xvi \l 3082 ] Dickens completed the work in a month and a half, prior to
CHARLES DICKENS’ “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” ANALYSIS 3
Christmas Day in 1843, and took care of all the production costs himself, hoping to make a larger profit once

the book hit the book stores at Christmas. Despite becoming an unprecedented success, the novella did not

compensate Dickens with the benefits he had expected, as it was pirated the following January. [CITATION

Dou06 \p xix-xx \n \y \t \l 3082 ]

Analysis of the characters

Ebenezer Scrooge

Ebenezer Scrooge is the protagonist of the novella. We follow his journey from a miserable penny

pincher to a man who realizes the error of his ways and transforms into a more caring, compassionate citizen.

Dickens uses Scrooge to criticize the divide between those who have money and those who do not.

At the beginning of the novella, Dickens provides a detailed description of Scrooge. He describes

him as being “hard and sharp as flint,” the use of this simile shows how cold-hearted Scrooge is. Another

simile we encounter is “solitary as an oyster”, highlighting that Scrooge is not only a cold person, but

suggests that he prefers to be alone. If we are to analyze this key word alone, we can say that Dickens wanted

to illustrate that, as oysters, Scrooge has a rough, hard shell that keeps everyone out, even his closest

relatives. We see this occurring when his nephew, Fred, tries to invite him to Christmas dinner. At every

attempt, Scrooge knocks Fred back. This powerful introduction of the main character has a direct effect on

the reader and sets the perfect scenario to make his redemption even more powerful. Lingering on the idea of

the oyster, we can also say that, as oysters contain pearls within, something precious and valuable is hidden

inside Scrooge, and he only needs the visit of the three ghosts to open him up and become a generous man.

Bob Cratchit

Cratchit is Scrooge’s employee; a man with a kind heart who seems to hold no grudge against his

despicable employer, despite being loaded with work or allowing him only a day off: Christmas. It could be

argued that Cratchit is foreshadowing what Scrooge will become by the end of the story: a caring man that

looks after those in need. Indeed, Scrooge becomes a father figure to Tiny Tim, who is Bob’s crippled son.

The Ghosts

The first ghost to be introduced is that of Jacob Marley; Scrooge’s old partner. His purpose in the

novella is to be the herald of the other three ghosts that will come that night and is also a cautionary tale of

Scrooge’s fate, should he not change his ways: be forever doomed, wrapped in chains to wander on earth as

punishment for his greed. Therefore, we can safely adduce that Marley was as selfish as Scrooge.
CHARLES DICKENS’ “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” ANALYSIS 4
In the second stave, the Ghost of Christmas Past is introduced, thus starting Scrooge’s journey to

redemption. Dickens portrays the spirit with an angelic appearance, of indeterminate age or gender, white

robe, and with a light resembling a candle on top of its head. This ghost’s job is to remind Scrooge of his

past, showing him visions of his old boarding school; his relationship with his sister Fan; a Christmas party

his vivacious and jolly former boss, Mr. Fezziwig, once organized; and the moment when Scrooge’s old

fiancée, Belle, put an end to their relationship because of his becoming a greedier man. By introducing this

character, Dickens may be telling us that to change for the better, we must start by looking at our past.

The Ghost of Christmas Present takes the stage on stave three. It is described as "a jolly giant"

with dark brown curly hair. Of all the ghosts that pay Scrooge a visit that night, this one is, in my view, is the

key to understand Dickens’ vision of an ideal society. This ghost could be a portrait of abundance, as he

literally brandishes a cornucopia filled with prosperity. Wherever the Ghost of Christmas Present is featured,

he brings bountiful food supplies, especially to the poor, and so Dickens is saying that contrary to the Law of

the Poor established, capitalism can provide for everyone. The ghost shows Scrooge what other people are

doing that night: his nephew Fred’s Christmas party as well as Cratchit’s Christmas dinner. Scrooge sees how

people can be happy without him or money. The ghost introduces two important things in this stave: he

reveals that Tiny Tim, Cratchit’s ill son, will die if he does not receive proper medical attention, and unveils

from under his cloak two “wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable” children whose names are

Ignorance and Want. These creatures serve to remind Scrooge of his wrongful ideas of what the London

society should not be.

The last spirit is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. John Leech, the artist who illustrated the

first edition of A Christmas Carol, depicted him in close resemblance with the Grim Reaper, following

Dickens’ description of a ghost “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 silent yet scary figure, may also be a

reference to the dark times lived in England during the 14 th century, when the Black Death ravaged almost

24% of the population [ CITATION Rus48 \l 3082 ], thus exerting an unparalleled fear on Scrooge’s mind.

This spirit shows him what the aftermath will be unless he has a change of heart: Tiny Tim will die and the

surrounding people will rejoice in his parting.

CHARLES DICKENS’ “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” ANALYSIS 5
Fred

Very little is known about Scrooge’s only relative, his nephew Fred. One could argue that his sole

purpose in the novella is to tell the reader that he is Scrooge’s antithesis. He is never bothered by his uncle’s

negativity, representing how we should behave towards one another. This behavior is seen in several parts of

the story: when he visits Scrooge in his office to wish him a Merry Christmas, when he welcomes Scrooge

without question by the end of the story, or when he expresses his sorrow for the death of Tiny Tim in one of

Scrooge’s visions.

Tiny Tim

Tim is Bob Cratchit’s sweet natured disabled child, who is used by Dickens as a symbol for the

suffering of the London working class. When describing Tim, Dickens says: “Alas for Tiny Tim, he bore a

little crutch, and had his limbs supported by an iron frame,” conveying a sense of vulnerability. The iron

crutch can even be a metaphor for poverty: the lack of physical mobility afforded by the frame represents

Tim’s lack of social mobility, as he is caught in the poverty trap. Despite this, Cratchit himself refers to his

son as “good as gold” suggesting that the true value of moral virtues lie in how we treat one another, not in

money.

Other minor characters

There are other characters present in the story: Belle, Scrooge’s former fiancée; Mr. Fezziwig, his

old boss; Fan, Fred’s mother and Scrooge’s late sister; Mrs. Cratchit; and even the Portly gentlemen who

seek a donation to the poor from Scrooge at the beginning of the story. However, despite having very distinct

personalities, it could be argued that they serve as mere artifacts to illustrate how wrong a person Scrooge is.

They are the many manifestations of the good the resides in people’s hearts.

Themes and physical aspects

There are at least three major themes that can be identified in A Christmas Carol:

The celebration of the Christmas spirit

First and foremost, Dickens’ novella is a rebirth of old customs and traditions that revolve around

Christmas, which is what has allowed it to withstand gracefully the passing of generations. The story

reminds us of a season in which people set aside the petty quotidian disputes and selfish behavior in favor of

warmth, friendship, and togetherness. It is interesting to see how these influence Scrooge, literally making

him sick and angry at everyone and everything. Later, as the story unfolds, we observe how, once Scrooge’s
CHARLES DICKENS’ “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” ANALYSIS 6
change is complete, it looks as if a heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders. The world seems different,

yet it stayed the same.

Loss, Victory, and Redemption

The motifs of loss, victory and redemption are not only ubiquitous in Christian lore, they are also

present in modern narratology in the form of “the hero’s journey”, term coined years after A Christmas Carol

was published. Although Scrooge’s journey does not follow the classic template [ CITATION Vog07 \l

3082 ], there are some observable basic elements: 1) Ordinary world: Scrooge’s solitary life; 2) Call to

adventure: The visitation of Marley’s Ghost; 3) Crossing the first threshold: The Ghost of Christmas Past;

4) Test, allies and enemies: The Ghost of Christmas Present; 5) Approach to the inmost cave: Ghost of

Christmas Yet to Come; 6) The resurrection: Scrooge’s atonement of his sins and redemption; 7) Return

with the elixir: Scrooge’s sharing Christmas with everyone.

A social critique of Victorian society and capitalism

This is the most physical aspect of the novella and what made it a huge success in sales. The novella

resonated powerfully with the mentality of the people during the Victorian era. As previously discussed, the

social context and the conditions of the working class during the 1940s were harsh and cruel. However,

Dickens’ message should not be interpreted as opposition to the status quo, but rather, as an optimistic

reminder that good things can come out from the darkest places. In my view, Dickens does not oppose

Capitalism, he only wants it to find its pearl inside the oyster shell so that all the Tiny Tims in England can

have a brighter future.

Conclusions

Much has been written about Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, so it is safe to say that it has had

a major influence on the generations that followed it. The novella is a masterpiece that can be read at many

levels: children learn the positive things that come from sharing with others, while adults get a close look at

the grim picture of how leaders, societies, and economic systems can oppress those in the lower social strata.
CHARLES DICKENS’ “A CHRISTMAS CAROL” ANALYSIS 7
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