The story tells of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge’s ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge. One of the key themes in “A Christmas Carol” is repentance and redemption. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed Scrooge his childhood, teenage years, and importantly, the moment when he could have chosen a different path in life. This leads Scrooge to repent for his past choices and dedicate himself to living a better life. The Ghost of Christmas Present reveals how Scrooge’s current choices are affecting other people, leading him to further reflect on his past and present behavior. Ultimately, these experiences help Scrooge redeem himself and become a better person.
After his transformation, Scrooge is a changed man, he is full of love and kindness, and he regrets his previous ways. His repentance and redemption are complete when he dies surrounded by loved ones who cherish him; the Ghost of Christmas Past’s rehabilitation of Scrooge. It similarly takes Scrooge on a journey through his past, showing him how he became the cold-hearted man he is today (Thompson 268). By the end of their time together, Scrooge has learned from his mistakes and is beginning to repent for his ways. The lead character in the story is Ebenezer Scrooge; the ghosts that led Scrooge to repentance and redemption include the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come (Thompson 270). These spectral guides revealed to Scrooge the joys and sorrows of his own life, current events among the poor and a glimpse of what could become of him if he did not change his ways. Taken together, these remembrances persuade Scrooge to live out the rest of his days in charity and goodwill.
The Ghost of Christmas Past showed Scrooge scenes from his past, including happy memories and painful ones. This led Scrooge to see that his miserly ways had cost him dearly (DeVito 34). The ghost showed Scrooge the consequences of his choices in the present, including how they would affect people around him. This was the final push that led Scrooge to repent and seek redemption. Before his transformation, Scrooge was described as wrenching, scraping, covetous, clutching, grasping, and old sinner! Who cared more about money than anything else (Dickens 8). Scrooge was very different before the ghost visited him. He was mean, bitter, and lonely. Scrooge, at one point, mentioned that anybody who was for the idea of merry Christmas should be boiled and buried (Dickens 39). He refused to celebrate Christmas or enjoy life, but after the visit from the ghosts, Scrooge became a kinder, more generous man. He started to enjoy life again and even celebrated Christmas.
Ghost of Christmas Present is the most jovial and friendly of the three- after all, he is there to show Scrooge the joys and wonders of the festive season. Christmas Present revealed some disturbing things that were happening at that moment. For instance, he showed Scrooge how the Cratchits were celebrating Christmas despite their poverty (Dickens 79). He showed Scrooge how his nephew Fred was celebrating Christmas with friends and family. Similarly, he was shown how his nephews were speaking badly of him at the party (Dickens 57). Finally, he showed Scrooge scenes of future winters where no one would mourn his death because he had been such a mean and miserly person (DeVito 14). He showed Scrooge the joys and happiness that could be found during the Christmas season, reminding him of what he had lost over the years (McLaren 31). These experiences helped Scrooge realize the error of his ways and inspired him to change his life positively. Christmas Present played a pivotal role in Scrooge’s redemption and repentance.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is the third and final spirit who visits Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. This spirit represents Scrooge’s own future self and shows him what will become of him if he does not change his ways. The ghost takes Scrooge to several different scenes. The first is a graveyard, where Scrooge sees his own tombstone (Dickens 82). Scrooge saw a neglected grave with his name written; he could not believe it and asked himself whether he was the man who lay upon the bed (Dickens 83). The second is a scene in which two men are discussing the recent death of a fellow named Ebenezer Scrooge. The men speak unkindly about Scrooge, gleefully sharing stories of his stinginess and generally feeling glad that he is gone and guessing his funeral to be cheap. “I have not heard,” said the man with the large chin, yawning again. “Left it to his company, perhaps, he has not left it to me, that is all I know” (Dickens 71). The image of Scrooge on his knees crying at his own tombstone is a powerful portrayal of repentance and regret (Thompson 268). Scrooge Mourns himself shows the true nature of regret, which is not simply feeling sorry for oneself, since when he was alive, he could not imagine being buried in such a tomb.
There are a number of symbols and images used throughout Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that helped in pointing to some deeper themes in the story. One example is the use of fire and flames; whenever Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by a ghost, there is always a roaring fire in the room, lending an eerie feeling to the scene. However, the image of fire symbolizes hope and rebirth (Nizomova 11). Conversely, the fire is used to symbolize a number of things in the story, most notably, redemption. As Scrooge is redeemed by the end of the story, so too are the Cratchits. After all, it is through their shared experience of grief and loss that they come to understand each other and ultimately bond as a family, fire has connotations of hope and change (McLaren 15). As Dickens vividly describes the scene where Marley’s ghost first appears to Scrooge, readers get a sense of foreboding and despair.
Works Cited
DeVito, Carlo. Inventing Scrooge: The Incredible True Story Behind Charles Dickens’ Legendary” A Christmas Carol.” Cider Mill Press, (2017).
Dickens, Charles. “A Christmas Carol.” (n.d.).
McLaren, Mary-Rose. “A Christmas Carol.” (2019).
Nizomova, Shodiyevna Shohista. “Symbolic Interpretations of Water and Fire in Modern Poetry.” Middle European Scientific Bulletin 11 (2021).
Thompson, Terry W. “The Belshazzar Allusion in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.” The Explicator 75.4 (2017): 268-270.