In this essay, I will be discussing how Dickens presents Scrooge as a reformed man. This is influenced by a clear combination of Scrooge's willingness to make the most of his transient life, as well as his desire for warmth in his once cold heart. Therefore it can be argued that Dickens uses the caricature of Scrooge as a manner in which he can criticize the alienating effects of the abstinence from religion as well as using Bob Cratchit to highlight the prominence of believing and wholeheartedly accepting the Christmas spirit and religion to overcome these issues. Scrooge's actions contrast those in the previous staves and only through an eye-awakening experience and the realization that he must embody the Christmas spirit, did Scrooge reach a zenith and attain redemption. Through these characters, Dickens was successfully able to highlight the significance of wholeheartedly embracing the Christmas spirit, not only for Christmas but throughout the entire year, and only then, will we truly be able to be at peace with ourselves and spread ecstasy to our society like Scrooge did at the end of the story.
Scrooge's impervious nature is nonexistent now, as depicted in the extract- the Christmas spirit has been able to overcome him. He's made a vow to 'honor Christmas' and 'keep it all year'. The verbs 'honor' and 'keep' and how Scrooge will place the Christmas spirit in 'my heart', suggest the rarity and precious nature of the Christmas spirit, to such an extent that Scrooge makes an oath to lock it in his once 'cold' heart. Additionally, 'I was', 'I am', and 'I will', are clear confirmations of how Scrooge has finally been able to take in all 3 spirits' messages. Dickens now allows us readers to wait in suspense as we see if Scrooge is really 'past as hope' and able to truly embody the Christmas spirit. Dickens shows us how the spirit is silent throughout, to emphasize how the future is never certain and no one has a say apart from God Himself, not even the wealthy -however, what we do at the moment will affect our future, and in Scrooge's case, embracing the Christmas spirit will prove to have a significantly positive impact on his future life. However, when Scrooge starts to plead for redemption, the spirit shows compassion and care as he starts to tremble. The verb 'trembled' gives a clear indication of how even the spirit couldn't conceal his emotion towards this idea of redemption. It shows that Scrooge's jubilation will impact everyone, even a silent phantom. It seems that the symbolic nature of the phantom allows us to believe that only you can change your ways to have a significant impact on your future, in other words, the silence of the ghost may delineate the fact only Scrooge's actions will determine his future, and it was simply the phantom's job to induce fear in Scrooge before it was too late to do so. Additionally, the 'silence' here may symbolize a warning to Scrooge as well as to us as readers, that in death it is too late to change. This resonates with how the ghosts that were shown by Marley, were unable to change their ways or help, now that they were deceased. Dickens wants to prove the contagious effects of the Christmas spirit through the caricature of Scrooge and is successfully enabled to do this when we see that Scrooge's plea for redemption can move an 'immovable' phantom. The spirit may also be a metaphorical representation of death, showing that you can be ignorant of your wrongdoings and arrogance and try to ignore it, but eventually, no matter how rich you are, you will be held accountable for your sins and must face misery in both this world as well as the afterlife. Scrooge's misery at the start of the novel is the epitome of the harsh punishments given to those who show ignorance towards society and things that matter, for instance, religion and familial relationships, The adjective 'immovable' may be a delineation of the phantom's physical state or a metaphorical suggestion of the phantom's emotions - the phantom's inability to show any emotion or be - moved''. Nevertheless, Dickens highlights the true power of Scrooge's reformation when mentioning that 'the kind hand trembled' despite the silent phantom being 'immovable as ever'. Scrooge was able to break through his metaphorical boundaries and seemingly do the impossible and Dickens enables us to truly acknowledge the magic and power that comes with Christmas and indirectly teaches us to put the Christmas spirit in our hearts, just as Scrooge vowed he would. Dickens is endeavoring to teach us about the significant effects of the Christmas spirit, both spiritually and psychologically. Scrooge hasn't fully embraced the Christmas spirit here, yet it seems as though his pledge to change his ways enabled the phantom to be moved by the aura of cheer and goodness. This highlights how mandatory it was for Scrooge to embrace the Christmas spirit and teaches us to emulate Scrooge's reformation.
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Moreover, Dickens gives us an insight into Scrooge's redemption through the ecclesiastical terms 'prayer' and 'fate' and the mentioning of how Scrooge 'holds up his hands' as he pleads with God to 'have his fate eye reversed'. This symbolic gesture gives us an insight into Scrooge's desperation to rid himself of sin. As well as this, the noun 'last' gives us a clear indication of Scrooge's desperation. It's as if he feels like it's his 'last' chance to turn back to God as he acknowledges his sinful and once 'covetous' way of life. This resonates with the fact that Scrooge seemingly looked to money and materialism as a metaphorical deity in previous staves, but now, he's accepted religion back into his life after being the 'covetous old sinner' that he used to be. Alternatively, how Scrooge was 'holding' up his hands for prayer may juxtapose with the 'squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching,' in Stave 1. We see an abrupt change in Scrooge's nature as he changes from a convulsive individual who leads a sinful life, to a more peaceful man who has now acknowledged the brevity of life and as a result, wants to mend his ways metaphorically speaking, as he 'holds' up his hands to God. The contrast between the hyperbolic language used to describe Scrooge, and the reformed individual that Scrooge has now transformed into, is used by Dickens to allow the reader to be given a clear insight into how powerful religion is, and how sin and abstinence from joy leads to nothing but the downfall of an individual; it seems that the only thing that can take you back is the acknowledgment of these sins and your willingness to attain redemption. This not only proves that religion and acknowledgments of our faults are mandatory, it also proves that no matter where we are in life in terms of our sins, God will always let there be a pathway for us to ''hold up'' our hands and plea to change our ways- there is hope for even the most miserly of individuals. Scrooge's plea for forgiveness may teach us that at some point in our lives, even if we sin and have our wrongdoings; in this case we must all plead for forgiveness and emulate Scrooge's actions to truly transform into the best versions of ourselves.
In dichotomy, In stave 2, the image of 'another idol.. a golden one' is mentioned; this metaphorical language depicts the fact that Scrooge's worship of money and the prominence that he has given his financial state, has overwhelmed his feelings for Belle. Scrooge, at that moment, was the archetype of an individual who neglected the wholehearted embrace of the Christmas spirit. Due to this ignorance, Scrooge lost the love of his life- Belle. In addition to this, seeing Belle with her husband and children acts as a pivotal tool to change Scrooge's mindset and evokes guilt within Scrooge. The cancellation of the engagement further marginalizes Scrooge away from society and from the idea prospect of having a family and living a life of genuine satisfaction. The sense of guilt within Scrooge is accentuated when he says that the children would have 'been the springtime in the haggard winter'. The metaphorical language here displays the fact that the image of a family with emotions of joy and happiness and embracing the Christmas spirit has turned Scrooge away from his avaricious mindset and proven to him that money gives you nothing in the afterlife. Dickens proves to us here that no matter how appealing materialism looks to us in that moment, love and the embracement of the Christmas cheer and spirit will always bring us true satisfaction, and the embracement of anything, will lead to an inevitable downfall.
Correspondingly, the Cratchits were a true embodiment of the Christmas spirit from the start, and this may have been due to their willingness to accept their harsh reality and make the most of their life, despite having been poverty-stricken. The perpetual neglect of the poor was emphasized by Bob Cratchit's working conditions. We are given an insight into the harsh reality of the poor through Dickens' use of metaphorical language. Bob Cratchit's office is referred to as a 'tank', which has obvious connotations of containment, incarceration, and claustrophobia. Alternatively, 'tank' may have connotations of warfare, which heightens the negatives of Bob's workplace and gives it a sense of danger. This resonates with an earlier quotation wherein Dickens describes Bob's office as a 'dismal little cell'. Not only does this metaphorical use of language depict the restrictive nature of Bob's workplace, but it also allows us readers to understand how gloomy the life of the working class was during the Victorian era as well as their mistreatment. Despite having to work for an archetypal, stingy miser, Bob still managed to metaphorically throw away everything and 'faintly smile'. The verb 'smile' indicates Bob's loyalty towards Scrooge, yet delineates the extent to which he embodies a diligent spirit, though being mistreated. This juxtaposes the adverb 'faintly', which acts as a reminder for the reader that his perceived happiness is feeble, and like every other working-class individual, he is endeavoring to make the most of his difficult situation in life, which shines through, even when working. Bob is also used to give us an insight into what the embodiment of the Christmas spirit looks like, especially during the Christmas season, and this is highlighted through Bob's thankfulness. Bob's ecstasy is displayed when he 'ran home as fast as he could pelt' and when he 'slid on the ice in honor of Christmas'. This is a depiction of Bob's Christmas spirit. The fact that Bob 'slid' on the Ice' despite the extreme weather, gives us readers an insight into how powerful Christmas is in Bob's life, and perhaps, this is Dickens' way of teaching us that Christmas is a time for enjoyment and freedom, away from the responsibilities and restrictions of work. Dickens also uses hyperbolic language when Bob compliments the Christmas pudding that his wife had prepared- 'wonderful' and claims that it was her'' greatest achievement'. The superlative that was used emphasizes the sheer gratefulness in Bob's heart and is further heightened through the fact that he and his 'big family' had little to nothing in life, yet were able to be thankful to God and 'smile', though 'faintly'. Bob was able to overcome all of his worldly problems by simply embodying what the Christmas spirit is, all year long, which resonated with Scrooge's oath to take Christmas into his heart 'all year long' in stave 4 when he reached his zenith and was able to obtain his needed redemption. The message that Dickens may be endeavoring to convey through Bob's persona, is that no matter how humble or flooded you are in poverty, there will always be a source of escapism for everybody - in Bob's case, the embracement of the Christmas spirit.
Additionally, another character that was successfully used as a metaphorical interpretation of what the Christmas spirit is, was Fred- Scrooge's nephew. To begin with, the first time the reader meets Fred he is depicted as an embodiment of the Christmas spirit. Fred is 'all in a glow' when he comes to meet his uncle. The verb 'glow' connotes light which is often linked with purity and hope, emphasizing that Fred acts as a role model for Scrooge. Fred spreads his Christmas spirit and is happy despite not being wealthy. Additionally, Fred is said to have walked through the 'fog and frost'; the fog could connote the lingering somber aura during the era, as well as the Industrial Revolution in the 1800s and all the negativity it brought such as apathy and ignorance. The 'fog' metaphorically prevented many capitalists from being able to see and comprehend the fact that the people of London were suffering greatly due to the functions of power failing to protect them and choosing capitalism over socialism. Fred being 'all in a glow', stands out from this metaphorical atmosphere of capitalism and material gain; whilst doing so, he clears a path for goodness and cheerfulness to seep into Scrooge's melancholy-dominated life. He therefore paints himself as selfless and caring, which at the time, juxtaposes Scrooge's life. Once again, Dickens enables us to be given an insight into the negatives of not embracing the Christmas spirit wholeheartedly and was enabled to do this by highlighting the cheerfulness of Fred against the melancholy life of Scrooge. In essence, Dickens teaches us about the significance of embracing the Christmas spirit by comparing the archetype of a Victorian miser who indulges in covet, to his jovial nephew, who despite being so much younger than his uncle, was able to spread his contagious joy by wholeheartedly taking in the Christmas spirit and letting it guide him through his life. Furthermore, this would inevitably evoke hatred in us towards Scrooge at the time due to the extent to which he allowed his covetous life to guide him and would therefore prove Dickens's point, whereby ignorance and the neglect of embracing joy, will lead to nothing but misery, as shown by Scrooge's hyperbolic evil nature.
Finally, in stave 5, Scrooge claims that he 'doesn't know what to do' and claims to feel 'as light as a feather, and happy as an angel and as merry as a schoolboy'. The fact that Scrooge didn't know what to do at that moment is a clear depiction of how overwhelmed Scrooge was by the sheer capacity of ecstasy that he had been struck by; it seems as though he was metaphorically searching for even more happiness. The simile 'as light as a feather' may be a metaphorical symbolism of the weight and burden that he was able to push off after embracing his inner Christmas spirit. He feels as though he has attained his source of escapism and can now float as does 'a feather'. Alternatively, the connotations of softness in terms of emotions can also be seen through the mentioning of the 'feather'. The hard exterior of the 'oyster' that Scrooge was compared to, has now been metaphorically ridden off and now Scrooge has been made emotionally soft and caring towards others. This abrupt change in Scrooge's persona, gives us readers hope for our futures; Dickens gives us an insight into how miserable our lives would be without the acknowledgment of our sins and the embrace of the Christmas spirit. Dickens is teaching us through every character that you will only ever be at genuine peace with yourself, once you metaphorically rid yourself of the weight of the world and afflictions, only to be able to be as 'happy as an angel'.
In summation, Dickens teaches us through both the archetypal miser -Scrooge, and the jovial Bob Cratchit and Fred, that no matter what our situation is in life, by truly embodying the Christmas spirit, we can all make the most of our transient lives and 'smile' through our hardships as our sense of ease and to be able to attain redemption. Scrooge may not have lost the love of his life if he were to have embraced the Christmas spirit with wholeheartedness, but only through a metaphorical bulldozer- being shown bad memories- was Scrooge able to change, showing that we all can change if Scrooge was able to reform himself, from an archetypal miser to an individual who claimed to be as 'merry as a schoolboy'.
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