A Christmas Carol Essay Example for Free

A Christmas Carol Essay Secondly, Dickens A Christmas Carol is a story with a happy resolution. This is another key reason for its lasting appeal. The reader is taken through a wide range of emotions but in the final stave the only emotions are of happiness and hope. We see happiness throughout the stave and this prompts the reader to hope for more joy in the characters future. This is important as it reflects the spirit of Christmas for many people and it was how Dickens believed Christmas should be. He appears to have achieved his aim of reversing the decline of Christmas celebrations at the time of writing the novel. Its enduring appeal is that it continues to be a reminder of the true meaning of Christmas. Dickens titles Stave Five as The End of it this appears to suggest that there should be no other meaning to Christmas except joyfulness and compassion for others. We learn that these are the messages that Dickens wanted to haunt their house pleasantly as stated in the preface. This also implies that he wants the messages delivered in the novel to live on and remain with the reader. During this stave when Scrooge speaks his sentences, they often end with exclamation marks which shows that he is now in a more pleasant mood. This adds a sense of excitement within the reader which contributes to the Christmas spirit shown in the stave. The use of exclamation marks changes in this stave as they are used positively which contrasts to the earlier staves when Dickens uses them negatively when associated with Scrooge. The narrators voice assures the reader that Scrooges transformation was long lasting and complete. The narrators omniscient view of the future explains that Scrooge went on to become not only a second father to Tiny Tim but also as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man. By the end the reader feels that they have been immersed into Scrooges world and changed with him. The audience can sense the warmth and compassion that surrounds Scrooge now. The last line as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One! summarizes how Dickens believes the spirit of Christmas should be. It is significant that the last line is from Tiny Tim as he symbolizes how Christmas can be enjoyed and celebrated despite not having the luxuries that others may have. It also leaves us with the final message that the feeling of goodwill does not only lie with the characters but the readers as well. The concluding feeling of joy and hope symbolizes all that Christmas represents and is one of the reasons that A Christmas Carol remains popular today. Another key issue in this novel is the potential to change and the redemption of a character. It engages the reader in the novel as they want to see Scrooge change so they are encouraged to continue reading. It also maintains the themes of hope and goodwill that is associated with Christmas. At the beginning Scrooge is seen as a cold miserable character that expresses no joy at Christmas. During Stave Two we see his potential for change as we realise that he did once have friends and family which shows that Scrooge was not always heartless and unkind. He remembers the little boy that came singing carols and his nephew earlier and is remorseful that he did not treat them better. The spirit takes Scrooge to a place where he used to work and is reminded how he had enjoyed Christmases in the past. Scrooges transformation continues through the night as the ghost of Christmas present shows him the Cratchit household who are a loving family even though they have no money. Scrooge shows concern for Tiny Tim the little crippled boy in the family. This shows that he is beginning to change as he takes an interest in other peoples well being. The last stave is where we see a drastic change in Scrooges behaviour. His merry attitude towards Christmas is seen when he says A merrier Christmas, Bob, my good fellow, than I have given you, for many a year! Ill raise your salary, and endeavour to assist your struggling family. From this we can see that Scrooge has a new kindness within him. It shows that Scrooge has realised that he has not treated Bob well and that he will try to make amends. It also suggests that Scrooge is now more charitable and generous. We also see that Scrooge is again thinking about others assist your struggling family which is an extreme contrast to Stave One If they would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. A Christmas Carol remains as popular as ever. This is because it continues to be relevant to todays society. Dickens wanted to cut through the materialism of Christmas and remind people of its real meaning, which is a time to be joyous and charitable. Dickens use of strong language when describing Scrooges character at the beginning is to demonstrate that there is always a possibility of change and redemption of a character. This allows the reader to believe that there is some goodness in all. It creates feeling of hope, warmth and joy that is linked to Christmas. In A Christmas Carol Dickens use of language makes the reader feel that they are amongst the action. It conjures up all the range of emotions that a human being experiences and ultimately results in happiness, which is an emotion everyone strives for.