Camila1856 05/10/2023
A Christmas Carol
The narrative, published in 1843, speaks the story of Mr. Scrooge. An elderly man, bitter with life, who hates Christmas and everything that surrounds it. The narrator begins the story's plot starting with the death of Jacob Marley, Scrooge's business friend — the main character.
Dickens describes Scrooge's actions and attitudes towards life and the Christmas season, showing, throughout the narrative, how the character transforms from a pessimistic and hateful view, becoming an individual aware of the ills of the world and completely empathetic towards others. To do this, the author uses symbols, which in the story are ghosts. Through the figure of Marley and three temporal ghosts (representing Christmas past, Christmas present and Christmas future) Scrooge is guided along the path of redemption.
These fictional figures are essential in the book, as they are tasked with investigating Scrooge's past, showing the present and future consequences of two actions. Starting from the origin and at the same time explaining the reasons for its character. After the visit of the three “ghosts” of Christmas, Scrooge wakes up as a different man. He begins to love the spirit of Christmas, be generous and empathetic towards other people and help his employee Bob Cratchit, becoming a second father to Little Tim. It is said that no one celebrated Christmas with more enthusiasm than him.
I would say that, all in all, everyone should read this book. The narrative is engaging and sensitive. It gives us the opportunity to travel within ourselves. Looking at ourselves, our attitudes and actions from another perspective. Seeing with different eyes; different mindset.
A Christmas Carol by English author Charles Dickens evokes elements intrinsic to Christmas, such as solidarity, kindness, charity, forgiveness and self-knowledge in a world marked by selfishness in the 19th century — a fact also present in the contemporary era. Reading Dickens means giving new significance to the essence of Christmas, starting from trivial situations that become essential to life in society.
Final Rating: 4 of 5 stars.