Teachable Novel With Themes of Social Responsibility, Redemption, and Charity: A Christmas Carol
A Christmas carol is a teachable novel set in Victorian Britain featuring themes of social responsibility, redemption, and charity. Through the central protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, and his journey with the supernatural, the metaphorical narrative looks at the ideas of capitalism VS socialism. Dickens is attempting to instill a Marxist perspective in a Malthusian culture to question the ethics of the bourgeoisie, reminding them, and us all, that we should all help those less fortunate and be more philanthropical.
Firstly, Dickens uses the supernatural as a tool to educate us that there will be consequences for our actions towards others. E.g., In stave 2 Marley says to Scrooge ‘I wear the chains I forged in life.’ This metaphor suggests the transgressions Marley did in life are restricting him and holding him down. The verb ‘forged’ indicates that it has taken a lot of time and effort to assemble this chain of sin, hinting that Marley devoted plenty of his time to manipulating society and prying on the exposed lower classes. This possibly implies that he has some felonious attributes though the laws he was violating were the principled law of humanity. Marley's ignorance of others added to his ‘chain’. Dickens' use of repetition in ‘link by link and yard by yard’ further highlights the ongoing development of ‘forging’ a negative path in life. Ironically, Dickens' choice of a chain has representation for this negative image which prompts us to remember how mankind should exonerate links with each other to be able to inhabit a prosperous, joyful life.
At the start of the novel, Scrooge has little to no moral or social responsibility, He only cares about his own growth and development financially, not even his own family, friends, workmates, or employees. As we read through the novel, we see a vast transformation within Scrooge's attitude toward charity and compassion. His reclamation is rendered possible through free will. Throughout Scrooge's experience in being brought through a journey of visions through into the future, he makes adamant in stave 5 that there are only visions of what ‘may’ be, and not what ‘will’ be. Dickens attempts to explain that in the same way that Scrooge has the authority to modify his future that he saw with the ghost of Christmas future by adjusting his present habits and behaviors, we as readers also have the free will to change our future. The message was that if it's possible for scrooge who started off as a man with no social responsibility to be redeemed and transformed, then so can anybody else.
In Stave, One Scrooge sits in his cold office, and ‘two portly gentlemen’ arrive; Scrooge being the unwelcoming person he was replied in his vulgar, snappy tone questioning them, displaying that he considered those in poverty to be at fault for their state, which shines a light on the authenticity of the early 19th-century society. The rhetorical questions that Scrooge asks them, ‘Are there no workhouses? Are there no prisons?’ portray that Dickens grasped the strength of the poor law at the time and used Scrooge to draw attention to the way social responsibility was being inherited among the surrounding citizens within society. Scrooge as an autarkical man, who was previously destitute and grateful, has evidently forgotten about what it feels like to be poorer and lower than everyone else in society. The majority of the upper class deemed the lower class as poor because they were ‘idle’ yet the portly indicate that the 'workhouses' were barbaric and almost inhumane and that many would rather 'die' than choose to go there. This reality drove the upper class to revaluate their actions and compelled them to begin to understand this concept of responsibility. This to me is the base of Dickens' lesson to boost awareness of the poor people's day-to-day living conditions and how realistically they're trapped attributable to the ironically 'idle' upper class.
Dickens shows us the communal social responsibility we hold as a society through the depiction of Scrooge, as well as showing us this same message in the way the surrounding characters conduct themselves displaying to the reader that we should all be supporting one another. Though they were all brought up in the same close enough era, Fan and Fred are the total opposites of Scrooge all through the intriguing tale, Fezziwig also displays the characteristics of kindness, charity, and sympathy proposing that Dickens was attempting to demonstrate to us as readers that the decisions and choices made in our lifetime have lasting outcomes. It is a basic however meaningful figurative message that Dickens reveals to us as we dive deeper into the novella. Through this, Dickens influences the reader's interests, crafting a story with a significant message whilst also exposing it in a more subtle, engaging manner. The ghosts also feature the various traits of social responsibility when leading Scrooge to different scenes, showing him the distinct components of his image, associated with social responsibility, not only from a personal point of view but also from a broader collective point of view.
Not only does Scrooge discard his social responsibility amongst the poorer individuals, but he also neglects his social responsibility concerning his own family too. Fred, Scrooge's nephew is overruled by Scrooge, and Scrooge makes clear that he has no intentions to be nice to him as well, putting him in the same category as the lower classes in Scrooge's eyes. Fred greets Scrooge with a joyful manner and Scrooge greets him back with his harsh, heartless tone, bombarding him with a mouthful of questions depriving Fred of any chance to respond ‘What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.' Evidently, furthering the point that Scrooge believes that wealth and finance are vital to providing pleasure and contentment in people. Dickens is inferring that Scrooge had lost knowledge of the fundamental advantages of having a family. Fred fires back at Scrooge's questions saying ‘What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You’re rich enough' Scrooge's social responsibility to care for his family had undoubtedly been abandoned, but Fred preserved his jovial expression and further on in his conversation with Scrooge gives him food for thought in a lecture about the positive meaning behind Christmas time.
Fred's message appears to be influencing Scrooge as we observe Scrooge re-examining himself and acknowledging that we are all human therefore we are all worthy to be regarded as no lesser than human beings. This illustrates that Fred deeply recognizes his social responsibility, unlike his uncle Scrooge who had been entirely blind-sighted and lost all concept of it. Moreover, Scrooge is now slightly remorseful for rejecting Fred. Displaying this remorse suggests that Scrooge did have the capability to grasp the vitality of family and the duty that family serve to one another; the ‘solitary oyster’ just had to be cracked open. From this point onwards, Scrooge's responses were more polite, and he was more careful with his words, which juxtaposed his tone earlier on in the novella where he was, bad-mannered and discourteous. The subdued responses we are now receiving from scrooge indicate how perhaps Scrooge was now reflecting on his actions and deeds towards Fred. Conceivably Dickens was trying to express how domestic social responsibility is just as important as social responsibility outside of the home.
Throughout the novel, Dickens uses Scrooge's shameful conduct to shine a light on the misfortunate abject poverty, the huge divide between social classes', and the greed of the harsh facade some members of society hold to-those such as capitalists and individualists. However, Dickens shone that light whilst demonstrating to us that redemption is possible. Mankind has no other option but to be more socially responsible and this message is still taught up to this date through problems such as over excessive animal consumption, climate change, and the soaring figure of homeless people who shave no place of refuge. Consequently, it seems Dickens deems man capable of being more socially aware than we portray ourselves to be. This message is so crucial because it is still possible for us to relate the message in A Christmas Carol, meaning Dickens' objective has still not yet been fully met.
