Christmas carol Essay

In a Christmas carol by Charles Dickens, scrooge becomes a reformed character by the end of the story. Explain how effectively Dickens shows the extent of these character changes. The story tells of scrooge who is transported through time to the Christmas’ of his childhood, the present and the future. The following essay will take you through these time periods. At the beginning of the story scrooge is portrayed as a dull, bleak character. On the front cover for example we can see scrooge in a dark room on his own. The only light is from the small candle on his mantle piece. He has grey hair and a long pointy nose. Scrooge’s personality was very negative and dull. We know that his attitude is bad as when his nephew wishes him a merry Christmas he replies â€Å"bah, humbug. â€Å"scrooges nephew then again wishes scrooge a merry Christmas but again only gets a response of â€Å"what reason have you to be merry, you’re poor enough † when scrooges nephew replies â€Å"you’re rich enough what reason have you to be dismissal† scrooge has no answer to that question. As well as showing us scrooge’s negative personality it also shows us his attitude towards Christmas. Scrooge also has a negative attitude towards the poor. We learn about this as when the charity collectors come, one says â€Å"at this time of year it is usually more than desirable that we should make some slight provision for the poor. † â€Å"Are there no prisons† replied scrooge At hearing this, the inspector says â€Å"yes plenty, but many can’t go there and many would rather die. † A cold hearted scrooge then replies â€Å"well then they had better do it quick and decrease the surplus population. † The collectors were astonished and after this they realised there would be no point in pursuing there point. The gentlemen left. After this incident a couple of carol singers called at scrooge’s house. As soon as scrooge opened the door he raised a large stick and the small boys fled. At the end of the story scrooge became a completely reformed character. He walked the streets with a smile on his face; he then also went to church and watched the people hurrying to and fro. He looked into kitchens of houses and found that anything could yield him pleasure. Earlier on in the story scrooge was invited to his nephews Christmas dinner. He rejected the invite. Later that afternoon he turned his steps towards the party. He walked in and said â€Å"where is my love† â€Å"He’s in the dining room â€Å"said the servant. Scrooge made his way to the dining room and when he walked in everyone looked at him bemused. â€Å"Why bless my soul† cried Fred â€Å"who’s that† â€Å"Its I, your uncle scrooge, I have come to dinner. Will you let me in Fred? † â€Å"Of course† replied Fred. After the party instead of scrooges usual party pooper image he cried â€Å"wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, wonderful happiness. † Scrooge was completely reformed. Another thing that proved scrooges reformation was when Bob Cratchit turned up late for work. He was pleading with scrooge not to fire him. Instead scrooge said â€Å"a very merry Christmas and offered him a pay rise. The reader is kept interested by the ghosts that challenge scrooge each time. Once scrooge has past the first challenge the reader wants to stay and see if he passes the next one. Once he passes the second challenge the level of tension rises. After passing the third challenge scrooge remembers what he was like at the start of the story. Some of the words he used come back to haunt him. The overall message is that you don’t have to be a ‘scrooge’ if you consider others misfortunes and try to help out as much as possible. You will lead a much happier life if you are thoughtful and considerate. The story makes you wonder which side of scrooge you are most similar to. It leaves a clear question in your head. † how could I change? â€Å"