Throughout the tale Scrooge is visited by Ghosts from a Christmas past, present, and future, who show the “bitter” Scrooge how to be compassionate towards others. Money is a big part of the story, and it plays a role as a contrast to how generosity is viewed. Scrooge is rich but lives a life as “solitary as an oyster” and “warning all human sympathy to keep its distance.” He initially supports the inhumanity of cold-hearted decisions made by governments with his response to the charity collectors being, “Are there no prisons?... And the Union Workhouses. Are they still in operation?” He feels no compulsion to give charity to support meagre gifts to the poor and dispossessed and dismisses the collectors with “I cannot afford to make idle people merry” and with suggestions that such people would be better dead to “reduce the surplus population.” These suggestions contrast sharply with the generosity of both his nephew, Fred and his clerk, Bob Cratchit.
Although he doesn’t know it, we see his only friends at the stock market saying they would only go to Scrooge’s funeral ‘for the buffet.’ This shows that he is totally alone in the world and we therefore feel sorry for him. At the Beetling shop, people haggle over his possessions. This shows us that everything he worked and lived for does him no good in after life and cannot buy him mourners to keep the rats from ‘gnawing at the wall.’ We also feels sympathy as his debtors are happy to see him dead as they no longer have to pay him. If Scrooge understood, this would pain him and make him feel very alone with no one who cares for him. We, the reader, feel a lot of sympathy when he visits the Cratchit’s as he sees that Tiny Tim has died.
“It is a time, of all others, when Want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices." Dickens created these characters to attack and wake up the greedy society without offending the rich. Scrooge being the cold hearted miserable man responds only with sneering sarcasm, asking the men if buildings such as prisons and workhouses are still in operation, "Those who are badly off must go there." Scrooge as well as the rest of the oblivious rich society believed that taxes, which help fund these establishments, are more than enough support for the poor. Although readers know that this is not true and that, “many would rather die than go there.” The use of these gentlemen who are, minor characters constantly remind both Scrooge
Frank was a valuable leader because he was selfless. This means that, without a doubt, he was willing to do anything to protect his family, Dussel, and the Van Daans, including sacrificing his own safety and happiness. A time when Mr. Frank was heroically selfless was right after the frightening bang came from downstairs, right in the middle of their joyous Hanukkah celebration. He grabbed a flashlight and declared fearlessly, "I'm going down. We can't live with this uncertainty" (Goodrich and Hacket 910).
He knew how to get by in Yellowknife and taught those skills to Norman who used them to his advantage. He knew where the money was at in prospecting, not mining for gold, but mining for useful junk at the dump. He saw how miserable Norman was with his demanding, rude wife and steered him down a path away from her. In the long run Norman is now a happy, content man after he purposely let his wife leave him. Roy saw the endless possibilities of the dump and how it was a “goldmine” in its own way.
In the novella A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the three ghosts help Scrooge regain his empathy by awakening his old emotions, letting him experience human relationships, and showing him the true meaning of consequence. As Scrooge experiences his past, the Spirit’s visions reopen old wounds and revive the few happy moments in Scrooge’s life, a life Scrooge tried to forget. His first vision is one of his life as a schoolboy. Scrooge is brought to tears by the sight of his lonely self, left with nothing but his books to comfort him. But just as quickly, he is filled with joy as happy memories of his imaginary friends flood back to him: “‘Why it’s Ali Baba!’ Scrooge exclaimed in ecstasy.
The narrator basked in the control he had over his brother. Because of the embarrassment the narrator felt about his brother, he became determined to make Doodle as normal as possible. Brother teaches Doodle how to walk, a kind act that improved Doodle’s quality of life. However, Brother’s intentions were bad, and he admits his pure selfish objectives when he says "And that Doodle walked only because I was ashamed of having a crippled
Callie Greene #8793 Mrs. Blandford English 8, period 3 13 January 2011 A Christmas Miracle: The Gift of Influence Everything that surrounds us, every memory in our grasp, and every instant of our existence influences us in some way whether the effect is positive or negative. People can choose to accept the influence bestowed upon them in an enthusiastic manner, or they can angrily and shyly accept with a cold hand. In the novel, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge, is a “lonely, covetous, Christmas-loathing man.” It is not until three ghosts come along to change him for the better and teach him the error of his ways that he is influenced to be a kinder, more generous person. The Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, each, in his own way, influence Scrooge to change his miserly, odious, self-centered way of living. First off, the Ghost of Christmas Past influences Ebenezer to change his avaricious ways for the better.
By placing his faith in man rather than God, he does not receive "any more comfort" (Everyman 304). The same discouragement greets Everyman after his talks with Cousin and Kindred. After Kindred and Cousin leave him, Everyman realizes that "fair promises men to me make, / but when I have most need they me forsake" (Everyman 370-371). Since man will not help him, he turns to goods. Everyman realizes that the goods he has loved his whole life do nothing but hinder his eternal happiness.
Dickens presents us with a man who fought hard to succeed in business however lost touch with not only himself but also the wider community including those close to him. The main character to a certain extent however is Christmas itself because not only is the backdrop and the setting Christmas but it is also used to demonstrate why scrooge is the way he is, whilst also highlighting many issues within the community which needed addressing. Dickens seeks to first utilize Christmas as way of highlighting the need for the wealthy to support the poor. Christmas, a time that Dickens strongly believed was a time of giving to those less fortunate and needing nothing in return. The scene when the charity collectors visit Scrooge is an example of this.