Title: Explore how attitudes towards Christmas are presented by
Dickens in ‘A Christmas Carol’
Through a careful use of asyndetic listing and repetition, Dickens explores
attitudes to Christmas in his allegorical novella ‘A Christmas Carol’, focussing on
the starkly juxtaposing views of the characters of Ebenezer Scrooge and Fred
(his nephew) in Victorian England. While Fred views Christmas as a time of
communal celebration, both religious and non-religious, Scrooge is presented as
having a clear disdain for the holiday through his miserly rejection of its spirit.
Readers directly witness this divergence of attitudes, urging them to reflect upon
their own beliefs relating to the annual festival.
Fred, Scrooge’s joyful nephew, is positioned as the antithesis of his uncle
embodying all positive virtues associated with a Christian Christmas: generosity,
charity, gratitude and family. This is evident by Dickens’ use of the asyndetic list
when Fred attempts to approach and challenge Scrooge’s miserly beliefs. Fred
believes Christmas to be ‘a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant
time’. The listing here, is used to emphasise the strength of his attitudes towards
the transformative nature of Christmas, a time he believes brings out the best in
people. Furthermore, there is a rhythmic, flowing effect to this remark making the
reader feel overwhelmed and perhaps representing the abundant positive
qualities of Christmas. The combination of these perceived aspects of the
tradition presents an interconnectedness, where all of society is united, providing
a holistic view for readers. Fred serves as a moral compass for Scrooge as his
ultimate transformation is driven by learning to embrace these virtues, often
associated with Christmas. This religious idea is reinforced when Fred mentions
his belief that Christmas helps people to believe in unity and equality, where all
are considered ‘fellow passengers to the grave’. This phrase serves as a
reflection on the shared human experience of morality, playing a critical role in
highlighting Fred’s Christian attitude towards Christmas. The phrase is used to
remind Scrooge and ultimately the Victorian bourgeoisie that, regardless of their
differences, they both share the same inevitable fate: death. This view highlights
Fred’s belief that life is fleeting and it is important to spend time with family,
especially during Christmas. For Fred, Christmas is not just a holiday, but a
moment to embrace the transformative power of love, charity and forgiveness -
Christian values that are seen to have the power to change people, just as they
did for Scrooge.
Ebenezer Scrooge, the once misanthropic, avaricious miser evidently believed
Christmas to be a frivolous and pointless time of year. This view is portrayed
through his immediate reaction to any mention of the holiday ‘Bah Humbug!’, a
phrase used by Dickens throughout the entirety of the first two staves. This
Dickens in ‘A Christmas Carol’
Through a careful use of asyndetic listing and repetition, Dickens explores
attitudes to Christmas in his allegorical novella ‘A Christmas Carol’, focussing on
the starkly juxtaposing views of the characters of Ebenezer Scrooge and Fred
(his nephew) in Victorian England. While Fred views Christmas as a time of
communal celebration, both religious and non-religious, Scrooge is presented as
having a clear disdain for the holiday through his miserly rejection of its spirit.
Readers directly witness this divergence of attitudes, urging them to reflect upon
their own beliefs relating to the annual festival.
Fred, Scrooge’s joyful nephew, is positioned as the antithesis of his uncle
embodying all positive virtues associated with a Christian Christmas: generosity,
charity, gratitude and family. This is evident by Dickens’ use of the asyndetic list
when Fred attempts to approach and challenge Scrooge’s miserly beliefs. Fred
believes Christmas to be ‘a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant
time’. The listing here, is used to emphasise the strength of his attitudes towards
the transformative nature of Christmas, a time he believes brings out the best in
people. Furthermore, there is a rhythmic, flowing effect to this remark making the
reader feel overwhelmed and perhaps representing the abundant positive
qualities of Christmas. The combination of these perceived aspects of the
tradition presents an interconnectedness, where all of society is united, providing
a holistic view for readers. Fred serves as a moral compass for Scrooge as his
ultimate transformation is driven by learning to embrace these virtues, often
associated with Christmas. This religious idea is reinforced when Fred mentions
his belief that Christmas helps people to believe in unity and equality, where all
are considered ‘fellow passengers to the grave’. This phrase serves as a
reflection on the shared human experience of morality, playing a critical role in
highlighting Fred’s Christian attitude towards Christmas. The phrase is used to
remind Scrooge and ultimately the Victorian bourgeoisie that, regardless of their
differences, they both share the same inevitable fate: death. This view highlights
Fred’s belief that life is fleeting and it is important to spend time with family,
especially during Christmas. For Fred, Christmas is not just a holiday, but a
moment to embrace the transformative power of love, charity and forgiveness -
Christian values that are seen to have the power to change people, just as they
did for Scrooge.
Ebenezer Scrooge, the once misanthropic, avaricious miser evidently believed
Christmas to be a frivolous and pointless time of year. This view is portrayed
through his immediate reaction to any mention of the holiday ‘Bah Humbug!’, a
phrase used by Dickens throughout the entirety of the first two staves. This
