A. Theme Paragraph
The Theme of A Christmas Carol, By Charles Dickens, is that money should not matter and one should not let it take control of your life. Scrooge was a greedy was who was obsessed with his money. When he had money, he would put it away and not even give any to others who truly needed it more than he did. He also would not let Bob Cratchit, His employee after his equally greedy partner Jacob Marley died, use any coals for a fire because he wouldn’t want to go buy more coal. Throughout his adult life, Scrooge was always fixated with money, which is what led him through his sad, lonely life. It caused him to loose loved ones, friends, and even the favor of anyone who saw him. After his visits from the three Christmas spirits, Scrooge has an immediate change of mind which shocks many and he begins to win back what he lost earlier. One account of this is on Christmas Day, when he buys the prize turkey for Bob, pays the little boy and for the cab to Camden Town, and also goes to his nephew’s dinner. Also, on the day after Christmas, when Bob comes in eighteen minutes late, Scrooge seems like he is going to fire Bob, but shocks him when he says he is going to raise his salary, help his family, and tells him to go buy more coal for the fire. Although Scrooge starts out seemingly evil at the beginning of the story, He becomes someone who is liked by all around.
B. Morality of Character Essay
In A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge shows several different virtues by the end of the story. In the beginning, Scrooge was a greedy, cruel, and selfish old man. Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his old partner, Jacob Marley, who was the same way Scrooge is as the story opens. Jacob warns him of his errors and tells him not to continue, but Scrooge doesn’t believe a word of it. He begins to see the error of his ways as he is visited by each of the three Christmas spirits, and sees what will happen to him if he continues his ways. In the end, Scrooge begins to exhibit the virtues of generosity, enjoyableness, and helpfulness towards others
Scrooge’s first conversion is from being greedy to being generous. In the beginning, Scrooge was obsessed with money. He would take all he could, pay his employee as little as possible, and wouldn’t offer any money to anyone else, even if they truly needed it. During his visits from the three Christmas ghosts, he saw the way he was in other people’s eyes, and saw how others began to see him. After the three visits, when Scrooge wakes up a new man, he begins to start giving money to people and buying things for others. Scrooge changed the way he used his money and belongings from helping only himself to helping others as much as he could.
Another change Scrooge made was from being cruel to being pleasant. When the story begins, Scrooge is disliked by all but his nephew. He was so disliked that even the blind men’s dogs would pull their masters away when he came near. As the ghosts visit him one by one, Scrooge sees that he has done many things which have caused him to be lonely and hard when he could be a happy and warm hearted man whom people love to be around. After the visits, Scrooge again changes. He starts by saying Merry Christmas to everyone he saw as if he were their best friend. He also goes to his nephews dinner party he holds every year.