CATEGORY: Children's BookRATING: 4 Stars"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change." - Ebenezer Scrooge
When we speak of Christmas, we become reminded of our joyful memories of this festive occasion awaited not only by Christians but possibly anyone of any religion you might think of from every part of the globe.Every Christmas day has indeed a great story to tell in each of the hearts of those who long for the day year long..
But Charles Dickens, in "A Christmas Carol" has yet again defended his title as one of the greatest story teller the world has ever conceived after he diverted and redefined the very thought of the holiday which should have been characterized by festivities into another milieu which you would least associate with christmas.
Yes, he made Christmas seem like a Halloween for Ebenezer Scrooge, the main character, in the beginning part of "A Christmas Carol." However, such drastic move of the author was done for a purpose - solely to teach a moral lesson.
*** SPOILER ALERT ***
This Ebenezer Scrooge is a man who hated Christmas so much that he loathed those people who merry for the sake of the celebration. The death of Jacob Marley, his friend and business partner stirred this disgust for the day even more because Marley died at Christmas eve.
Seven years after Marley's death, half-expecting such thing to happen and half-believing that it's not a dream, his ghost appeared in front of Scrooge to remind him of the dreadful future he might have if he continued his hate not only for Christmas but also with the people around him. Marley's ghosts also warned him to be prepared of the three spirits that would visit him in the next three days as the church bells toll one.
Indeed, at one the next day, the ghost of the past appeared before him which brought him to his past when he was a boy. The sight of his past Christmases made him reminisce his childlike longing for the holiday, which he already has forgotten in his present age.
The next day, already believing that these apparitions truly are happening, he expected the succeeding ghost to arrive at one. It did arrive and the Ghost of the Present brought him to places where the celebration brings friends and families together even in the far-flung land and seas, and dwellings regardless of the weight they have to bear for their work or their financial affairs. The same ghost brought him to the house of his nephew, Fred where he found how much he has missed in turning down the offer of a dinner. It also took him to the house of his clerk, Bob Cratchit where he saw a poor kid, Tiny Tim, struggling to live from the meager salary Bob brings home. Their food may not be as grand as the well-off families might have but their happiness of being together is enough to celebrate the essence of the occasion.
The last ghost, the Ghost of the Future, is the most frightening ghost among the three for it wears a black tunic with only its hands visible in its body. This ghost never spoke to him but only pointed to places he desired Scrooge to see, making it more frightening to be with. But it showed Scrooge how he would end up like if he never made amends in his life.
In the end, Scrooge, after such a frightening journey in the future, was delighted to be back in his own room on Christmas day. The same spirit he once had during Christmas as a child returned to him and he did his best to catch up with what he missed to do in the previous Christmases, including going to his nephew's house for the dinner, raising the salary of his clerk, Bob, and getting rid of the disgust he once have with Christmas and with people around him.
*** SPOILER ENDS HERE ***
Only one thing is for sure that Dickens wants his young readers to realize - that Christmas is a day of bliss, giving and most importantly, love.
*** MEMORABLE LINES ***
"...there is nothing in the world so irresistibly contagious as laughter and good humor."
"... it is good to be children sometimes, and never better than at Christmas when its mighty Founder was a child himself."
"Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change." - Ebenezer Scrooge
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