A note on A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens's 1843 novella, follows miserly Ebenezer Scrooge's supernatural transformation on Christmas Eve, learning compassion through ghostly visitations amid Victorian London's poverty.

Main Characters

• Ebenezer Scrooge: Greedy, isolated financier who despises Christmas and the poor; haunted by spirits, he awakens reformed, embracing generosity and joy.

• Bob Cratchit: Scrooge's loyal, underpaid clerk; devoted family man enduring hardship with optimism, father to ailing Tiny Tim.

• Tiny Tim: Cratchits' crippled, cheerful youngest son; embodies innocent vulnerability, famously declaring "God bless us, every one!".

Minor Characters

• Jacob Marley: Scrooge's deceased partner, appearing as a chained ghost warning of eternal regret for selfish deeds.

• Fred: Scrooge's warmhearted nephew, son of his late sister Fan; hosts festive gatherings, persistently inviting his uncle.

• Ghost of Christmas Past: Childlike spirit revealing Scrooge's joyful youth, lost love Belle, and kind former boss Fezziwig.

• Fezziwig: Scrooge's jovial old employer, hosting lavish balls to show the value of merrymaking over mere wealth.

Plot Summary

On Christmas Eve, Scrooge rebuffs charity collectors, his nephew Fred, and clerk Cratchit; Marley's ghost arrives in chains, foretelling three spirits.

The Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come reveal his lonely past (Fezziwig, Belle), Cratchits' struggles (Tiny Tim's fate), and his own bleak death and unlamented grave.

Redeemed at dawn, Scrooge sends a prize turkey to the Cratchits, joins Fred's party, raises Cratchit's wages, and aids the poor, becoming "as good a man as ever lived".