When asked to write a book review for the Cracked Pot, I was unsure at first as to what to write about. I couldn’t think of any recently released Christmas books, and I could not seem to relate any of the books that I am currently reading to Christmas. So, deciding on a Christmas classic, I dug around in piles of Christmas crates for the family copy of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. While rereading this book, several things stood out to me: first, the obvious character change of Ebenezer Scrooge; second, the way that the spirits go about changing him; and third, how this applies to our lives.

The character of Ebenezer Scrooge goes though a drastic change in the book. He becomes an entirely different person by the end. The book describes him in the third paragraph of the first chapter as “a squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner!” This is certainly not a favorable portrayal. His disposition is further exemplified by his actions and speech. He replies to a “Merry Christmas” greeting from his nephew with the expression “Bah! Humbug!” Humbug means “something that is silly or makes no sense” (Encarta World English Dictionary). He also refuses to give money to help the poor and states that his contributions to “prisons” and “workhouses” are enough help and that “if [the poor] would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population" (p. 5,6)

Scrooge’s transformation begins at the end of the first chapter when the ghost of his long-dead partner Jacob Marley confronts him. Marley appears with a chain that “wound about him like a tail; and it was made of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, and heavy purses wrought in steel.” Scrooge, being at first “incredulous,” soon understands that this “dreadful apparition” is no trick of the mind.  Marley has come to warn Scrooge of his impending doom if Scrooge’s life remains unchanged. He reveals that Scrooge has “yet a chance of escaping [his] fate” and that he will be visited “by Three Spirits.” This meeting has an immediate effect on Scrooge. As he closes the window which the ghost used as an exit, Dickens’ tells us that “he tried to say ‘Humbug!’ but stopped at the first syllable.” Scrooge is clearly shaken by his unearthly visitor; he still has his doubts, but he has already begun to change.

One statement that stands out to me in this encounter is Marley’s proclamation of Scrooge as a “man of the worldly mind.” This is certainly accurate, as Scrooge cares nothing for others and thinks only of himself. Everything up to this point in his life has been regular, with nothing out of the ordinary. It took an extraordinary event and the revelation of his possible future suffering to begin his transformation.

The first spirit that visits Scrooge is the “Ghost of Christmas Past.” This ghost has an interesting appearance. “It was a strange figure--like a child, yet like an old man diminished to a child’s proportions. Its hair was white as if with age, and yet the face had not a wrinkle. From the crown of its head there sprung a bright clear jet of light, and it wore a great extinguisher for a cap.” It shows Scrooge four different visions of Christmases from his past. The first reveals Scrooge as a young boy studying alone in the schoolhouse. The second reveals Scrooge in the same schoolhouse being invited home by his sister. The third reveals Scrooge at a merry company Christmas party. Finally, the fourth reveals Scrooge’s meeting with the girl who he loved, accusing him of replacing her with an idol—“Gain.”

Each of these scenes prompts further change in Scrooge. The first scene causes him to lament over not giving anything to a boy who had been “singing a Christmas Carol at [his] door last night.” The second scene produces a more personal lamentation over the death of his sister. The third scene causes remorse in Scrooge as he wishes that he was “able to say a word to [his] clerk just now.” The final scene produces an outpouring of sorrow: “Show me no more! Conduct me home. Why do you delight to torture me?” says Scrooge.

At this point, Scrooge tries to dispose of the spirit.  “Scrooge observed that the Spirit’s light was burning high and bright. He seized the extinguisher cap and pressed it down upon the Spirit’s head. The Spirit dropped beneath it, so that the extinguisher covered its whole form; but though Scrooge pressed it down with all his force, he could not hide the light.”  This brings up an interesting point concerning the spirit’s purpose in relation to his appearance. The past is something that cannot be stifled. It will always be there; there is no way to change it. Although Scrooge attempts to hide his past and forget it, it remains as gloomy and foreboding as ever. Scrooge obviously regrets these past decisions and wishes to do better in the future. Change begins when Scrooge becomes willing to leave his past behind and deal with the present.

The second spirit that visits Scrooge is “the Ghost of Christmas Present.” This ghost takes the form of a “jolly Giant” surrounded by a feast. Perhaps this reflects on the infinite possibilities provided by our present actions. No matter how bad our past is, we can always change from doing what is wrong to doing what is right. This spirit begins by showing Scrooge the house of Bob Cratchit, Scrooge’s secretary. Scrooge marvels at the evident joy of the family as they celebrate Christmas, even though they have “very little money.” Second, the spirit shows him the Christmas celebrations going on in the house of his nephew and how Scrooge’s grumpiness is the subject of their jokes and laughter. These scenes produce enjoyment in Scrooge. He begins to have fun again as he joins in the Christmas celebrations even though no one can hear him. These serve the purpose of showing Scrooge the eminent happiness one can enjoy in the present time.

The encounter ends when the spirit shows Scrooge two figures. “From the folds of its robe, it brought two children—wretched, abject, miserable. They were a boy and a girl. Where graceful youth should have filled their features out, a stale and shriveled hand had pinched and twisted them. Scrooge started back, appalled. ‘Spirit, are they yours?’ ‘They are Man’s,’ said the Spirit, looking down upon them. ‘This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want.’” These words speak for themselves. The spirit does not leave Scrooge merry and without care. He reminds Scrooge of the need for change and the fallen state of man.

The final spirit that visits Scrooge is “the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come.” This spirit appears “shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left visible only its hands” (p. 41). This tends to emphasize the darkness of Scrooge’s current future. With no hope, the future only holds death. This spirit reveals to Scrooge the possible outcome if Scrooge were to die as he lives now. With no one to care for him or leave his money to, his house is stolen from and his possessions pawned off. The spirit also reveals to Scrooge the death of Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchet’s son, who Scrooge had begun to love. His emotions climax when he sees his own dead body lying on his bed and is later led to the cemetery to see his head stone. Scrooge pleads: “ ‘Good Spirit,’ he pursued, ‘assure me that I yet may change these shadows by an altered life!’”

At this point, Scrooge has a legitimate desire to change. He has seen his own regrettable past decisions. He has seen the way that people view him in the present time. And he has viewed the dark future that lies ahead if his actions persist. “I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me,” cries Scrooge at the end of his encounter with the final spirit. He has been shaken from his ignorance into a state of repentance and longing to change.

We all know what Scrooge does after this, and I will not burden you with another retelling. A magnificent transformation is clearly seen in his life. At the end of the book, Scrooge is described as becoming “as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old city knew.” He has changed from being selfish to altruistic, from angry to joyful.

How does this apply to our own lives? We must look at the way that Scrooge decides to live at the end of the book and how we can be like him.  Scrooge begins in an ignorant state. Change begins when he takes an honest look at his past and decides that he wants to change. He then applies this decision to his present and lives his life so as to have a happier future. We must, therefore, confront our past decisions in order to positively affect our futures. We must see ourselves as we are and as we have been and use this knowledge to become who we want to be. As Christians, we know that change also requires God.

A Christmas Carol is a very well-written, charming Christmas classic. Its themes are enduring and its lessons can be applied even in the present time. The character of Ebenezer Scrooge can be considered, arguably, as the most well-known character in English literature. In my mind, there are two Scrooges in this book: the “Bah! Humbug! Scrooge” and the “Merry Christmas Scrooge.” The transformation between these two entities makes for a remarkable, heart-warming story. “And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God Bless Us, Every One!”