Favorite Quotes:
"Bah!" said Scrooge, "Humbug!" -page 24
"If I could work my will," said Scrooge indignantly, "every idiot who goes about with 'Merry Christmas' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!" -pages 24-25
"The curtains of his bed were drawn aside; and Scrooge, starting up into a half-recumbent attitude, found himself face to face with the unearthly visitor who drew them: as close to it as I am now to you, and I am standing in the spirit at your elbow." -page 51
"Without venturing for Scrooge quite as hardily as this, I don't mind calling on you to believe that he was ready for a good broad field of strange appearances, and that nothing between a baby and a rhinoceros would have astonished him very much." -page 75
"God bless us every one!" said Tiny Tim, the last of all. -page 88
"If you should happen, by unlikely chance, to know a man more blest in a laugh that Scrooge's nephew, all I can say is, I should like to know him too. Introduce him to me, and I'll cultivate his acquaintance." -page 93
"I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world. Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!" -page 129
About the Main Character:
Ebenezer Scrooge is our very miserable and hateful main character at the beginning of the novella. He has these bleak opinions about everything and makes no hesitation to share them with anyone and everyone who will stand still long enough to hear them. He is a wealthy man, but refuses to use it for the better-meant of others. After a day of hating on Christmas, Scrooge is visited by his old business part...in the form of a ghost. From there, Scrooge encounters other ghosts and is shown the error of his ways.
Another Character to Note:
Tiny Tim is begging for me to write about him, but I think his father, Bob Cratchit, is a little less known and just as interesting. Bob works for Scrooge at a very low salary despite the long hours he puts in. Scrooge makes no real connection with people at the beginning of the book, and therefore does not know about the Crachit family's hardships until he visits them with one of the ghosts. Tiny Tim is the apple of his father's eye and is with him throughout the novella. Bob takes extra care of his son because of his handicaps and illness. Their interactions and Bob's obvious strong love for the boy are what make them so intriguing as characters.
Plot Breakdown:
1. Introducing the Jerk....Hello, his name is Scrooge!
2. A Humbug Christmas to You...okay, we get it Scrooge, you don't like Christmas.
3. The Marley Wake-Up Call...Scrooge is given warning of the ghostly encounters to come.
4. A Peak at the Past...Scrooge is filled with regrets over Christmases gone by, but the audience also gets a perspective of why he is the way he is.
5. The Happy Days of the Present...Scrooge finds out, very clearly that $$$ does not mean happiness as he sees so many people happier than he is with much less.
6. Sinister Future Days...the lesson truly sinks in when Scrooge gets a look at what's to come if he does not change his ways.
7. Merry Christmas...finally!!
Something Interesting to Note:
I tried to give examples of this in the quotes I chose to include, but throughout the novella Dickens addresses the audience multiple times. He wrote A Christmas Carol in hopes of rejuvenating the traditions and cheer associated with the holiday. I think he adds in these lines directed at the audience to draw them further into the story and make them connect with the message he was trying to get across. It also adds some of that comedic relief I mentioned before.
Should you read A Christmas Carol before you die?
I would have to say yes simply because this is such a Christmas classic! Although I think reading it once is enough, I think this little piece will be something I reread each holiday season. It perfectly sets the tone for Christmas. Dickens rejuvenated the holidays then and his novella did the same for me as I read it!
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