Quest Book Review - A Christmas Carol (Revised)

Charles Dickens. A Christmas Carol. London, England. Chapman and Hall. December 17, 1843.


Charles Dickens’, “A Christmas Carol”, is a classic literary tale well known by many people. It details the life of one Ebenezer Scrooge, a crotchety old miser who experiences one of the greatest transformations over the course of one night that pen can scribe. Upon reading the opening scene, it is evident that Scrooge has lost any sense of kindness, compassion, or charity that he may have had sometime throughout his life, and it has all been replaced by greed and selfishness. On Christmas Eve night however, he is visited by his long since dead business partner Jacob Marley. The ghost of Marley relates to Scrooge all of his woes and regrets after living a life very similar to Scrooge’s own, and declares to Scrooge that he has come to issue a warning that Scrooge must change his ways, or face an eternity as sorrowful as his own. Three ghosts then visit Scrooge over the course of the night. One chauffeurs Scrooge through his past, through happy times in his childhood and apprenticeship where Scrooge experiences a deep and sincere joy he had not known for ages. This joy came not from money, which has since conquered his heart, but from the purity of his family and friends for whom he cared deeply. The second ushers him through life, as he now knows it. He shows Scrooge the hollowness of his life now with his riches compared to the simple pleasure of his nephew and clerk’s lives shared with their families. The last wordlessly guides him through the future which would be if Scrooge continues down the path he is on. Scrooge witnesses his own funeral, the death of tiny Tim, and the lack of grief by all those who knew him. In these experiences, Scrooge comes to realize the true nature of happiness, and what really matters in life. He awakes on Christmas morning as a new man, his selfishness and bitterness gone forever, replaced by a love for life and generosity.


I absolutely love, “A Christmas Carol”. Many statements made in this book are extremely profound. In fact, this is one of President Monson’s all time favorite sources to quote from. The parallels between Dickens’ writing and the teachings of the gospel are striking. As Marley’s ghost describes the details of his fate and the cause thereof, I cannot help but turn introspective.

"I wear the chain I forged in life," replied the Ghost. "I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?"

Every time I hear or read these lines, I reflect on my life. Am I making the same mistake as Marley did? Am I putting things of lesser value like money, fame, or career above the things that truly matter? Am I forging my own chain? Each time I finish this story, I can’t help but ponder on what really matters most in life, and sometimes I am forced to re-organize my priorities.

Dickens' literary style manifests itself in many different forms. I greatly enjoy the irony he uses against Scrooge's former self. Everything Scrooge says and does, as well as everyone he meets in the first stave of the book has an impact on what happens later on. One of my favorite, stinging ironies Dickens uses is when a man comes by to collect donations, and Scrooge states that if the poor would rather die than go to the prisons and union workhouses, than they had better get to it and decrease the surplus population. Later on in the third stave, Scrooge is witnessing the physical ailment Tiny Tim suffers from and asks the spirit in earnest if Tiny Tim will live. The spirit replies,

"If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race," returned the Ghost, "will find him here. What then? If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population."

Such a piercing bit of irony truly cannot be ignored by the reader. Dickens takes a crotchety old geezer like Mr. Scrooge and over the course of three ghostly visits, breaks down the entirety of his life and character, and allows the reader to see just how he became as he is in the first stave. And just as the reader gets a view of the innermost workings of Scrooge's heart, it begins to change, and the reader witnesses a complete and absolute transformation. I marvel at Dickens' use of dialog in revealing the true fiber of his characters. The combination of intense imagery and dialog allows the reader to contrast the Scrooge of the first stave and the Scrooge of the fifth stave as two completely opposing individuals. It allows us to see the results of the quest that Scrooge has experienced.

I feel that Ebenezer Scrooge truly does undergo a quest for moral enlightenment. True he does not set out of this quest of his own free will and choice, but that does not diminish its lasting effects on his life. He begins morally decrepit. He is spiritually void. All sense of charity and kindness have long since abandoned his heart. But through the help of Jacob Marley and the three ghosts his heart is changed. He achieves moral kindness and compassion. His spirit is filled with charity and generosity and he achieves the enlightenment that he lacked. Being true to his new outlook on life and changing his dismal future are sure signs that he completed his quest.

This book appeals to any audience that can read, or at least understand what is read to them. For children it is a fun-filled story about Christmas. For adults it is a comprehensive volume of what is important and what is not. I think everyone, especially in Western society, is prone to being caught up in greed and selfishness. So many of us are ready and willing to stab our neighbor in the back to put ourselves ahead. We can constantly see as children grow up they tend to lose the kindness and loving innocence and replace it with skepticism and disdain. “A Christmas Carol” allows us to see how silly those things truly are through the eyes of those who may have less money, but at the same time are mansions richer than Ebenezer Scrooge. It shows us that anyone, no matter how stubborn and rude, have the ability to change. All in all, this is a timeless tale that I believe will never lose its truth and appeal.