Tonight, the film “A Christmas Carol” will be viewed by millions (including me! )as part of their holiday traditions.
But have you actually read the book the film is based on?
A Christmas Carol was published on December 19, 1843 in London. Written in just a few weeks, it is still one of the most-loved of Christmas stories in modern literature.
It is a story of redemption, dealing with mistakes from the past, and moving on with hope and a good will. On the surface, sure, Dickens wrote a popular and entertaining ghost story, filled with powerfully drawn characters and a highly imaginative plot line. But what else was he doing? What keeps this Victorian tale relevant in the 21st century?
As well as an entertainer, Dickens was a social commentator.
hypocritical Victorian society
His own story was one of rags to riches. When Dickens was 12, his dad was sent to debtors’ prison along with the rest of the family – except for Charles. He was sent to work at a boot polish factory, where he attached labels to bottles to help support the family. He endured appalling conditions, as well as contempt and judgment from a hypocritical Victorian society. These themes would recur again and again in his works, most notably in David Copperfield, Great Expectations, and of course in A Christmas Carol, where selfish and greedy Scrooge must finally learn the lesson that Marley learned:
“Mankind was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business.”
In the 21st century these lessons still remain relevant; in fact, more than ever. And that’s what makes great literature: truths about us – about all of humanity – that stand the test of time.
If it’s been awhile since you read the story, I urge you to find a copy and treat yourself once again to an absorbing and thoughtful tale this special evening of the year.
If you haven’t read A Christmas Carol yet, I encourage you to discover it for yourself.
You will be a better writer for it.
Merry Christmas.
