Introduction
"A Christmas Carol", by Charles Dickens, takes place in London in 1843 during the Victorian Era. On Christmas Eve most people are happy, cheerful and having a fun time with family and friends; however, Ebenezer Scrooge is sitting alone in a cold, dimly lit house. Scrooge is rude, does not like anyone, and lacks emotional connections. As a child, Scrooge's mother died in childbirth, so his father blamed him and sent him to boarding school. At the beginning of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens, Ebenezer Scrooge is cold-hearted and greedy.
Cold-hearted Character Trait
In the beginning of "A Christmas Carol" Scrooge is cold-hearted. On Christmas Eve someone came to Scrooge's office asking for donations for the poor. Scrooge denies and rudely replies, "If they would rather die, they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population" (2). Scrooge is inconsiderate because he won't donate to the poor. He would rather them rot and die instead of giving them the money that they need for food, water and shelter. But instead he wanted the poor to die. In the beginning of the story, in Scrooge's office, his nephew invites him to his house for Christmas dinner. Scrooge harshly says, "keep Christmas in your way, and let me keep it in mine,"(2). This shows how Scrooge is unkind because he does not want to celebrate Christmas with his own family or even have dinner with his nephew. Scrooge has a lack of sympathy or interest in other people's lives, including his family. Scrooge is willing to celebrate the holiday alone.
Greedy Character Trait
In the beginning of "A Christmas Carol" Scrooge is greedy. A young Scrooge is engaged to Belle, the love of his life; however, at this time Scrooge's love for money also develops. Belle breaks off the engagement saying that all he loves is money over her. Sadly she says, "You are all about gain, money, success" (9). This explains why Scrooge is mercenary, concerned with only making money at the expense of losing or hurting others. Young Scrooge was once head over heels for Belle, wanting to spend the rest of his life with her; however, once he got the taste for money, he couldn't resist wanting more. Sadly, he just accepts Belle's rejection and does not even fight for their love. All Scrooge cares for is his golden idol, money. In the beginning of the story, in Scrooge's office, his clerk is discussing Christmas. Scrooge's clerk asked for a day off for Christmas eve and day because he wants to spend time with his family. But Scrooge did not like Christmas and wanted him to work or he will get fired. "Let me hear another sound from you," said Scrooge, "and you'll keep your Christmas by losing your job!," (2). He wants his clerk to work on Christmas because Scrooge is too greedy to give his workers paid time off. Scrooge dislikes Christmas and does not care to celebrate the holiday.
Conclusion
In the end, Scrooge has a major character transformation, changing from a cold-hearted and greedy man to a better person who respects the world he lives in. The ghosts of Christmas past, present and future show him his memories of what he has done to people and his lack of regret. They tell him that if he does not change his actions and feelings, bad things would happen to him and others. If Scrooge doesn't change, he may die alone because he was rude to everyone. By the end of "A Christmas Carol" Scrooge learns the value of love, people, friendship, and kindness. He also realizes it's better to give than to receive and this brings him happiness as well.
