A Christmas Carol Story Analysis

Charles Dickens once described the story of Uncle Scrooge in the wonderful story “A Christmas Carol in Prose” and the British liked the book so much that now Britain, and with it, America and others, celebrate Christmas the way the Great Dickens bequeathed. People liked the book because it describes a miracle that happened on Christmas Eve with a man hardened by life’s troubles, and people like to believe in a miracle. In general, the book is very cozy, it is very pleasant to read it on a winter evening under the seagulls and falling snow.

The Story and Its Analysis

The name of Uncle Scrooge is familiar to many, since this character was the prototype of that same uncle from the cartoon ”Duck Tales”, since the Dickensian uncle, unwittingly, became a symbol of greed and a thirst for hoarding. The story raises problems of relationships in the family, compassion, and relationships in life in general, the book is literally taken apart by the British for quotes. The most common, of course, is Uncle Scrooge’s favorite word “Humbug!” (Andress 113). On the eve of Christmas, the heroes of the book are busy with very important everyday affairs, it seems that the event itself, which should be celebrated, is not remembered, it fades into the background, therefore, according to the laws of psychology, it is forced into the unconscious.

Dickens, however, is not as plain, he will not serve ready-made truths like a roasted Christmas goose, as, for example, Coelho does, Dickens for those who like to think and analyze. What happens in this whole story reminds the readers of the mechanism of the unconscious described by Jung. These people, however, never met, and Dickens naturally could not read Jung or engage in psychoanalysis for obvious reasons, but great minds are great for what they can see more than others (Andress 115). In fact, the most known story of Dickens carries a deep psychological meaning, demonstrating to people that it is extremely useful to self-reflect and, thus, improve one’s character.

The unconscious slowly but persistently begins to make itself felt. First, biblical stories remind of themselves on the fireplace lining, near which the main character sits, but this does not help, the unconscious continues its work, and ghosts enter the stage - first Marley, and then the promised spirits. And here the Great Dickens reveals topics that are still being discussed by psychologists today (Dickens 5-6). All problems come from childhood, which is why, almost like in a psychoanalysis session, the spirit of the Past Christmas takes out the reason from the subconscious, the spirit of the Present reminds you that you need to live today, and the spirit of the Future shows that a person is not eternal.

In the story ”A Christmas Carol,” in the end, everything worked out for Uncle Scrooge. The session of ”psychoanalysis” conducted by the great English writer and part-time psychologist Dickens ended successfully and uncle got better. Dickens’ book also touches on the issue that Englishmen seriously discuss that for many, charity at Christmas is practically a holy ritual. They are trying to somehow help disadvantaged people, someone with money, someone just with attention, this is their tradition (Dickens 90; Andress 118). Here, however, another problem emerges for them, whether charity turns into a thoughtless holiday ritual because people need help not only at Christmas.

Conclusion

Particular attention is drawn to the language of Dickens: weighty, capacious, and metaphorical, the book is written in a not very complex language, so it is easy to read. This is literature in which, along with the visible meaning, you can always read something between the lines. Dickens is a master of words, it is not for nothing that his works are recognized as world heritage. The book also describes some features of the life of Victorian England, it is about Christmas, and events take place on the eve of a Christian holiday. On the other hand, there is nothing religious in the book, and even more than that, it tells about some kind of ghosts, which generally contradicts the canons of Christianity.

Works Cited

Andress, Kate. ”Past, Present And Future: A Semiotic Analysis Of Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol”. Visual Inquiry, vol 9, no. 3, 2020, pp. 113-121. Intellect, https://doi.org/10.1386/vi_00015_1. Accessed 13 June 2022.

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol. Simone And Schuster, 2007.