A festive tale of trauma & attachment, the reason for the season, future hope, and wilful ignorance.
A Christmas Carol and Other Christmas Writings by Charles Dickens
My Goodreads rating: 3 of 5 stars
I re-read this Christmas classic after enjoying the Old Vic production just before Christmas. I knew the overall story of Scrooge’s redemption as a result of being visited by the ghosts of his late partner Jacob Marley and then, in succession, of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. The end of the book summarises that Scrooge “knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge” and states the book’s desire: “May that be truly said of us, and all of us!”
Apart from the overall tale, a few aspects struck me particularly on this reading…
First, thinking about child development and trauma, it is clear that Scrooge had a very traumatic childhood. He is portrayed as very unhappy at his boarding school, and essentially abandoned by his father (I don’t recall any mention of his mother) until the occasion when his sister arrives to bring him home for good because “Father is so much kinder now.” There is no explanation of why father used to be unkind but it’s clear that his relationship with his parents has not been nurturing. He is subsequently apprenticed to Fezziwig, but his relationship with Fezziwig’s daughter founders on his growing love of money and inability to prioritise personal relationship, which of course comes to full fruition in the adult Scrooge. The opening scenes of the book show how he is unable to respond positively to invitations to relationship and resorts to insult and anger.
Second, thinking about Christmas, it is noticeable that the book promotes the proper celebration of ‘Christmas’ with no overt mention of Christ. There are a couple of somewhat oblique references on the lips of children of Scrooge’s employee, Bob Cratchit. Coming home from church on Christmas morning Bob reports that Tiny Tim, his youngest son, “hoped the people saw him in church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see.” In the future shown by the final ghost, Tiny Tim’s brother Peter speaks the verse “And He took a child, and set him in the midst of them” which rings a vague bell in Scrooge’s mind. Perhaps Dickens’ assumption is that the Christian background is well known and does not need to be spelled out, but reading now it seems quite stark that Christian virtues are seen as part of the proper celebration of Christmas on one day of the year. That this should extend to a way of life throughout the year is not explicit, but perhaps implied by Scrooge not simply giving the Cratchit family a huge goose on Christmas Day, but also raising Bob’s salary and his intent to improve his working and living conditions generally.
Third, in the context of my learning NT Greek with its various tenses, it’s interesting that this book is structured around the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future (Yet to Come). I am no expert, and there are many academic papers written in this field, but I have been struck by the idea that the future tense is different in kind from the past and the present. I gather that there is an opinion that the future is not really a tense at all; rather it is more akin to a mood. The past and present tenses refer to concrete ‘facts’ – things that have actually happened (or not) and things as they are right now. On the other hand, the future tense cannot refer to concrete ‘facts’ as the future has not happened yet. The future ‘tense’ is used to speak of what might be expected to happen or what is desired, but there can be no absolute certainty. In A Christmas Carol, the ghost of Christmas Past shows events that Scrooge recognises as true from his past. The ghost of Christmas Present shows events as they truly are now. But the ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows events as they might currently be expected to turn out. Scrooge is concerned to ask whether these events are fixed or might be altered, as by this stage he is seeing the error of his ways and is seeking change. This is the hope that is at the heart of the story – although the future looks bleak on the basis of the present situation, changes to the present situation do affect the expected future, and speaking of events in the future tense does not fix them.
Fourth, there is a short scene at the end of Scrooge’s time with the ghost of Christmas Present where two wretched and miserable children appear from the folds of the ghost’s cloak. Their appearance shocks Scrooge as they cling for protection to the ghost. The ghost explains, “This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both… but most of all beware this boy.” At the heart of Scrooge’s attitude to the world is ignorance, and even more a wilful ignorance. As he disappears, the ghost again quotes back at Scrooge some of his words from the opening chapter: “Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?” Scrooge has always wanted the problems faced by poor to be dealt with by someone else and hidden from his view so that he can remain in ignorance of their plight. By the end of the tale he is seeking to discuss Cratchit’s affairs with him, to know how he can assist his family.
The next book on my list is part of my attempt to discover and overcome ignorance: Why I’m No Longer Talking to White People About Race.
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