A Christmas Carol - how the novel criticizes the Victorian Society - Essay Example

A CHRISTMAS CAROL: HOW THE NOVEL CRITICIZES THE GREED /SELFISHNESS OF THE VICTORIAN SOCIETY An assessmentof the Victorian Society, A Christmas Carol is an amazing novel by Charles Dickens who openly expresses to the readers the wrongs of the Victorian Society; lack of Christian values, discrimination, capitalism, hatred, lust and greed. The novel is based t the Christmas time, as it is meant to be an occasion of happiness, love and generosity to the people, especially to those who are not as fortunate as others.

The novel focuses on the ill mannered and bad tempered character of Ebenezer Scrooge who later in the novel transforms into a loving, kind and generous old man. The huge discrimination on the basis of selfishness of the rich and the poor laws in the Victorian Society in England is openly criticized in the novel by Charles Dickens. The character of Scrooge is used as a symbol to represent the greed and lust of the Victorian Society whereas the character of Cratchits, Scrooge’s overworked employ, represents the poor and working class.

The author puts forward the concept that because Scrooge was an accumulator of wealth, therefore he is responsible for the stealing of his possessions by the poor workers. In a scene when the children of Want and Ignorance came out of the robes of the Ghost of Christmas Present, a message is given to Scrooge, and to the Victorian Society at large, that either help those in want and need and avoid ignorance in the society or be ready to face the consequences. In the beginning, Scrooge is shown as a person who is only aware of the present tense.

His only focus is to make as much money as possible without caring about anything else. This showed his capitalism approach. He believed that past and future are there just to serve the present. Later, however, he is converted into a different man, he overcomes his capitalist obsession and learns to integrate the three tenses of past, present and future into a worldview, and finally he becomes a man who values moral qualities like generosity and kindness and believes that these qualities are the most important aspects in one’s life.

The readers found it really delightful to watch and experience Scrooge’s transformation from a man who is so greedy that he could be regarded as a penny pinching person, into a man who is generous and kind hearted gentleman. This transformation became only possible because of his free will. He is shown the visions of future and has the power to change his future with his present actions. This is what the author is trying to pass on to his readers that if you have free will than you can also change just like Scrooge.

Charles Dickens demonstrates the self-centeredness of the capitalist society which was prevailing especially in London. He illustrates the greed and self-indulgence of the rich and how badly they treated the poor. He did so with the help of many characters in his novel. Clarifying his disgust and hatred for industrial capitalism, Dickens portrayed the city of London to be ugly and dirty as it symbolizes the greed of the people like Scrooge who live in it. He thinks that those who are born into capitalism are always disgusting and bitter, following their father’s footsteps, only wanting to make money.

But he also emphasizes that those who are willing to change, can convert and get out of this dirt, just like Scrooge did. They can transform into a man who has moral values, who cares for others and to whom generosity and kindness to others is an important aspect of life. Reference: Laurence Black, Joseph. The Broadview Anthology of British Literature: The Victorian era. 2006.