Novella Allegory

A Christmas
Carol
Author Year Published Original Language
Charles Dickens 1843 English

OVERVIEW

A Christmas Ebenezer Scrooge, owner of a London accounting firm, has no patience for
friends, family, or Christmas; all he cares about is money. He is greedy and
Miracle hateful toward the poor, including his impoverished, shivering employee.
One night the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come visit
Scrooge and completely transform his outlook.

Ghost of Christmas
Yet to Come
Shows Scrooge his
lonely death

Ghost of Christmas
Past Ghost of Christmas
Shows Scrooge in his Present
younger years Shows Scrooge the
Cratchits' poverty and
hardship

Themes

Redemption Wealth vs. Poverty Time

Scrooge starts out as a greedy, Scrooge represents the very rich Scrooge must fight against
miserable man but becomes a in society, while Bob Cratchit time—his own and Tiny
loving, generous friend. represents the very poor. Tim's—to make a difference
before it's too late.

Symbols Author

Marley's Chain
Symbolizes Marley's
lifetime of greed

CHARLES DICKENS
1812–70

As an appreciator of Christmas
Tiny Tim festivities, Dickens was inspired to
Represents society's poor, write A Christmas Carol after
neglected children witnessing children in extreme
poverty in London. His goal was to
encourage those with resources to
help and educate those without.
The classic holiday story has
delighted generations of viewers
and readers.

A Christmas Carol
Main Characters
by the Numbers

Bob Cratchit Tiny Tim

Scrooge's underpaid clerk; Bob Cratchit's son; kind boy
poor, good-hearted man with a physical disability
6
Weeks it took
Dickens to write A
Christmas Carol

~15
Miles Dickens
walked at night to
clear his head while
writing the novella

1853
Year of Dickens's
Scrooge
Miser obsessed with his
first public reading
own wealth
of A Christmas Carol

~6,000
Copies sold over the
Jacob Marley Fred
Christmas season
Ghost of Scrooge’s Scrooge’s nephew;
in 1843
business partner; loves Christmas
carries heavy chains traditions

od bless us, every one!

Tiny Tim, Stave 3

Sources: Biography.com, Charles Dickens Museum, The Dickens

Encyclopedia by Arthur L. Hayward, IMDb, The Telegraph

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