Christmas Carol - Summary

           Charles Dickens is an English writer, usually defined as the most significant prose writer of the Victorian era. While
still alive, he achieved greater popularity and fame than any other English writer, remaining known to this day as the author
of some of the most iconic novels in English literature. Between 1843 and 1845, Charles Dickens published three Christmas
tales in his Christmas cycle: The Christmas Carol (1843), The Bells (1844), and The Cricket on the Hearth (1845). A Christmas
Carol is gaining immense popularity and is helping to restore the popularity of the Christian holiday in Britain and America.
The idea for the book arose after Dickens witnessed the harsh living and working conditions in the factories in Manchester,
as well as the appalling conditions in the schools for the poor in London.

The story is about the businessman Ebenezer Scrooge, whose mind is full only of greedy thoughts about money
and wealth. On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is haunted by the ghost of his old partner Mr. Marley. He is also visited by the
ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to come, which help him realize how sinful he lived and how
bad he was, so he decided to be a better person.

The main character is Ebenezer Scrooge, he is an old miser who lives a lonely and sad life, his attitude towards
people is unacceptable and he hates the holiday that everyone loves - Christmas. Scrooge's only family is his nephew Fred,
who invites him to a Christmas dinner every year, but he refuses to celebrate Christmas and looks down on those who do
that. At the beginning of the story, on Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by a supernatural being whose image he knows well
- his old partner Jacob Marley, he tells him that if he doesn’t change his attitude to the world and people, he is doomed to
eternal torment. Mr. Marley tells him about his grief and his plight and explains to Scrooge that he still has a chance to
avoid such a fate. He warns him that three ghosts will visit him and they will help him in this endeavor. The spirit of the
Christmas Past visits Scrooge first. The ghost is described as looking like a child, but also like an adult woman. It has long
white hair, but its face looks young. It is dressed in white clothes with summer flowers and wears a piece of holly in its
hand. The spirit takes Scrooge to the place where he was born, to the school where he studied, to the home with his family,
to the shop where he was a clerk of Mr. Fezziwig, and at the home of his old love Belle. Seeing the memories of the happy
holiday with his family, how happy he was with his work for Mr. Fezziwig and how with each passing year he became more
and more greedy and obsessed with thoughts of wealth, and that the reason his beloved Belle left him, he begins to realize
what an unfortunate miser he has become. Scrooge's second visitor is the Spirit of the Present Christmas. He is described as
a giant holding a torch and having holly wrapped around his long dark hair. A ghost with a young and happy face and good
eyes. He shows Scrooge the streets of the city on Christmas morning and the merry people walking along them, the spirit
leads him to the bakery, from where each family waits to pick a turkey for the holiday. He also took him to the suburbs of
the city, where his clerk, Bob Cratchit, whom Scrooge also treated badly, lived. There, Scrooge sees his clerk celebrating
Christmas with his large family, albeit poor and with a disabled child, Mr. Cratchit is grateful for what he has and rejoices in
this sacred feast. The last place the ghost leads Scrooge is his nephew's house, he sees what fun he's missing and realizes
how many years he's made a mistake by refusing to go to a holiday dinner. The last ghost is tall and silent, dressed in long
black clothes and a black hood. He shows Scrooge groups of people who talk about a dead man who will not be missed by
anyone who will be remembered for his bad mood and frown. Scrooge becomes increasingly aware that this is him, and
becomes convinced of it when the spirit leads him to his grave. This is the culmination of the book, when Scrooge sees his
grave, realizing how no one mourns for him, regrets each of his bad deeds, and is determined to change. In the end, after all
these visits, Scrooge finds himself in bed and realizes that all the visits were in one night and he didn’t miss Christmas.
Learned from his mistakes, he can't wait for his day ahead. Scrooge goes for a morning walk, greets people on the streets
and wishes them a Merry Christmas, buys the biggest turkey in the bakery and sends it as a gift to his clerk and his family,
and in the evening goes to celebrate at his nephew's house and spends an amazing Christmas. And so every year Scrooge
celebrated and rejoiced at Christmas, donated generous sums to the poor, and became a generous, kind, and cheerful man.

  I really like this story because it is an example that it is never too late to become a good person. It shows how
much happier you and the people around you are when you put a smile on your face and do good deeds. My favorite
character in the book is Tiny Tim,  the youngest son of the clerk Bob Cratchit. He is disabled because one of his legs is
shorter than the other and he has to walk on a crutch. Despite his problem, he doesn’t lose hope and that is why he is my
favorite character. And even though he is young he tells his father, coming home at Christmas, that he hopes people will
see him at the church because he is disabled and people may enjoy remembering on Christmas, not taking anything for
granted. The whole book embodies the true meaning of Christmas and all the greatness and hope that the holiday brings to
people.