To many people, Christmas is the happiest time of the year, with carols, shopping, gifts, Christmas trees, lights and decorations.A Christmas Carol, a book written by Charles Dickens in 1843, is a story set around the festive season of Christmas. It tells a story about the elderly miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, who hated everyone. His very presence on the street could turn a happy mood sober. Since he was a miser who hated parting with his money, he paid his clerk, Bob Cratchit, a pittance. He even refused to give him any holidays,though he worked long, hard hours. The poor man even had to beg and plead for one day off, on Christmas! Ebenezer Scrooge thought that people used Christmas as another excuse not to work.
But although he sounds like the villain here, the actual antagonist in this story is his greedy nature which is soon scared out of him by his late acquaintance, Jacob Marley, and the three spirits of Christmas. After his troubling encounter with the spirits, Scrooge comes to understand the importance of kindness and compassion and the reward of a friendly attitude towards people.
In my opinion, the main idea of this book is to tell you about second chances, a phenomenon that is very rare in today’s world. But the reason I liked it was because of the story. The author takes you on a journey to 19th century London and gives you a glimpse of their idea of Christmas. The whole book is presented through the eyes of Ebenezer Scrooge. The author also illustrates what Scrooge feels and how he repents after seeing the misery that his greed has caused. I believe by structuring the story around Christmas, the value Charles Dickens tries to convey is much easier to understand. The only thing I disliked about the book was the language. I found the antiquated language difficult to understand. But overall ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a brilliant book and a must-read Christmas classic, for everyone!
About Serein
At Serein we believe that empathy and inclusion are the pillars of a good society. Gender issues can affect home and the workplace in many ways. Having worked on gender and with many other forms of diversity we have come to realise that an empathetic approach to all builds inclusion. It also builds a trusting environment in society as well as the workplace. If you would like to learn more about diversity and inclusion, inclusive leadership or how to speak about empathy, emotional/mental health issues or have an awareness training on gender and inclusion in the workplace, do drop us a line at hello@serein.in
