Charles Dickens was born in 1812 and grew up in poverty himself with a family that was victim to debtor's prison, which was a prison for those who could not pay their debts in the 19th century. He was forced to drop out of school and work in a factory at a very young age of 12. He has become a very successful author of numerous Christmas novels with "A Christmas Carol" being one of the most iconic and well-known, especially in today's industry as it is a popular play, has been made into different novel adaptations, and numerous movies. It was published on December 19th, 1843 and was sold out by Christmas Eve. Although Dickens could have made a large sum of money, his profit was deducted due to his devotion for adding details and perfection in the design of his books (how the book was bound together, endpapers, overall materials, etc.).

"A Christmas Carol" focusses on the main character, Ebenezer Scrooge, who hates Christmas and overall is an unpleasant person. He is an owner of a business in a Cornhill warehouse where he was business partners with Jacob Marley. Jacob Marley was also known to be an insensitive and hated man: "Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner" (Dickens 1). Marley's ghost visits Scrooge one night and warns him that he will be visited by three ghosts/spirits that will teach him how to become a better person and care about others, especially during the Christmas season. Marley warns that if he doesn't learn from the three ghosts which include the ghost of the past, the ghost of the present, and the ghost of the future, then he will die in chains with each link representing a time where he was a horrible human being to others. In Jacob Marley's death, he returns as a ghost to fulfill his quest to help Scrooge before it’s too late for him like it is for Jacob.

By transporting readers through the past, present, and future, they are invited on a journey to understand the reason Scrooge is the way he is and witness a change in Scrooge as each spirit teaches him to learn from the past, live in the present, and fear the future. The first spirit is of the past and is described as having a glow appearance, similar to a candle, and represents the mind or memory: “But the strangest thing about it was, that from the crown of its head there sprung a bright clear jet of light, by which all this was visible” (Dickens 27). The first spirit takes him to his old boarding school where his father abandoned him. It also depicts his relationship with his younger sister who was sick but he loved her so much. Readers then witness his old boss Fezziwig who is a kind employer but Scrooge’s greed lead him to work for Marley. There is also a glimpse of Belle, his ex-fiancé, whom he loves and she loves him but he loses her because he is so consumed in making money.  Similar to Mary Barton displaying Esther's reasons for being a prostitute or John's background of being a murderer, Scrooge's upbringing is used as a transportation tool to ask the question of why? 

He then meets the second spirit which is that of the present which is described as the Christmas spirit filled with joy, generosity, compassion, and kindness: “and on its head it wore no other covering than a holly wreath, set here and there with shining icicles. Its dark brown curls were long and free; free as its genial face, its sparkling eye, its open hand, its cheery voice, its unconstrained demeanour, and its joyful air” (Dickens 46). On this trip, he is transported to the house of the Cratchits where even though they live in such poverty due to Scrooge underpaying the father, they still thank him for what they have. He also witnesses Tiny Tim, one of Cratchit’s children, who is ill. A common theme observed in the Victorian era is using children as an innocent display of sympathy. The ghost of Christmas present then transports him to his own nephew’s house where even though every person scoffs when they hear his name, his nephew vouches for him and claims that he loves him.

The final spirit is the ghost of the future who represents fear, darkness, hopelessness, and death. He shows Scrooge his outcome at his own funeral where people celebrate his death, dance on his coffin, and he has his things taken for him which are all disrespectful acts for a corpse. This spirit didn’t speak at all and “Scrooge feared the silent shape so much that his legs trembled beneath him” (Dickens 68).  He is also taken to Tiny Tim’s grave where he realizes that he could have prevented his death if he paid the Cratchit family what they deserve so he could get cured. The appearance of this ghost is described as “shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing of it visible save one outstretched hand” (Dickens 68).

While Scrooge develops empathy for those around him, readers also empathize with Scrooge and advocate for his change in perspective. Charles Dickens used Scrooge's characterization and storyline to stage an apparatus that critiques society's politics, especially during the Victorian era, and extends compassion from those in power to those in poverty. While Dickens' childhood catalyzes this storyline, it is also evident that many of Dickens' experiences as a child parallel with that of Scrooge's, for example, both men have a father in debtors prison and both had to work to support their families beginning at a very young age. The social problems of Britain in the 19th century highlighted poverty in various parts of London which Charles Dickens witnessed as a result of moving around a lot. When the British empire expanded as Queen Victoria took the throne, the impacts of the industrial revolution had been made clear. With high levels of crime and overcrowded/poor working conditions, many people were subject to poverty. Although The Poor Law in 1834 tried to address this issue, it was discovered that it just further punished those in need of labour. Dickens cleverly introduces these issues of social injustice within his novel using not only a ghost story represented in 5 staves (Marley’s ghost, the ghost of Christmas Past,  the ghost of Christmas present,  the ghost of Christmas future, and the happy revolution) but he used the season of Christmas to create vivid imagery and relatable characterization. While Scrooge’s final realization is that he doesn’t want people to celebrate his death and he wants to save Tiny Tim, he pleads that he will honour Christmas and change his ways from now on. Scrooge states, “I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach. Oh, tell me I may sponge away the writing on this stone!” (Dickens 83).

Dickens, Charles. “Charles Dickens’ Christmas Books Including 'A Christmas Carol'.” July 1998, Oxford, Oxford University Press.