Much of Charles Dickens's depiction of morality in his most famous Christmas story, A Christmas Carol, is derived from "the wisdom of our forefathers ". (1) Early in his story, Dickens explains his use of the phrase "dead as a doornail" in relation to Marley as a reliance on the "wisdom of our forefathers", even though it was not the comparison that he himself would have had. invented. He continues to carefully craft his story based on traditional culture. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Christmas, as a setting, represents the temporary break from the constraints felt in normal life in a Dickensian society. Scrooge's nephew describes Christmas as: ...the only time I know, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem with one accord to freely open their closed hearts and think of the people beneath of them as if they really were. fellow travelers to the grave, and not another race of creatures destined for other journeys... although he never put a single piece of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that 'he has done me good and will do me good; and I say, God bless him! (6-7) Indeed, the fragmentation and restoration of a set of values ​​is the theme of A Christmas Carol - a story that is not unfolded in chapters, but sung in staves. The characterization of a story told in song is in itself a return to ancestral and traditional values. We remember the famous introduction “I sing of war and a man at war” (ln. 1) to Virgil’s Aeneid. The poems of ancient Roman writers, such as Virgil and Ovid, speak to the history of a culture, but perhaps above all to provide a moral lesson. In adopting this medium, Dickens pays homage to his ancient predecessors, as well as to the art of Christmas carols themselves (as the title suggests). Before the 20th century, one of the only means of widespread education was the Christian Church. And through Dickens's characterizations that Church officials are often corrupt, one can assume that Dickens probably did not like the corrupt information the faithful were receiving. However, Christmas carols maintain their integrity no matter who sings them. Their message is clear and their words unchanged, except for common children's mistakes (going "waffle" as opposed to "blabbing"). Primarily, Dickens's novel takes the eroded moralistic traditions of the past and delivers them intact to the common man. Its many characters allegorize the traditional values ​​that interest Dickens in the past, present and future. Ebenezer Scrooge is perhaps the most allegorical of these. Although in cross order, we see Scrooge's progression and depression throughout his schoolboy days into his elderly and miserly years. His first vision is of a terribly lonely child at Christmas, trying to keep the characters in the books company. The first spirit, that of Noël Past, is himself a young child and an old man at the same time; and the luminous glow of his head testifies to the importance of the human spirit. This first ghost represents memory and its ability to connect all of life. Indeed, the fluid movement of time throughout history suggests that in terms of humanity, it is not the “when” that is important; it’s only the “what” we need to worry about. The second spirit, that of the Christmas gift, illustrates the concerns that one should ideally have in association with Christmas: kindness, generosity, love and celebration, to begin with. Food “piled upon the ground to form a sort of throne” (57) helps the mind evoke thoughts of prosperity and cheerfulness. Likewise, the moral theme of A Christmas Carol has little to do with the solemnity of a religious occasion (although the influence of organized Christianity is present, in the ringing of church bells to mark the hours , for example), but above all by praising the abundance of joy, which they have the ability to share with each other. In essence, Dickens's Christmas is not about restraint and religious piety. This is the time to share one's riches, whether on a scale of poverty or wealth, whether monetary or spiritual. Here, Scrooge begins to realize what may already be obvious to the reader: celebrating by feasting is an extremely pleasant experience. , but only if we share this feast with others. The Cratchit family are able to demonstrate their ability to derive great joy from having little by sharing it with their loved ones, in contrast to the very little joy Scrooge derives from abundance due to his loneliness. This visit from the Ghost of Christmas Present also highlights the importance of teaching this joy to the next generations to come. In literature, the presence of children embodies the natural human response to innocence in a loving or unloving environment. The children in the story in question are no different as they serve to greatly direct the course of the book. This focus is mainly achieved through Tiny Tim's pathetic character. Her endearing faith and spirit in the face of a deadly illness is one of the reasons A Christmas Carol has maintained its extreme popularity throughout the centuries. Little Tim correctly emphasizes the connection between himself and Jesus Christ when he says to his father: ...he hoped that people would see him in the church, because he was crippled, and maybe he would be to them nice to remember, on Christmas Day, the one who made lame beggars. walk and the blind see. (67) Growing up in an environment of monetary comfort but little love, Scrooge ages to become a cold-hearted miser. Yet, having grown up in a world of lots of love and little money, the youngest Cratchit has the kindest soul in history. In contrast to the spiritual light that radiates from Tiny Tim's character are "evil"-looking creatures: the boy called Ignorance and the girl called Want. “They are the children of Man” (86), because they are the product of a lack of social responsibility. Ignorance and desire are explained by the second mind as the "fate" of humanity if ignored. The third spirit, the ghost of Christmas to come, brings with him a dark tinge to the story. It represents Scrooge's fate (i.e., greater humanity) if poverty continues unaltered by those who have the power to change conditions. As Scrooge begins to understand that a desolate and evil future will be his own destiny, the fear of death and impending reckoning leads him to connect his new lessons and memories into an emotional landscape where not only can he identify with the suffering of the ordinary man, but he also cares about it as a humanitarian. As we noted previously, Scrooge is able to see others as if they "were really fellow travelers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys." » Dickens comments on the economic corruption of 19th-century Britain by imagining the world of the counting house. Yet he goes on to visualize a restructuring of selfish society, adopting the most basic human morality of love. The society suggested by Dickens is akin to a kind of socialism :20)