Ebenezer Scrooge Analysis free essay sample

At the beginning of A Christmas Carol, abundant evidence is provided to support the conclusion that Ebenezer Scrooge is the protagonist of Dickens tale, who doesnt want to spend any more money than is absolutely essential, and who begrudges spending for what is necessary. A grasping, covetous, flinty old pinchpenny With his pointed nose, shrivelled cheeks, and stiff gait, he is repulsive to all his acquaintances. In his novella, Dickens portrays Scrooge with words that are equally as familiar as his name â€Å"Bah Humbug! . Scrooges character is shaped by the conditioning he experienced as a young child, as our characters as humans always are. He has been suffering psychologically for years from the abuse of neglect he received as a child when he was left alone during Christmas. However, another conflict manifests itself on that Christmas Eve when the do-gooders stop by to ask Scrooge for a donation for charity by mentioning Marleys name which triggers Scrooges memory of friendship, love and benevolence. We will write a custom essay sample on Ebenezer Scrooge Analysis or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He sent them off by a gruffly reply It is not my business. Its enough for a man to understand his own business, and not interfere with other peoples. Mine occupies me constantly. Good afternoon, gentlemen! Finally, the day draws to its close and Scrooge must release his clerk, Bob Cratchit, but not before he grumpily says, you dont think me ill-used when I pay a days wages for no work as he must allow the man a holiday on Christmas. Ordering the man to Be here all the earlier the next day, Scrooge reluctantly lets the man go home. Clearly, Ebenezer Scrooge is a misanthrope who shares no warmth with any man. As he dismisses his nephew, Scrooge declares, If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should! The conflict intensifies when Marleys spirit arrives at his own home to warn Scrooge of his demise if he does not heed his warning and accept the three ghosts. Scrooges conflict here is in accepting this revelation, for at first he doesnt believe that Marley is real, for he thinks that Marley is an undigested bit of beef; a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. In other words, Scrooge is trying to convince himself that he is suffering from indigestion. Scrooges encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Past reveals Scrooges Christmas past and in accepting what happened to him back then, he begins to give in to the good in his soul, for when he sees himself as a very young boy all alone at this boarding school and his break up with his fiance Belle due to this love for money, he sheds a tear which symbolizes the return of warmth and sympathy in Scrooges cold heart; the ice around his heart is melting, and Scrooge is beginning to resurrect. For when he meets the Ghost of Christmas Present, he has to face the realities of the life that he has created for the Cratchit family, and the wages that Scrooge has been paying Bob are very pitiful that he cannot afford proper medical attention for his son, Tiny Tim. Seeing this causes Scrooge to become even more compassionate. By witnessing the Cratchits, this has had a tremendous effect on his character. Following the visit from the final spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, Scrooge desperately wished to make amends for the sins of his life. When he awoke on Christmas morning and found that the bedpost was his own and the Time before him was his own, Scrooge recognized that he still had another chance to transform himself. His heart was no longer heavy from the fear that things cannot change; instead, he laughed and cried from the joy of the knowledge that his fate was not foresworn: His happiness had made him youthful againas light as a feather.