In Stave One of A Christmas Carol Dickens sets the scene of the story. He also introduces us to Ebeneezer Scrooge, in all his glory. It's Christmas Eve in London, and as Scrooge is still toiling away in his office, we realize immediately that we are dealing with someone who's, at best, a workaholic. But as we read further, we come to see that Scrooge is more than simply a hard-working businessman; he's actually a...
In Stave One of A Christmas Carol Dickens sets the scene of the story. He also introduces us to Ebeneezer Scrooge, in all his glory. It's Christmas Eve in London, and as Scrooge is still toiling away in his office, we realize immediately that we are dealing with someone who's, at best, a workaholic. But as we read further, we come to see that Scrooge is more than simply a hard-working businessman; he's actually a miser. And quite ornery too. Even though it's freezing cold, he won't pay for Bob Cratchit to have an extra lump of coal for the fire; he rudely turns away a couple of charity collectors from his door; he rails against the festive season, giving a hearty "Bah, Humbug!" to his nephew Fred as he invites him over for Christmas dinner. Christmas is just one big inconvenience to Scrooge. Why on earth should it get in the way of business?
We're not very far into Stave One and already we're left in no doubt as to what kind of person Scrooge really is. The visit of the ghost of Jacob Marley gives Scrooge a bit of a fright but doesn't change his ways. It'll take a little more persuasion, not to mention the visit of three spirits, before Scrooge's redemption finally takes place.
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