transformation & redemption

• the overall story of a christmas carol is scrooge's journey of transformation from a lonely old miser to a kind-hearted and generous man
• dickens shows the reader that regardless of our social situation, we all get to choose whether or not to show kindness to others
• in a christmas carol, those who choose to show kindness are happy and fulfilled, while those who don't end up lonely and bitter
• at the start of the novella, scrooge makes a conscious effort to reject acts of kindness: he turns down fred's invitation and the chance to donate to the charity collectors
• through the visions of the 3 spirits, though, he begins to see that it is his own choices that have turned him into a miserable man, even if they have made him rich
• he sees that after his death he will be forgotten and missed by no-one, just as jacob marley was
• at the same time, he sees how other people who choose to live their lives with compassion are rewarded with happiness, even if they have less
• fezziwig, the cratchits, fred and belle all do their best to be good to others and although they all have different social situations, they are all happy in their own ways
• the ending of the novella provides scrooge's redemption as dickens shows the reader that it's never too late to change and to start making amends
• scrooge learns that although he cannot change his choices in the past, he can control his actions in the present and future and choose to do good where he can
• as a result of this lesson, scrooge is rewarded with the happiness he was lacking, through the company of family and friends