Welcome back to Books With Cause and Merry Christmas. Let’s dive into my latest review, and this one is a festive special.
To many, Charles Dickens is considered the greatest author of all time. I’m not here to convince you of that truth one way or another. To be completely honest, I have struggled with much of Dickens’ work. Maybe I’m too much of a simpleton, but for the most part, I’ve found his writing to be inaccessible, and the stories sit in a world that I can’t relate to. To date, there have been two exceptions to this. The first was The Signalman, the short story which I remember studying during my GCSEs. It’s a brilliant and chilling ghost story. The second is A Christmas Carol, which is also a ghost story.
I remember seeing the Jim Carrey adaptation when that was released in cinemas. This was also around the time of the first Avatar film and the craze of all movies being released in cinemas with a set of 3D glasses. I remember both Avatar and A Christmas Carol being breathtaking from a visual perspective, but it is only the latter that I have rewatched multiple times. Of course, it is much easier to consume films than books. That, to me, is what makes reading a more rewarding outlet. But seeing the film first can provide a bit of a leg up.
One of my favourite stories about Dickens’ work is how popular is around the world. But his work was serialised. So where we would buy one novel these days, that same novel was released in parts. Which I suppose is clever marketing. Especially if each part finishes on a cliff-hanger and the reader is left desperate to know what happens next. American readers would gather on the docks of Boston and wait for the ship to arrive with the next instalment of whatever book was being released at the time. The people waiting on the dock would be so impatiently jostling each other that people would end up toppling off the edge and landing in the freezing cold water. Such an image might appear alien to us now. Considering that I wanted to, I can order any book I want and have it sent to my Kindle within seconds.
A Christmas Carol was Dickens’ gift to English speakers all around the world in the winter of 1843. It was also his attempt to challenge the social norms and bring about reform, particularly in Victorian London. If, by chance, you’ve been living under a rock, allow me to give you a brief synopsis of the story. Our protagonist is Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserable and cynical old man who hordes his wealth and considers anybody who’s poor to be lazy. On Christmas Eve, he is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who is suffering in the afterlife because of the way he behaved in life. Marley warns Scrooge that he will be visited by three ghosts in an attempt to change his ways so he doesn’t suffer the same fate as Marley.
The ghosts take Scrooge and us on a journey through the past, present, and what is potentially to come. We also spend time with the Cratchit family. Bob Cratchit is a mistreated employee of Scrooge, while Bob’s son, Tiny Tim, is suggested to be sick to the point he will die, as the family cannot afford to pay for his care. The Cratchits symbolise warmth, love and resilience against poverty in Dickens’ novella. They represent the deserving poor in Victorian London. Dickens uses them to criticise the lack of care in society. While Scrooge represents the elite upper classes who didn’t seem to care about anybody, they deemed them to be beneath them.
Dickens’ message was simple. He wanted those with money and power to take responsibility and look after those who were less fortunate. It’s a poignant message that we can still learn from today, one hundred and eighty-two years later.
At this point, I’d like to mention Jólabókaflóð, an Icelandic festival which translates to Christmas Book Flood. As per tradition, people exchange books with their loved ones on Christmas Eve. They will then immediately settle down and begin reading, usually under a blanket with a mug of hot chocolate. There really is nothing like a cosy reading experience when it’s cold outside. Why not indulge in something similar yourself? A Christmas Carol is one of Dickens’ shorter books, and you may well finish it one night. By the time you finish, you should well and truly be in the festive spirit, and you can say you’ve read at least one Dickens novel.
My Goodreads Rating: ★★★★☆ (4 stars)
At this point, I just want to take the chance to close this post by thanking everybody for visiting my website and reading my posts. Whether this is the first one you’ve read or you’ve checked out every single one, I hugely appreciate everyone who’s taken a chance on me. It’s been a bit of a journey since I set this site up back in June. On the most part, I’ve enjoyed putting these reviews together, but it hasn’t been without its challenges for someone like me who isn’t all that tech savvy.
I want to wish everybody a Merry Christmas, and I’ll be back in the New Year with more reviews. But I also plan to diversify the site and see if there are other things I can do to further my writing career. Until next time, remember to check in to Books With Cause.
