Tuesday, October 11, 2011

In A Christmas Carol, who does Scrooge wish he can speak to after seeing himself as a lonely boy?

In the first stave of A Christmas Carol, the Ghost of Christmas Past shows Scrooge an image of himself as a young boy at school. This evokes a painful response from Scrooge who remembers the loneliness he felt at this time. After witnessing this scene, Scrooge says that he would like to see a boy who visited his house the day before and sang a Christmas carol to him. Scrooge tells the ghost that he wished he had given him something for singing the song. 


This quote represents a turning point for Scrooge. Never before has he felt compassion towards another person, especially a poor child. If we look at Scrooge before the ghost's visit, for example, we see nothing but heartlessness in his relationships with others: he turns down his nephew's offer to visit on Christmas Day and refuses to donate money to the gentlemen who are collecting for the poor and needy. But, after seeing himself as a lonely child, he starts to change dramatically. For the first time, he is considering how his actions impact on others and how a simple gesture can have a strong meaning. His character is slowly reforming and this quote marks the beginning of a new Ebeneezer Scrooge. 

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