BR2-12 A Christmas Carol

When I choose a story book for book review, I try to choose one which is written by a famous author. I studied British Literature at university last year, so I chose this book. I expected a happy story from the title, but the story was about a cross and mean old man and the story was filled with dark atmosphere. I think it’s because Dickens was very poor when he was a child. I suppose he wanted readers to learn a lesson about money and kindness through the book.

The story begins with a visit of a long-dead partner to the main character Ebenezer Scrooge on the Christmas Eve night. The partner, Jacob Marley, is cross and mean like Scrooge. Their interests are only their business and money. They don’t have any kindness to other people at all. So after Marley died, he has had to travel endlessly as a spirit through the world with chains which he made for himself in his lifetime because he didn’t help other people in his lifetime. He has no peace and no rest, and he can’t stay anywhere for long. Marley doesn’t want Scrooge to spend the same afterlife. For the reason, he comes to warn Scrooge to change his attitude toward other people. Marley tells Scrooge that three spirits would visit Scrooge on the night. He doesn’t believe it and goes to sleep.

The first spirit visits him and the spirit shows Scrooge’s Christmas past. The spirit shows how nice the people around him are and how he began to show an unhealthy interest in money and lost his dearest because of it.

The second spirit shows other people’s present Christmas. They all, including Scrooge’s clerk, are very poor but nobody complains their poverty. They thank god just being alive.

The third spirit shows his Christmas future. It is an old man’s death. Scrooge doesn’t make sure who dies but he knows it was him. Almost all people aren’t sorry for him because of his crossness and meanness. But his clerk and his family are very sad and cries for him even though Scrooge was mean to the clerk.

I think when you want to change yourself, it’s good to look back on your past, see what’s happening around you now and predict your future if you stay the same. I suppose money equals greedness. If you have too much greedness, your life will be destroyed by yourself.
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