A Christmas Carol in more a social commentary than it is a moral tale. Discuss.

[DoctorWho]

Can someone please mark this and give me feedback? It's not my best, but I managed to write it within the time limit.

Dickens presents to his readers an exploration of differing ideas and values through his tale of morality. In A Christmas Carol he demonstrates the idea that a life of ignorance towards morals will lead to an inevitable doom in the afterlife. In addition to this, Dickens also shows that that a lack of ethics can lead to an inner suffering that plagues one’s life. Furthermore, Dickens suggests that morality is the helping hand that society so desperately needs. Conversely, Dickens makes a social commentary on society by pointing out the hardship of the poorer classes which paints the wealthier classes in an extremely poor light.

Dickens insinuates that an existence which involves ignorance to morals eventually leads to anguish in the afterlife. Dickens demonstrates this idea through the character of Jacob Marley who comes to warn Scrooge of his eternal suffering, should he continue to be ignorant towards human morality. The character of Jacob Marley serves as a harbinger for the punishment awaiting those who live selfishly like Scrooge does. The ghost of Jacob Marley tells Scrooge of the chain he ‘forged in life’ that is now forced to wear. Dickens symbolizes Marley’s chain as a remnant of our past wrongdoings, thereby warning his readers of the doom they will suffer if they do not choose to live by principles such as generosity, compassion and sympathy for others. Moreover, this reinforces the moral points that Dickens wishes to get across.

In addition to this, a lack of morals can lead to an inner suffering which leaves the individual isolated and alone. Dickens emphasises this through the character of Ebenezer Scrooge who is seen to be an ‘odious’ and ‘stingy’ old man. Scrooge’s life is shown to be one of innate suffering and loneliness. Dickens uses the life of Scrooge to reinforce the idea of the woe that those who lack morals face. Although Scrooge is depicted as a greedy man who does not care for that company of others, he serves as an example of all that we wish to avoid in this world. By emphasising Scrooge’s anguish, Dickens provides his readers with a lesson of morality, by showing them the miserable life that one will face if they lack values.

Furthermore, Dickens suggests that morality is the saviour of mankind and can help ease the despair of others. Dickens reinforces this idea through the character of Tiny Tin who is foretold that he will ‘surely die’ if another person does not intervene to ease his suffering. The character of Tiny Tim is a clever ploy by Dickens to strike sympathy and guilt in the hearts of his readers and to demonstrate to them that their selfish ways do impact others. Moreover, Dickens emphasises this idea by showing the impact of Scrooge’s moral transformation and the effect this has on Tiny Tim’s life. He does not die, and lives a happier and more comfortable life. Hence, Dickens uses his tale of morality to encourage readers to think about their morals and the effect they have on others.

Conversely, Dickens does make a social comment on society by depicting the corruption and exploitation present in Victorian society. Dickens demonstrates the attitudes of the wealthier class through the selfishness of Scrooge. When Scrooge refers to the poorer classes as the ‘surplus population’ Dickens uses this sentence to embody the attitude that many of the wealthier classes hold against the poor. Thereby, he makes an elusive critique of societal values and ideas. This is further shown as he contrasts the lives of Bob Cratchit and Scrooge. Clearly they are both of different social standings and therefore live very different lives. However, Bob is shown is shown to be happier and loving than Scrooge, regardless of the fact that he is significantly poorer. This suggests that Dickens wished to demonstrate to readers that the wealthier classes were not as well off as one would think. Therefore, Dickens does make evasive critiques of society within his novella but continues to centralize the story around the morality of individuals.

In essence, A Christmas Carol is more a tale of morality rather than a social commentary. The ideas that Dickens presents in the novella are intended to enlighten and educate the reader of the importance of morals and values in one’s life. Dickens highlights many ideas that are centred on morality such as the detrimental effect of ignorance towards morals. Likewise, this is reinforced by the idea that a lack of morals leads to an individual’s inner suffering. Furthermore, Dickens suggests that our morals have a significant impact on the lives of others.  Conversely, Dickens also makes allusive comments on societal issues but A Christmas Carol is mainly a tale of morals.