Why ‘A Christmas Carol’ Endures

Opinion|Why ‘A Christmas Carol’ Endures

Since its publication in December 1843, “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens has been a cherished presence during the holiday season. The novella — which Dickens wrote to make money when he was broke — has not gone out of print once in more than 180 years and has been adapted into dozens of movies, stage productions, musicals and mini series, attracting stars from Alastair Sim to the Muppets. Today, one can hardly think of Christmas without thinking of Scrooge, the Cratchits and Tiny Tim’s “God bless us, every one.”

In some ways, the story’s enduring appeal is easy to account for. “A Christmas Carol” is, first and foremost, a ghost story — a genre that never seems to go out of fashion. But what’s less easy to account for, and more interesting, is how this 19th-century tale has continued to speak to modern readers, offering moral lessons that have only grown more relevant over the decades.

At its core, it is a story about the forces that exist within all of us: greed and generosity, hatred and love, repentance and forgiveness. It doesn’t hurt that it concerns one of literature’s most compelling characters: Ebenezer Scrooge.

The name Scrooge has become a synonym for a misanthrope. He treats his employee terribly, disdains those less fortunate than himself and turns away those collecting donations for the poor. His sole concern is his own material enrichment.

Why does such a figure appeal to us today? Why, despite his depravity, do we still root for his redemption? Guilt, I think. Scrooge speaks to us because in many ways, he is us.

Around 1980, the phrase “bottom line” wormed its way into the culture as the standard of achievement. To one degree or another, the bottom line has made Scrooges of us all.