Christmas Carol

Journal Entries on A Christmas Carol

Sandy Zhu

11/20 Journal Entry #1(P1-P15)

At the very beginning of the story, I know that Scrooge's partner, Marley, had been dead for 7 years. Scrooge was a stingy businessman, he spent all his life earning money, or, I should say, exploiting money. It was Christmas time, his cousin asked him to have dinner with his family, he refused because he thought that a man as poor as his cousin had no right to celebrate anything. Two portly men from the charity asked him to donate some money for the poor people, he refused, and he said that it was none of his business. His only clerk asked for a day off on Christmas day, he chewed it over and over, then he finally agreed, but he required the clerk to come earlier the next day. Although Scrooge wasn't poor, he lived in a small, dark room and lent all the other rooms out as offices. In one word, Scrooge hated anything that would let him spend money. But something strange happened one night-he saw his knocker changed into his dead partner's face, what was that, anyway?

Why did Scrooge see Marley's face? I don't think it was because he missed him too much. I can just say that maybe Marley's ghost came back to visit him, on a frosty winter night. They both hated Christmas, so I think it was scarcely possible that he was there to wish Scrooge a merry Christmas. As my opinion, Scrooge was nothing but a miserable and greedy businessman. He was a very cold person, I think, and he never showed his laughter to the others. What did the ghost of Marley want to tell his unpleasant partner that night? I hope he would tell him to be a nicer person and teach him that it was always good to help the others.

11/23 Journal Entry #2 (P15-P29)

Marley's ghost appeared right in front of Scrooge. Although he saw the ghost with his own eyes, he still refused to believe it at first. But as soon as the ghost started to talk, he put his whole attention on its speech. In his speech, he mentioned his sin when he was alive and the punishment after he died. Marley's ghost showed Scrooge the heavy, uncomfortable chain he was wearing and told him that this chain was made by himself in his life; it was made up by his greed and stinginess. But Scrooge argued that these were the most important things to be a "good" businessman, just like himself. Then Marley's ghost told him what was the real term of "business", it was not only money, but also love and help. Later, when Marley's ghost was leaving with the other phantoms, he asked Scrooge to wait for three spirits-the only way that might be able to save him from being punished like Marley.

As my opinion, Scrooge started to think about his sin after listening to ghost Marley's speech. He must had felt it so similar when he saw the chain that Marley's ghost was wearing-a chain that was made up by money, purses, checkbooks and big locks. In their lives, they had the same aim, that was-more money for themselves. But I don't think old, stubborn Scrooge was moved and wanted to change himself by the ghost's words. I think although he was shocked by what he had seen and heard, they were still just freak dreams in his mind. Because he was as cold as a cucumber, he never missed anybody (even his former partner Marley). He put all his faith on money and business, all the other things that might disturb these two were absolutely his enemies. The ghost's appearance was a shock, but it wasn't astonishing enough to shake Scrooge's belief on money. I hope that Scrooge would gradually realize his sin as time went by.

11/25 Journal Entry #3 (P30-P57)

Although Scrooge didn't believe what Marley's ghost had told him, he was still afraid that the spirits would come to visit him. The first spirit, "the Ghost of Christmas Past" let Scrooge see his own past. He saw his sister's love for him in his miserable and lonely childhood. He saw his kind boss, old Fezziwig. He saw the dancing his boss held on Christmas Eve to treat all his clerks, and that reminded him of how he had been treating his own clerk. His heart was softened by this scene and began to feel ashamed and remorse for the way he had been using to treat his clerk. He also saw his ex-girlfriend, Belle, her husband and their children enjoying their happy Christmas day. He was so regret of his change from a poor but happy young man to a rich but cold businessman.

I think Scrooge began to think about his stinginess when the first sprit showed him the many things that had happened in his past. At first, he was so frightened to see the spirit and didn't know anything else, but gradually, his attention was drawn by the scene he saw-his past. He tried to refuse to believe it, because there were so many beautiful things in it and he left them to chase for money. He stubbornly thought that wealth was the only source of happiness, and that made him lost all the love he used to have in his life. He felt so regret and remorse, but I think he still didn't believe it. In my opinion, Scrooge owned a lot of money, but he didn't know how to use it; he was the master of his money, and also its slave. I think what Scrooge should do was to change himself and be kind to the others. I really hope the visit of the second spirit would change him into a whole new person.

12/1 Journal Entry #4 (P58-P74)

This time, the second spirits-the Ghost of Christmas Present, paid his visit to Scrooge. At first, he led him to his clerk's family. Although they were very poor, they still looked extremely happy on this special night. The whole family gathered together and everybody had smile on his face. Although the food wasn't nice, everyone ate happily and nobody ever complained, because their hearts were all filled with the love to each other. Even the cold, hard, old Scrooge was moved by this warm family dinner. If the visit of the first sprit made him to feel remorse for his past and think about his faults, the it was the visit of the second spirit that let him become concerned about the others. When her saw Tiny Tim, the weakest and youngest member of the family and found out he would die, he even asked the spirit to save him.

I think that was really a great leap of Scrooge's soul. I still remember when two gentlemen asked him to donate something for the homeless people, he just said cruelly that these people should go die. But now he began to worry about the weaker, and he even tried to help them. He started to be affected by the real happiness-the