Charles (Chuck) Kensinger

A fun thing for a reader to do is pick up a favorite book and read it again.  At Christmas, there are many stories that come to mind.  One of these for this Springfield boy brings the true meaning of Christmas home.  This year’s experience has brought back some insights not thought of for many years while reading “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens.

If you’ve never read the book and only seen the thousands of video versions of the story, it is well worth a read.  Copies are available almost anywhere and you can even find free downloads for some devices and computers.  It takes only an hour or two to read completely.  Some families make reading a Christmas tradition. 

The main character is Ebenezer Scrooge.  We all know Mr. Scrooge in his many forms.  Since his creation, he has been copied, degraded, analyzed, and referred to as an old fart or worse.  However, the main subject is the Bob Crachet family.  The most memorable line of the book is uttered by Crachet’s son Tim, aka Tiny Tim, who says, “God bless us, everyone.”  The illness that has crippled this boy is not identified.  The Ghost of Christmases to Come shows Ebenezer a scene referring to the boy’s death.  The lead character’s death is also mentioned, but no one mourns for him.

Dickens was endeavoring to illustrate the plight of the poor, downtrodden, ordinary Londoner.  To illustrate what his culture lacked he chose a typical lower-income family.  They worked but could not get ahead unless they were treated better than Scrooge treated them.  The plight of the poor is not necessarily the fault of the wealthy.  They can, however, improve others a lot by being fair and honest. 

Charity is not required to help the working poor.  Decent wages and proper treatment by employers go a long way.  As Bob Cratchet shows us, hard work can be rewarding, if your boss wants it to be.  The moral is more that kindness as exhibited by Tiny Tim is rewarded, than that those who lack concern for others will die and be forgotten. 

Human beings were created separately by God.  We should demonstrate human kindness and not animal unconcern.  Pets or even inanimate objects are shown more love than some people are shown.  Even Mr. Scrooge was shown kindness by the spirits.  His greed must be corrected not punished.

Dickens used many of his books to promote the harsh conditions in Victorian England. He criticized orphanages, poor houses, businesses, the criminal justice system, and the French government. I hope when you read “The Christmas Carol” you will focus on the story and not get hung up on contemplating the motivation as I have.

©Copyright 2022 by Charles Kensinger