thesis statement christmas carol

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A Christmas Carol Thesis Statements and Essay Topics

Below you will find four outstanding thesis statements / paper topics for “A Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens can be used as essay starters. All four incorporate at least one of the themes found in “A Christmas Carol” and are broad enough so that it will be easy to find textual support, yet narrow enough to provide a focused clear thesis statement. These thesis statements offer a short summary of “­­­­­­­A Christmas Carol” terms of different elements that could be important in an essay. You are, of course, free to add your own analysis and understanding of the plot or themes to them. Using the essay topics below in conjunction with the list of  important quotes from “A Christmas Carol”  on our quotes page, you should have no trouble connecting with the text and writing an excellent essay.

Topic #1 Varieties of Disabilities

Compare and contrast societal views on “handicaps “or disabilities with the handicaps presented in the story. Tiny Tim has health problems. The Cratchits are very poor. According to society, they would be considered needy. However, the family is happy. In that sense, they are wealthier than Ebenezer Scrooge. Because Scrooge has more money and is healthy, he is viewed as successful. He is also very unhappy. Who has the greater handicap in Dickens’ story? Is it Tiny Tim or the Cratchit family in general? Or is the neediest character actually Scrooge?

Topic #2 The Ability to Change One’s Personality

Ebenezer Scrooge goes to bed a miser and wakes up with a generous heart. Discuss the possibility of such a phenomenon. Include information on personal reflection and self-examination. Could a close look at one’s life and direction really bring about such a drastic transformation in a short amount of time? How does the time period affect this viewpoint? Contrast the time period of the story with modern times. Cynicism is prevalent in many cultures when it comes to changing oneself. How does that affect the moral of the story?

Topic #3 Thinking Positively in the Face of Grave Uncertainty

Tiny Tim exhibits a positive and humble attitude in spite of his physical affliction. He manages to bring joy to others in his family while he suffers through his illness. He does not get angry that his parents cannot afford the right doctors. He does not lash out at others to have companions in his misery. Explore the belief that a positive outlook improves one’s ability to overcome the symptoms of illness. How does that theory apply in the case of Tiny Tim?

Topic #4 The Value of Money

Ebenezer Scrooge and his late partner, Jacob Marley, are consumed with making and keeping their money. After Marley dies, he comes back to warn Scrooge of the folly of money and greed. When Scrooge is being shown his life by the Christmas ghosts, he sees how his decisions have shaped his life. He sees what his life will become if he does not change his lifestyle. His greed over money made him who he is. Money is painted as one of the evils of life. How does Scrooge’s attitude about money become what it is? How have his choices and decisions affected his life? Are these choices and decisions to blame, or is money the culprit?

Miss Huttlestone's GCSE English

Because a whole class of wonderful minds are better than just one!

Model Grade 9 ‘ACC’ essay: Christmas as a Joyful Time

Starting with this extract, explore how far Dickens presents Christmas as a joyful time. (30 marks)

Throughout Dickens’ allegorical novella, his aim is to passionately highlight how such a joyful season can create positive role models for Scrooge. The constant succession of images relating to joy around Christmas may well have been utilised to demonstrate how readers too can learn and improve from the inspirational characters during the novella.

Primarily, within stave 1 of the novella, Dickens utilises the characterisation of Fred as the embodiment of the Christmas spirit with all the positive virtues associated with Christmas. This is evidenced when Fred is described as coming in ‘all in a glow’ with ‘his face ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled.’ Here the use of the noun ‘glow’ connotes light and warmth which is strongly linked to hope and purity. This highlights the contrast between Fred and his uncle Scrooge, who was described as ‘hard and sharp as flint.’ Structurally, introducing Fred immediately after Scrooge focuses the reader’s attention on the clear variation between the two and all of the positive qualities that Scrooge lacks. Furthermore, Fred highlights the belief that Christmas is a time for unity within the social hierarchy although it ‘never puts a scrap of gold or silver’ in his pocket and he frowns upon his uncle, completely consumed in the greed for money. Dickens may have done this to foreshadow Scrooge’s transformation into a better man as a result of the inspirational role models around him during the novella. Alternatively, Dickens may have used Fred and Scrooge together to challenge the situation in Victorian Britain during the Industrial Revolution. Scrooge highlights all of the negative traits of upper class men during this time and Fred is a caring and benevolent character, who cares for people lower down on the social hierarchy.

Secondly, within the extract, Dickens utilises the characterisation of Fezziwig to suggest a clear contrast in the two employers. This is evidenced when Fezziwig ‘laughed all over himself, from his shoes to his organ of benevolence.’ The use of the abstract noun ‘benevolence’ suggests the joy and love Fezziwig has for Christmas time. Fezziwig’s kind, caring personality is another role model and catalyst for Scrooge’s transformation. Furthermore, Dickens presents Christmas as a joyful time through Fezziwig’s Christmas party. ‘Fuel was heaped upon the fire’ and the warehouse was transformed into a ‘snug, and warm’ ballroom filled with light. The use of the adjective ‘warm’ connotes kindness and comfort. The detail here in Fezziwig’s scene overwhelms the senses; his generosity is physical, emotional and palpable. As an employer he is the foil of Scrooge and presents all of the positive virtues that Scrooge lacks. Dickens may have done this to highlight a different side to capitalism. Alternatively, presenting Fezziwig as the embodiment of Christmas suggests the importance of Christmas and all of its positive qualities on everyone in society.

Thirdly, within the novella, Dickens utilises the Ghost of Christmas Present to personify Christmas itself. When the ghost appears it has set up an impressive feast of lights and food. This is evidenced when Scrooge’s room is filled with ‘the crisp leaves of holly, mistletoe and ivy reflected back the light, as if so many little mirrors had been scattered there, and such a mighty blaze went roaring up the chimney.’ The scene is hyperbolic and creates a clear contrast with the frugal state of Scrooge’s past Christmases. The use of the light imagery here provides a clear and undeniable tableau of the joyful Christmases Scrooge can afford but chooses to shun. Dickens may have done this to portray Christmas as a bright and familiar celebration which everyone should celebrate in harmony. A modern reader may feel hope that Scrooge will use his wealth to celebrate Christmas with all of the festivities that Christmas should include and celebrate it with the people that care for him, like his nephew Fred.

Finally, in ‘A Christmas Carol’ Dickens reinforces the theme of Christmas spirit through the Cratchit family. Dickens utilises Bob Cratchit to symbolise the true spirit of Christmas and the importance of family. This is evidenced at the Cratchit’s dinner where nobody remarked that it was ‘a small pudding for a large family’. The adjective ‘small’ emphasises the Cratchit’s lack of luxury and yet their enthusiasm in the scene is palpable. This highlights that this ‘small’ pudding was seen as an indulgence to them which is something Scrooge takes for granted. Furthermore, the Cratchit’s ‘four roomed house’ is filled with an overwhelming sense of energy and excitement, which exists as an antithesis of Scrooge’s ‘old…dreary’ abode. This is evidenced as the youngest Cratchit children ‘danced about the table’ this suggests the sense of energy despite their lowly status in society on this festive day. Dickens may have done this to suggest the importance of Christmas to all members of society. Although the Cratchit family are less fortunate than Scrooge or Fred their Christmas is filled with the love they have for each other. A reader may feel delighted to see this family enjoying Christmas day, contented with what they own and hope that Scrooge will see this family as a role model for his transformation.

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Mr Salles Teaches English

A Christmas Carol: Every Grade 9 Essay in One

There is some context which is relevant to any essay.

And is guaranteed to make parts of any essay worth grade 8 and 9.

As a free subscriber, I am going to give you all of it.

Paid subscribers will get it transformed into a 930 word 30/30 answer. Actually, it is way better than 30/30. If you write only 700 words of this, you’ll still get 30/30.

So, in my commentary, I also share which sentences are essential to getting 100%.

This is an extract from my Ultimate Guide to A Christmas Carol (which also includes 7 grade 9 essays).

I wrote it to help you love the novel, get grade 9 and understand and enjoy literature so that you could choose English literature A level (if you wanted to - some people have to become doctors and chemists, but 100X more will want to read and write for the rest of their lives!)

This topic is going to be 100% relevant to any question you ever get on A Christmas Carol.

How is A Christmas Carol a Criticism of Social Policy in Victorian England?

Dickens shows his opposition to The Poor Laws, which created “workhouses”, by making Scrooge support them: “Are they still in operation?”.

The Victorians Thought the Poor Deserved to Be Poor

Scrooge also supports the criminalisation of the poor, “Are there no prisons?” and believes these are necessary to “decrease the surplus population”, even if this means the poor would “rather die” than attend them. The Ghost of Christmas Present quotes Scrooge’s support back at him ironically when Scrooge is desperate to save Tiny Tim, now that he knows what “the surplus population” looks like.

Thomas Malthus

This language uses the politicians’ interpretation of Thomas Malthus’s economic theory. Because only male property holders could vote, Dickens targets his book at them, pricing it at an expensive five shillings, a third of the “fifteen shillings” a worker like Bob Cratchit earns. Dickens invites the readers into the warmth of the Cratchits’ family Christmas, so that they too can understand the social effects of low wages.

Trading Laws Which Starve the Poor

On the way, Scrooge challenges the ghost for shutting bakers on a Sunday, which was a law upholding the Christian tradition of the Sabbath, forbidding trade, which will “cramp these people’s opportunities of innocent enjoyment...deprive them of their means of dining every seventh day”. Dickens juxtaposes the harshness of society with the “hard and sharp as flint” Scrooge, pointing out that the miser is actually more generous than the reader who votes for such laws.

How the Cratchits Symbolise the Poor Working Class

Inside the Cratchits’ home on Christmas day, we wait for the eldest daughter Martha, a maid of all work, who has still had to “clear away” on Christmas morning for her thoughtless, and entirely normal, employers. The mother and second daughter make their old dresses appear more festive with “ribbons”, Peter wears a ridiculously large present of his father’s old shirt, whose collar is so big it gets “into his mouth”. Only Bob and Tiny Tim have been to church, presumably because the rest of the family lack suitable clothing. Bob himself has no “greatcoat” and his best clothes are “threadbare”. Although this is a comic portrait, it is also a clue that the winter is a threat to health in a poor family.

Next, Dickens italicises the children’s excitement at the feast: “there’s such a goose,” and contrasts this with the goose’s meagre size, so that the family even eat the bones, and there is only an “atom of a bone” left on the table. After witnessing this comic scene, Scrooge brings us back to real life, asking the Ghost “if Tiny Tim will live”. He won’t.

So, Dickens challenges his readers to realise that the going rate of pay creates the working poor, which leads to their malnourishment, poor health, servitude and often death. Scrooge, like the reader, has simply supposed the poor are “idle people'' who choose poverty because of defective character. Dickens wants to disabuse these readers, as he shocks Scrooge into transforming.

Scrooge’s Transformation

It is tempting to see Scrooge’s transformation as needing The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, but actually this question in Stave Three is the pivotal moment. Dickens shows us this structurally, as it occurs in the middle of the novel, and also thematically at the end, when Scrooge becomes a “second father” to Tiny Tim.

If this last ghost is not necessary for Scrooge’s transformation, why is he introduced? Dickens uses him to show the reader how wider society is affected by their poor pay. Bob has a comparatively good job for a working-class man. Those who earn less live in slums, where he now takes us: “the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, and misery”. Like the reader, Scrooge has avoided seeing the “wretched” conditions in which the poor live, and “never penetrated” there.

Don’t Forget the Workers Who are So Poor That They Become Criminals

Here we meet tradespeople Scrooge has employed, a “laundress” and “charwoman”, and an “undertaker’s man” who has prepared Scrooge’s body. They have all stolen from the dead man’s room. They have “all three met here without meaning it!” because they are embarrassed at their crimes. They are surprisingly polite to each other, and with “gallantry” decide that the poorest, the cleaner, should be last to ask old Joe for a price for her stolen goods, and therefore get a better price. Old Joe himself has made a tiny profit from crime. He is still having to do this, even though “nearly seventy years of age”. His poverty is introduced comically as he invites them into “the parlour... the space behind the screen of rags.” This ironic juxtaposition reveals Dickens' social commentary, where not just poverty, but a significant amount of crime is caused by middle class indifference to the consequence of low wages which they pay.

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This Book’s Readers are Employers

This is harder for a modern audience to grasp, but all Dickens’ original readers were exactly this kind of employer. Even Fred, the model of Christmas cheer who puts up with his uncle’s “Bah...Humbug!” has a live-in housekeeper who is still working on Christmas day to welcome Scrooge to Fred’s home!

Dickens expects the reader to identify with the morally good “master” Fred and perhaps now to question their indifference to the lives of their employees.

Revolution and Education

Dickens also warns of greater consequences than crime if society, and the reader, does not change. Because Scrooge begins his transformation, he notices the figures of “Ignorance” and “Want” whom Dickens personifies as a boy and a girl. The Ghost of Christmas Present delivers Dickens’ warning, “but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.”

“Ignorance” symbolises the lack of education denied to the poor, which results in a spiral of unemployability, or a qualification only for low-wage work. This unspecified “doom” suggests violent crime or political protest, or perhaps predicts the kinds of revolution which swept Europe five years later.

This scene is not necessary to the plot of Scrooge’s redemption, so it works like an aside to the reader, calling our attention to the author’s wider purpose, which is not just to entertain, but persuade the reader to build a fairer society.

The Importance of the Ending

Therefore, Dickens ends the novella with Scrooge raising Bob’s “salary” as his final act.

We remember that his lack of charity was a sign of his miserly behaviour. But Bob’s salary was only the going rate in 1843, not a product of Scrooge’s miserliness. So, this action becomes a clear signal to the reader to increase what they pay their employees and domestic staff.

The final line, ending with “God bless us” is partly ironic. God isn’t going to help the poor, so we, like Scrooge, have to.

Thank you for reading Mr Salles Teaches English. My mission is to help 10,000 students get grade 8 and 9. This post is public so feel free to share it. Help me on my mission.

Rewritten as an Exam Answer

Although Dickens writes the novel as an entertainment, he wants the story of Scrooge’s moral awakening to “haunt” the reader, and so lead to a change in how his readers think about the poor.

A 3 part thesis statement, which sets out Dickens’ ideas, and acts as a plan for your essay. I always write a 3 part thesis statement. Some grade 9 answers get away with 2 - but that leaves your marks to chance.

Dickens shows his opposition to The Poor Laws, which created “workhouses”, by making Scrooge support them: “Are they still in operation?”. Scrooge also supports the criminalisation of the poor, “Are there no prisons?” and believes these are necessary to “decrease the surplus population”. Then Dickens creates Tiny Tim to show us what “the surplus population” looks like, and he uses Tiny Tim’s impending death to transform Scrooge’s view.

Rather than explode a quote to death, use your quotes to build an argument. The argument has to be about the writer’s ideas. This gets your AO2 marks. The more quotes you use, the higher your AO1 mark. Exploding quotes adds very little to AO1, because you use too few ‘references to the text’. Obvious really!

I hope you can see how to turn the context into an essay. Paid subscribers get the rest, with my comments.

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A Christmas Carol: simple guide for thesis-style introductions

Subject: English

Age range: 14-16

Resource type: Assessment and revision

Last updated

1 April 2024

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‘A thesis-style introduction that demonstrates your understanding of the question can be a really helpful way of starting your answer. It shows that you are ‘in charge’ of your essay and that you know what you think. It can provide a strong foundation for the rest of the essay. Keep referring back to the introduction to create a coherent response.’ AQA examiner’s report 2022

Creating a thesis-style introduction is a challenge for many students but is essential in helping students to reach levels 4-6 in the mark scheme. I have produced a simple 3 point structure to help students quickly generate a thesis statement in timed exam conditions. There is an example of the 3 point structure being used and then students attempt to imitate the structure for 4 other exam-style questions.

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Thesis-style introductions: 3 step plan

‘A thesis-style introduction that demonstrates your understanding of the question can be a really helpful way of starting your answer. It shows that you are ‘in charge’ of your essay and that you know what you think. It can provide a strong foundation for the rest of the essay. Keep referring back to the introduction to create a coherent response.’ AQA examiner’s report 2022 Creating a thesis-style introduction is a challenge for many students but is essential in helping students to reach levels 4-6 in the mark scheme. I have produced a simple 3 point structure to help students quickly generate a thesis statement in timed exam conditions. There is an example of the 3 point structure being used and then students attempt to imitate the structure for 4 other exam-style questions. Examples apply for Lord of the Flies, Macbeth and A Christmas Carol.

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“Christmas Carol” by Charles Dickens Literary Analysis Essay

• To find inspiration for your paper and overcome writer’s block
• As a source of information (ensure proper referencing)
• As a template for you assignment

The story tells of miserly Ebenezer Scrooge’s ideological, ethical, and emotional transformation after the supernatural visits of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The story is told from the point of view of the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge. One of the key themes in “A Christmas Carol” is repentance and redemption. The Ghost of Christmas Past showed Scrooge his childhood, teenage years, and importantly, the moment when he could have chosen a different path in life. This leads Scrooge to repent for his past choices and dedicate himself to living a better life. The Ghost of Christmas Present reveals how Scrooge’s current choices are affecting other people, leading him to further reflect on his past and present behavior. Ultimately, these experiences help Scrooge redeem himself and become a better person.

After his transformation, Scrooge is a changed man, he is full of love and kindness, and he regrets his previous ways. His repentance and redemption are complete when he dies surrounded by loved ones who cherish him; the Ghost of Christmas Past’s rehabilitation of Scrooge. It similarly takes Scrooge on a journey through his past, showing him how he became the cold-hearted man he is today (Thompson 268). By the end of their time together, Scrooge has learned from his mistakes and is beginning to repent for his ways. The lead character in the story is Ebenezer Scrooge; the ghosts that led Scrooge to repentance and redemption include the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and Christmas Yet to Come (Thompson 270). These spectral guides revealed to Scrooge the joys and sorrows of his own life, current events among the poor and a glimpse of what could become of him if he did not change his ways. Taken together, these remembrances persuade Scrooge to live out the rest of his days in charity and goodwill.

The Ghost of Christmas Past showed Scrooge scenes from his past, including happy memories and painful ones. This led Scrooge to see that his miserly ways had cost him dearly (DeVito 34). The ghost showed Scrooge the consequences of his choices in the present, including how they would affect people around him. This was the final push that led Scrooge to repent and seek redemption. Before his transformation, Scrooge was described as wrenching, scraping, covetous, clutching, grasping, and old sinner! Who cared more about money than anything else (Dickens 8). Scrooge was very different before the ghost visited him. He was mean, bitter, and lonely. Scrooge, at one point, mentioned that anybody who was for the idea of merry Christmas should be boiled and buried (Dickens 39). He refused to celebrate Christmas or enjoy life, but after the visit from the ghosts, Scrooge became a kinder, more generous man. He started to enjoy life again and even celebrated Christmas.

Ghost of Christmas Present is the most jovial and friendly of the three- after all, he is there to show Scrooge the joys and wonders of the festive season. Christmas Present revealed some disturbing things that were happening at that moment. For instance, he showed Scrooge how the Cratchits were celebrating Christmas despite their poverty (Dickens 79). He showed Scrooge how his nephew Fred was celebrating Christmas with friends and family. Similarly, he was shown how his nephews were speaking badly of him at the party (Dickens 57). Finally, he showed Scrooge scenes of future winters where no one would mourn his death because he had been such a mean and miserly person (DeVito 14). He showed Scrooge the joys and happiness that could be found during the Christmas season, reminding him of what he had lost over the years (McLaren 31). These experiences helped Scrooge realize the error of his ways and inspired him to change his life positively. Christmas Present played a pivotal role in Scrooge’s redemption and repentance.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is the third and final spirit who visits Ebenezer Scrooge in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol. This spirit represents Scrooge’s own future self and shows him what will become of him if he does not change his ways. The ghost takes Scrooge to several different scenes. The first is a graveyard, where Scrooge sees his own tombstone (Dickens 82). Scrooge saw a neglected grave with his name written; he could not believe it and asked himself whether he was the man who lay upon the bed (Dickens 83). The second is a scene in which two men are discussing the recent death of a fellow named Ebenezer Scrooge. The men speak unkindly about Scrooge, gleefully sharing stories of his stinginess and generally feeling glad that he is gone and guessing his funeral to be cheap. “I have not heard,” said the man with the large chin, yawning again. “Left it to his company, perhaps, he has not left it to me, that is all I know” (Dickens 71). The image of Scrooge on his knees crying at his own tombstone is a powerful portrayal of repentance and regret (Thompson 268). Scrooge Mourns himself shows the true nature of regret, which is not simply feeling sorry for oneself, since when he was alive, he could not imagine being buried in such a tomb.

There are a number of symbols and images used throughout Dickens’ A Christmas Carol that helped in pointing to some deeper themes in the story. One example is the use of fire and flames; whenever Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by a ghost, there is always a roaring fire in the room, lending an eerie feeling to the scene. However, the image of fire symbolizes hope and rebirth (Nizomova 11). Conversely, the fire is used to symbolize a number of things in the story, most notably, redemption. As Scrooge is redeemed by the end of the story, so too are the Cratchits. After all, it is through their shared experience of grief and loss that they come to understand each other and ultimately bond as a family, fire has connotations of hope and change (McLaren 15). As Dickens vividly describes the scene where Marley’s ghost first appears to Scrooge, readers get a sense of foreboding and despair.

Works Cited

DeVito, Carlo. Inventing Scrooge: The Incredible True Story Behind Charles Dickens’ Legendary” A Christmas Carol.” Cider Mill Press, (2017).

Dickens, Charles. “A Christmas Carol.” (n.d.).

McLaren, Mary-Rose. “A Christmas Carol.” (2019).

Nizomova, Shodiyevna Shohista. “Symbolic Interpretations of Water and Fire in Modern Poetry.” Middle European Scientific Bulletin 11 (2021).

Thompson, Terry W. “The Belshazzar Allusion in Charles Dickens’s A Christmas Carol.” The Explicator 75.4 (2017): 268-270.

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IvyPanda. (2023, March 15). "Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens Literary Analysis. https://ivypanda.com/essays/christmas-carol-by-charles-dickens-literary-analysis/

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Bibliography

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'A Christmas Carol': planning an essay on Scrooge

I can plan a sophisticated response to an essay question on Scrooge.

Lesson details

Key learning points.

• Single paragraph outlines are useful for organising your ideas into a coherent structure
• Single paragraph outlines contain a topic sentence, supporting detail and a closing sentence
• The supporting details should contain quotations you will use, along with methods, key vocabulary and context
• A single paragraph outline should be planned for each section of your response (it might be more than one paragraph)
• Context should be used as evidence for your argument and not as an afterthought

Common misconception

Students do not take the time to plan properly before writing.

Not taking the time to plan a response properly makes your argument less concise and less coherent.

Dire - If a dire warning is delivered, it is incredibly serious and urgent.

Indifferent - Someone indifferent to other people would show little concern or interest in them.

Harbinger - A harbinger is a person or thing that signals the arrival of something.

Meagre - A meagre meal would contain very little food.

You will need access to a copy of Charles Dickens' 'A Christmas Carol' for this lesson.

Content guidance

• Depiction or discussion of discriminatory behaviour
• Depiction or discussion of sensitive content

Supervision

Adult supervision recommended

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited ( 2024 ), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Starter quiz

6 questions.

A Christmas Carol

88 pages • 2 hours read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Introduction

Before Reading

Reading Context

During Reading

Reading Questions & Paired Texts

After Reading

Discussion/Analysis Prompt

Essay Questions

Exam Questions

Exam Answer Key

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serves as examples and support.

1. In literature, an allegory is a work that can be understood on many levels; characters often symbolize ideas and contain a clear moral lesson.

• Reflect on the levels of interpretation of A Christmas Carol . If viewed allegorically, what is the moral lesson Dickens proposes in the text? ( topic sentence )
• Analyze Ebeneezer Scrooge, Tiny Tim, Jacob Marley, and the three spirits as symbolic figures. What idea or quality does each character represent, and how is this demonstrated to readers? If viewed as allegorical characters, which character is conveyed most effectively and why?
• In your conclusion, evaluate the timelessness of Dickens’s message; what makes this allegory popular and lasting?

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