Dec 25, 2011 12:01 AM
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(Updated Dec 26, 2011 10:39 AM)
This world of ours is filled with good and bad people. Good are those who believe in God, in His Grace, are kind hearted and are always warm, benevolent and supportive to destitute. Bad are those who are just the opposite of Good and are cold and mean to poor and needy. And its in the Hands of God, as He – Whenever He likes – can transform a good one into a bad and vice versa. So, be Graceful, not bragger, if you are good; and don’t be despaired and disappointed if you are bad. God can give your life a big leap and turn you to the other side as He does with that of Ebenezer Scrooge in ‘A Christmas Carol’ on the eve of Christmas. No better time to perform such wonder!
ABOUT THE STORY : Ebenezer Scrooge is a mean and miser man; lives lonely and is quite content doing that. One can understand his love for money from the fact that on the death of his best friend and business partner, Marley, there were no tears in his eyes or grief in his heart; all he thought was how to save money on funeral. People around him, like his worker Bob and his nephew in general, are mostly kind and warm to him but he is not at all moved by emotions and compassion. He’s harsher than falling snow, colder then the bitterest wind and as hard as pelting rain. His opinion is that poor and destitute have no reason to live and should die to solve the growing population problem and no one should be charitable and kind to them. For him, celebration of Christmas is not at all a good idea (“If I had my way, every idiot who goes around saying merry Christmas would be boiled in his own Christmas pudding and buried with a stake of holly in his heart.”).
However, on one particular Christmas Eve, Scrooge’s life experiences a big reversal when he is visited by three spirits of Christmas. First Spirit – Ghost of Christmas Past – takes Scrooge on a journey to his past life. Right from his childhood, he is presented with the events – mostly on Xmas eve – that had shaped his life. He realizes the mistakes he had committed and repents for them. Secondly he’s visited by the ‘Ghost of Christmas Present’which visualize before him the present time. He is made aware about how his present unkind actions are affecting the lives of others. Especially he comes to know of the opinion people holds about him, and for which he curses himself. He realizes how he can gain goodwill and benevolence of others by some simple acts of kindness. Then comes the ‘Spirit of the Christmas yet to come’ which takes him on the tour of future with events that might happen if he keeps living his life the way it is. He is shown, how on his death, there will be no one to cry for him. How people will curse and loot him and there will be no one, at all, with a single word of kindness to say about him.
All these make Scrooge comprehend his blunders and results in the resurgence of a new Scrooge out of him. This new Scrooge is kind and warm, cheerier and content than before, supportive to poor and needy and above all a believer of God and His Grace. And what better time to perform such wonder than Christmas Eve!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR : ‘A Christmas Carol’ is my first dip into the ocean of Charles Dickens’ world of literature. I am sure its just a beginning as I am surely going to lay my hands on his other classics like ‘David Copperfield’, ‘A Tale of Two Cities’ and ‘The Great Expectations’ in times to come. Dickens’ own life was full of harshness and hardships of world, most of his early years were spent in poorness and that’s what inspired most of his great works like ‘David Copperfield’ etc.
ABOUT THE BOOK : ‘A Christmas Carol’ is a short book – with mere 60 pages - and within that Dickens succeeds in delivering the message home. Its language is simple and it progresses in one directional mode. I don’t find it funny and hilarious, as I expected. It does start on a lighter note but as the story progresses it takes on a serious approach. It requires a reader to reflect deeply and seize the message. Though it is knitted around the Christmas but it doesn’t dig to deep into the religious aspect of it and that’s what helps a reader to connect to its universal message: Be kind and Compassionate and help others.
ABOUT THE MOVIE : In 2009 we had a movie based on "ACC", Robert Zemeckis was the director and it’s Jim Carrey who played the role of Scrooge as well as the 3 spirits that haunts Scrooge. Few months back when I saw the movie I was a little dissatisfied, as it lacked the fun factor, considering it an animation movie and that too starring Jim Carrey; I had expected too much on that facet. But I guess it's a fault on my end, as I had not read the book then. Now that I have, I can appreciate the movie more.. Both Robert and Jim have done their best to make it loveable and funny to an extent without loosing the essence of the real tale of Scrooge. So, read the book and watch movie afterwards, it will surely make you like the movie better.
FINAL WORDS : ‘A Christmas Carol’ has a moral of great value to deliver and since we may not be as lucky as Scrooge to have visits by 3 spirits to help bring our life back on the track of goodwill and kindness; so this tale becomes even more treasured. It inspires us to turn our life - if required – back on the path of goodness and motivates one to be a virtuous human being. And what better time to have this transformation than on Christmas Eve!
So let me end this review – which could very well be my last one of 2011 - with a Wish of a Very Very Merry Merry Christmas and Very Very Happy Happy new Year, 2012, to all !!
P.S. - Some Quotes from the book are given in the Comments section.
Take Care and Keep Writing
PYAR HUMEIN PHIR MILAEGA....
