by David Dewitt

Created on: November 11, 2009

Ebenezer Scrooge is one of the classic characters from the Charles Dickens novel: A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is an elderly miser who hates everything to do with Christmas and is completely self absorbed with his greed. If any character could be considered the villain of the story, it would have to be Scrooge.

Sadly, there are more and more people who act like Scrooge during the holidays and fail to embrace and enjoy the season of Christmas. For whatever reason, these people never experience the power and the spirit of Christmas. Remember, Scrooge made the choice to hate Christmas and embracing the Christmas season is a choice every person has to make for themselves. How are people making the choice to be like Scrooge?

Throughout the book, Scrooge is visited by a four spirits that confront him on his behavior and attitude. The first is Jacob Marley, his business partner, and the rest are spirits of Christmas Past, Christmas Present and Christmas Future. There are four major traits revealed about the character of Ebenezer Scrooge throughout the book.

Greed

Scrooge has always been absorbed with money and his possessions. The obsession with material things had been part of the cause of his personal misery. At one point in the story, Scrooge refuses to give aid to the poor. Scrooge reveals an attitude that is selfish and has no compassion for anyone.

Whenever people get fixated on material things the outcome can never be good. There are many who are focused on what they have and what they can gain this Christmas. These kinds of attitudes are often thought to be associated with children. Sadly, there are many adults who are just as guilty.

Resentment

Scrooge resents those who seem to get a sense of enjoyment from Christmas. Some would completely eliminate the celebration of Christmas. Some refuse to celebrate in any meaningful way at all. The celebration of Christmas has become commercialized and has moved far from its original intent. For some, this is their actual reasoning. However, there are many meaningful ways to celebrate Christmas without giving in to commercialism.

There seems to be a genuine spirit of resentment among those who choose not to celebrate Christmas. Resentment often flows from a wounded heart. Scrooge had been hurt in years gone by and was unwilling to release those hurts. The longer people hold on to their wounds, the deeper they entrenched in their pain.

Regret

During the visit of the various ghosts, Scrooge is confronted with the many regrets that fill his life. One of the major issues that Scrooge must face is the lack of relationships that he has created. Scrooge had wasted his opportunities in the past, refused his opportunities in the present and would lose all opportunity in the future. The reality is seen in the way Scrooge dies in the future, alone with no one who cares.

Regret can be a powerful motivator that keeps people bound to their negative circumstances. Instead of living in the shadow of regrets, break the cycle and make the choice to change. People become so focused on lost opportunities that they miss the new opportunities that present themselves on a daily basis.

There is one additional character trait that we see in Ebenezer Scrooge, redemption. Scrooge makes the decision to change and embrace the season and spirit of Christmas. Scrooge allows the wonder of Christmas to penetrate his heart. The choice of being a Scrooge is individual. The choice to change is individual as well. The question remains for those who are Scrooge-like; are you willing to be changed by the spirit of Christmas?

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