Charles Dickens opens his story with a note addressed directly to you, his reader—words from 1843 that still resonate today.
A Christmas Carol Preface
“I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humor with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.”
A Christmas Carol, Preface
Their faithful Friend and Servant,
C. D.
As we continue our blog series exploring Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, it’s helpful to remember what the author himself hoped to achieve. His little book—the very story we’re revisiting together—was meant to be a “ghost” that enters homes warmly, inspiring joy, kindness, and the true spirit of Christmas.
In this second post, we’ll delve even deeper into how Dickens wanted his tale to rekindle a sense of generosity and communal cheer. His wish was simple: for us to finish the story feeling uplifted, more connected to one another, and for the message of Christmas to shine a little brighter in our lives.
Let’s continue our journey together and see just how the Ghost of an Idea might pleasantly “haunt” us today.
Stave I ~ an Introduction
Throughout the entire text, Dickens hits on the concept of time and our lack of control of this phenomenon so much so that he uses time for the purposes in the story while reminding the reader that time exists (clocks, bells, chimes), but the story completely violates the structure of time. Only God controls time.
Time belongs to God – He gives it to us as a gift.
In accentuating this theme, Dickens deliberately manipulates the perception of time within the narrative. The characters move through visions of the past, present, and future with an almost dreamlike fluidity, defying any natural temporal sequence. This structure emphasizes humanity’s limited grasp on time, contrasting sharply with the divine authority that commands it. Through the persistent imagery of clocks and the tolling of bells, Dickens draws our attention to the relentless march of hours, yet the events of the story seem to occur outside of ordinary chronology.
By shattering chronological conventions, Dickens not only highlights the supernatural intervention at play, but also underscores the idea that human beings live at the mercy of a force much greater than themselves. The transformative potential offered to Scrooge—a chance to revisit and alter his understanding of his own timeline—is depicted as a rare grace, serving to deepen the notion of time as a profound, sacred trust. In this way, Dickens situates time as both a narrative device and a theological statement: time’s true master is not man, but God, who alone grants moments of redemption and change.
“Show me, Lord, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting my life is. You have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Everyone is but a breath, even those who seem secure."
Psalm 39:4-5
Teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
Psalm 90:12
Now listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business and make money.” Why, you do not even know what will happen tomorrow. What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. Instead, you ought to say, “If it is the Lord’s will, we will live and do this or that.” As it is, you boast in your arrogant schemes. All such boasting is evil. If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.
James 4:13-17
Only one life, ‘twill soon be past;
Only what’s done for Christ will last
“Only One Life” by C.T. Studd
God controls time and the weather
Just as Dickens uses time to show God’s power and man’s limitations, he does the same with weather –In several pivotal moments, Dickens intertwines the bleak, biting cold with Scrooge’s own inner chill, crafting a parallel between the external environment and the character’s emotional state. The fog, darkness, and relentless winter serve not merely as setting, but as reflections of Scrooge’s isolation and miserliness. God controls the weather and uses it for our benefit.
I know that the Lord is great,
that our Lord is greater than all gods.
The Lord does whatever pleases him,
in the heavens and on the earth,
in the seas and all their depths.
He makes clouds rise from the ends of the earth;
he sends lightning with the rain
and brings out the wind from his storehouses.
Psalm 135: 5-7
Marley was dead: to begin with.
In any story, message, or joke, there are certain facts to which we all must agree. Even the apostle Paul made it clear that before he could proceed, he needed to establish the fact of the resurrection of the dead:
“But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith.” (I Corinthians 15:12-14)
In this particular story, we all must agree that Jacob Marley has been most sincerely dead for seven years.
It is also important to understand that Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge were always completely alone together. They were inseparable, despite being oblivious to each other’s existence. While they operated as partners, they each functioned as solitary individuals.
Now that we have established Marley’s death and the cold, stingy, and isolated life of Ebenezer Scrooge, the story can begin…
“Once upon a time—of all the good days in the year, on Christmas Eve—old Scrooge sat busy in his counting house.”
