Revisiting A Christmas Carol with My Daughter #TBRChallenge

I still remember my Rapid Reader English Book from Std vii. It was Charles Dicken's famous book, A Christmas Carol. I can't count how many times I read that book that time, not only because it was a part of our curriculum but also because it was a book that almost made me visualize the story the way no other book had ever done. 

So, this time, I thought of reading the book to my daughter again. Completing the book took me 10 days because she has her school and other classes. So, we decided to read the story every night before bedtime. 

From the beginning, the confinement of Ebenezer Scrooge's character could be sensed from the description of his office- devoid of proper light or adequate heating. His behaviour with his clerk and the other people who visited him in the hope of Charity for the poor was appallingly rude and atrocious. We can come to a conclusion of how narrow-minded and rigid he was as a person. He was dubious, unhappy, and disrespectful towards everything and everyone in life. He was equally loveless to his nephew, his only relative, whose Christmas invitation he declined rudely. Christmas was a humbug affair to him, and those who celebrate the day were foolish. 

On the eve of Christmas, the apparition of his late business partner, Jacob Marley, arrived and warned him of the visit of 3 Spirits of Christmas. When Marley left, Scrooge was visited by the Ghost of Christmas Past, who took him to his childhood and how he spent his Christmas, his love for his sister (his nephew's mother) and other people he had known from childhood. He was humbled.

The 2nd spirit to visit him was the Ghost of Christmas Present. He took him to see how the people close to him celebrate Christmas. So first, he took him to his clerk, Bob Cratchit's home. The Cracthits were a large family with a meagre income source where only Bob and one of his daughters were working to provide for so many people. However, one thing that they had was harmony and happiness despite their poverty and struggle. Despite their humble menu, the family had one thing in common, and that was the spirit with which they celebrated Christmas. The description of the Cratchit Family's Christmas Dinner creates an everlasting impact in the reader's mind. I am deeply saddened every time Tiny Tim comes in the book. Then Scrooge was taken to his nephew's Christmas celebrations, where they had fun with friends. Apart from a delicious dinner spread, there were so many fun-filled games and dances. One can feel the cheerful tone from the description of the merriment they were having. Most importantly, both parties, despite their disliking towards Scrooge, cheered and drank to Scrooge's health. Scrooge was softened.

The 3rd spirit, The Ghost of Christmas Future, a scary spectre, took Scrooge to his probable future, which was terrifying. He was dead then, and no one was grieving his demise; instead, some people were making some pennies out of his belongings, and some people who had lent money from him were relieved. He also saw the future of the Cratchit family without Tiny Tim. He saw the belongings of his house being robbed, his office being occupied by others, and finally, his own grave. This vision made him realize that nothing will last. Everyone. including him, will have to go one day, and this life and this moment will never return. So, instead of living in doubt, enjoying every moment is better. This changed him so that this frightening, probable future never became a reality. The miserly Ebenezer Scrooge turned into a benevolent man.  

My daughter enjoyed the story, especially the descriptions of the Christmas celebrations, which made her quite happy and cheerful. She was a bit scared by the description of Jacob Marley's ghost, but by the time the scary 3rd Ghost of Future appeared, she got used to the frightening descriptions of spirits and ghosts throughout the book. Another important thing that happened was she started to refer to the dictionary to get the meaning of the uncommon words from the book. And there were many. I am glad the book could finally make her comfortable using the dictionary. Reading books always brings positive change to all of us.

"I'm participating in the #TBRChallenge by Blogchatter"