A Christmas Carol Key Theme: Transformation and Redemption (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

Transformation and redemption mind map 

The theme of transformation and redemption in A Christmas Carol:

How is transformation and redemption presented in A Christmas Carol?

Transformation and redemption are presented in A Christmas Carol through the structure of the novella, as well as through the ghosts, other characters and descriptions of the setting:

• The novella’s structure: Dickens structures the novella into five staves, like the traditional form of a Christmas carol, suggesting the ultimate message will be redemptive:

  • Each stave highlights an aspect of Scrooge’s journey to redemption and salvation, building tension and suspense

• The ghosts: Starting with the ghost of Jacob Marley, the catalyst for Scrooge’s transformative journey, Dickens uses each of the 3 spirits for a specific purpose:

  • The Ghost of Christmas Past represents memory, truth and the hope for change

  • The Ghost of Christmas Present conveys the message of generosity and goodwill

  • The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come represents fear of death and the moral reckoning that awaits Scrooge unless he changes his ways

• Scrooge’s changed interactions: Dickens uses a cyclical structure to show how Scrooge’s relationships with other characters change from Stave 1 to Stave 5 to reflect his transformation:

  • In Stave 1, Scrooge dismisses the charity collectors, but in Stave 5 he runs after the charity collector to make his payment, including “many back-payments”

  • After rejecting Fred’s Christmas invitation in Stave 1, he eventually does spend Christmas day with his family in Stave 5 

  • Scrooge also goes from being a cause of misery to Bob and his family to being their benefactor and saviour at the end of the novella

• Descriptions of the weather: Dickens also uses pathetic fallacy to symbolise Scrooge’s transformation:   

  • In Stave 1, Dickens conveys the cold and gloomy atmosphere of Victorian London, describing the weather as “cold, bleak, biting…”

  • But in Stave 5, there is “no fog, no mist” and the sky is “clear, bright, jovial” and filled with “golden sunlight”

  • The descriptions of the weather reflect Scrooge’s transformed character, from having “cold within him” which “froze his features” to being described as “fluttered and so glowing with his good intentions”

Why is transformation and redemption a key theme in A Christmas Carol?

1.  The importance of change 

• Dickens presents the importance of change as part of his wider social message to inspire his readers to work for a more equitable and fair society: 

  • Despite being unsympathetic and resistant to change, if change is possible even for Scrooge, it is possible for anyone 

• The novella is deliberately didactic (intended to teach) and allegorical (containing a moral or hidden meaning)

2. Christian and pagan values 

• To emphasise the universality of the themes in the novella, Dickens alludes to Christian ideals of charity and redemption throughout:

  • Scrooge is a “sinner” to be saved; the ghosts work to redeem from his vice of greed 

  • Jacob Marley is described as being doomed to wander the earth in his chains, which indicates he exists in a state of purgatory 

• Dickens also draws on pagan ideas, such as the torch held by the Ghost of Christmas Present, symbolic of the Horn of Plenty from classical mythology

  • His views on redemption go beyond the Christian church, as he criticised some religious practices (such as the keeping of Sunday as a strict day of rest) which affected the poor the most

Exam-style questions on the theme of transformation and redemption in A Christmas Carol

Try planning a response to the following essay questions as part of your revision of the theme of transformation and redemption:

• Explore how Dickens uses the ghost to help Scrooge change his attitudes and behaviour in A Christmas Carol.

• Explore how Dickens presents the effects of greed in A Christmas Carol.

• Explore how Dickens presents Scrooge’s fears in A Christmas Carol.