A Christmas Carol An allegory of Christian redemption

A Christmas Carol �An allegory of Christian redemption

What is an allegory n n The representation of abstract ideas or principles through characters, figures, or events in the form of a story. The characters in the 8 th grade assembly such as Hope, Faith, Prayer and Song are allegorical characters that helped the main character find out the meaning of life. Characters like these are representative of ideas and they contribute to the development of the main character or protagonist. In an allegory the characters function as tools to bring about transformation or change and establish the moral or the main idea that is being propagated.

Pilgrim’s progress - The original allegory of Christian redemption n The full title of John Bunyan's book is The Pilgrim's Progress From This World to That Which Is to Come: Delivered under the Similitude of a Dream Wherein in Discovered, The Manner of His Setting Out, His Dangerous Journey; and Safe Arrivalat the Desired Countrey.

‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ - an allegory n n In ‘The Pilgrim’s Progress’ Christian searches for religious truth. As his name Christian points out he represents his faith. In this story, a spiritual guide named Evangelist visits Christian and urges him to leave the City of Destruction. Evangelist tells him that salvation can only be found in the Celestial City, known as Mount Zion. In his journey he meets fellow travelers such as Hopeful, Faithful and Vanity - through their experiences in their travels - they acquire the knowledge they need to reach salvation. In this allegory the main protagonist Christian seeks answers for his spiritual quest.

Some other allegorical stories n n Dante’s “Divine Comedy” A 20 th-century example of political allegory is George Orwell’s novel Animal Farm (1945), which, under the guise of a fable about domestic animals, expresses the author’s disillusionment with the outcome of the Bolshevik Revolution and shows how one tyrannical system of government in Russia was replaced by another. The character Beloved in Toni Morrison’s novel Beloved (1987) may also be considered an allegorical figure who carries the collective memory and grief of slavery. Similarly A Christmas Carol is allegorical and traces the development of Scrooge from a miser to a redeemed human being who understands the values of christian charity.

A Christmas Carol - An allegory n n Christmas Carol is an allegory in that it features events and characters with a clear purpose. In the novella, Scrooge represents all the values that are opposed to the idea of Christmas such as greed, selfishness, and a lack of Christian goodwill.

Allegorical characters n n The Ghost of Christmas Past, with his glowing head symbolizing the mind, represents memory; The Ghost of Christmas Present represents generosity, empathy, and the Christmas spirit; The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come represents the fear of death and moral reckoning. The Cratchits represent the poor, whom Dickens portrays with warmth and sympathy while seeking to draw attention to their plight.

Pathetic Fallacy in A Christmas Carol n n n Poetic practice of attributing human emotion or responses to nature, inanimate objects, or animals. The practice is a form of personification that is as old as poetry, in which it has always been common to find smiling or dancing flowers, angry or cruel winds, brooding mountains, moping owls, or happy larks. The term was coined by John Ruskin in Modern Painters (184360). In some classical poetic forms such as the pastoral elegy, the pathetic fallacy is actually a required convention. Ruskin considered the excessive use of the fallacy the mark of an inferior poet. Later poets, however especially the Imagists of the early 20 th century, as well as T. S. Eliot and Ezra Pound used the pathetic fallacy freely and effectively.

Pathetic Fallacy in the novel n n n External elements such as fog, winter, cold all add to the atmosphere and reflect the coldness of Scrooge’s heart The images associated with happier childhood memories described by the ghost of Christmas past are bucolic and sunny reflecting more pleasant times. Charles Dickens effectively used pathetic fallacy in A Christmas Carol to describe Scrooge’s character.

References n n n "allegory. " Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 15 Nov. 2009 <http: //www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/16078/allegory>. http: //www. sparknotes. com/lit/christmascarol/study. html#explan ation 1 "pathetic fallacy. " Encyclopedia Britannica. 2009. Encyclopedia Britannica Online. 15 Nov. 2009 <http: //www. britannica. com/EBchecked/topic/446415/patheticfallacy>. http: //www. helium. com/items/238153 -literary-analysis-scroogesredemption-in-a-christmas-carol-by-charles-dickens? page=4 http: //www. scribd. com/doc/9379984/Notes-on-Charles-Dickens. A-Christmas-Carol