Scrooge

I confess to being a great fan of Ebeneezer Scrooge. But, for me, only the Alistair Simms version will do. There is something about that black and white rendition of the old miser's journey from greed to redemption that seems more real, somehow, than the versions in color, and, certainly more real than the versions that have the characters break into song throughout the story. The stark atmosphere of Scrooge's intense greed and closed heart are made manifest through the lack of color in the picture.

Ebeneezer Scrooge is such an appropriate icon of modern America. He looses everything he tries to gain by greed. Greed and bitterness shut him off from meaningful relationships, and from a meaningful life. He begins to turn bitter when his sister dies in childbirth. His fiance (who is one of the wisest characters in the movie, IMO) breaks up with him when she realizes that she will never take the place of money and possessions in his heart. How many of us would have that kind of intestinal fortitude when face to face with a sure way out of poverty?

The conversation between Scrooge and his nephew Fred typifies the two philosophies.

``A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!'' cried a cheerful voice. It was the voice of Scrooge's nephew, who came upon him so quickly that this was the first intimation he had of his approach.

``Bah!'' said Scrooge, ``Humbug!''

He had so heated himself with rapid walking in the fog and frost, this nephew of Scrooge's, that he was all in a glow; his face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled, and his breath smoked again.

``Christmas a humbug, uncle!'' said Scrooge's nephew. ``You don't mean that, I am sure.''

``I do,'' said Scrooge. ``Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.''

``Come, then,'' returned the nephew gaily. ``What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough.''

Scrooge having no better answer ready on the spur of the moment, said, ``Bah!'' again; and followed it up with ``Humbug.''

``Don't be cross, uncle,'' said the nephew.

``What else can I be,'' returned the uncle, ``when I live in such a world of fools as this Merry Christmas! Out upon merry Christmas. What's Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, but not an hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in 'em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you? If I could work my will,'' said Scrooge indignantly, ``every idiot who goes about with ``Merry Christmas'' on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart. He should!''

``Uncle!'' pleaded the nephew.

``Nephew!'' returned the uncle, sternly, ``keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine.''

``Keep it!'' repeated Scrooge's nephew. ``But you don't keep it.''

``Let me leave it alone, then,'' said Scrooge. ``Much good may it do you! Much good it has ever done you!''

``There are many things from which I might have derived good, by which I have not profited, I dare say,'' returned the nephew: ``Christmas among the rest. But I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time, when it has come round -- apart from the veneration due to its sacred name and origin, if anything belonging to it can be apart from that -- as a good time: a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time: the only time I know of, in the long calendar of the year, when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely, and to think of people below them as if they really were fellow-passengers to the grave, and not another race of creatures bound on other journeys. And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!''

Literature.org has the entire text of Dickens' A Christmas Carol for your holiday perusal and edification.

CEDMagic has a wonderful series of stills with quotes from the story.

A merry Christmas to you, and God Bless us, everyone!