Charles Dickens' classic holiday tale A Christmas Carol follows the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, a miserly, cold-hearted man who is visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come. The ghosts show Scrooge visions of his past, present circumstances, and potential future in hopes of convincing him to change his selfish ways and embrace the Christmas spirit of generosity and goodwill toward others. Through the story, Dickens aimed to revive English Christmas traditions and raise awareness about the struggles of the poor in Victorian-era London.

1. A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
Menu
Introduction
Background
Discussion Starters

2. A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens
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3. A Christmas Carol
Charles Dickens

4. A Christmas Carol: Introduction
• a familiar, timeless character
• ghosts and apparitions
• time travel
This classic holiday tale has it all.

5. A Christmas Carol: Introduction
On a cold and foggy Christmas Eve sometime in
the middle 1800s, Ebenezer Scrooge sits working
in his office in London.

6. A Christmas Carol: Introduction
His clerk toils—seemingly endlessly—with hardly
any fire to keep him warm.
Scrooge does not care.

7. A Christmas Carol: Introduction
Two gentlemen come by to ask for donations for
the poor.
Scrooge refuses.

8. A Christmas Carol: Introduction
Scrooge’s cheerful nephew Fred stops in to invite
his uncle to Christmas dinner.
Scrooge grumpily declines.

9. A Christmas Carol: Introduction
Mr. Scrooge does not
know that when he gets
home that night, he will
have some different
visitors—
visitors he may not be able to ignore so easily.

10. A Christmas Carol: Introduction
One by one, four ghosts appear to Scrooge.
They’ve come to try to
convince him to become
a nicer person.

11. A Christmas Carol: Introduction
The ghosts will show Scrooge
the past he is forgetting,
the present he is missing,
and the future he is shaping.
But will their revelations get through to Scrooge?
Will he change his ways?

12. A Christmas Carol: Background
In Victorian England, poor people
usually did not get much help.
Even young children, sick people, and the elderly
went without assistance from the government or
charities.

13. A Christmas Carol: Background
If you were a poor, out-of-work Londoner during
this time, these were your options:
• beg on the street
• go to a workhouse
• be thrown into prison

14. A Christmas Carol: Background
Workhouses were institutions where people were
put to work in exchange for food and shelter.
People in workhouses often
• had little or no heat
• used rags for blankets
• did not get nearly enough food
• were severely overworked and even beaten

15. A Christmas Carol: Background
As a young man, Charles Dickens witnessed a
decline in the traditional celebration of Christmas
in England.
Because of the Industrial
Revolution, many
employers wouldn’t even
give their employees
Christmas Day off.

16. A Christmas Carol: Background
The Industrial Revolution was a time of change in
Europe marked by
• the introduction of power-driven machinery
• the growth of factories
• a huge increase in the production of goods
• a shift from a rural, agricultural society to a
more urban one

17. A Christmas Carol: Background
A Christmas Carol, along
with several other Christmas
books by Dickens, helped
revive the holiday customs.
Some people even started calling Dickens “The
Man Who Discovered Christmas.”

18. A Christmas Carol: Background
Scrooge’s story brought about other changes too.
For example, because of the book,
• a home for disabled children was started
• a factory owner began closing his factory every
Christmas and giving turkeys to of all his
employees

19. A Christmas Carol: Background
Charles Dickens had experienced poverty as a
child, and he was very concerned about the poor
people of England.
He raised money to help
people in need by reading
A Christmas Carol at
charity events.

20. A Christmas Carol: Discussion Starters
Discuss (1)
Dickens believed that human beings were largely
responsible for society’s ills, such as poverty,
hunger, and suffering.
• How much responsibility does each individual
have to help others in need?
• How can one person help make the world a
better place?

21. A Christmas Carol: Discussion Starters
Discuss (2)
• Do you believe that any given person can
significantly change the way that he or she sees
the world and treats others?
• What does it take to make people change their
ways?
• If you were shown your past, present, and
future in one night, how do you think you would
change?