Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol Essay

Charles Dickens and the Industrial Revolution

Charles Dickens chose this time period for his 174-year-old novel A Christmas Carol in order to highlight the economic changes that were taking place at the time and their effects on society. Dickens, however, perfectly conceals a lot of the current reality. The reader must therefore give close attention and consider these important issues. He starts by looking at the females who were crucial in the production of clothing for middle-class consumers. It is significant to note that the girls were forced to work a lengthy day (16 hours) due to the market's rapid expansion. Besides, Dickens wrote that there were instances where the laborers in these garment factories being under-age kids. He even at one time wrote to the government agencies that this matter had him “stricken” (Dickens 4). The period Dickens wrote this book was during Christmas and he least expected poor people facing the brutal conditions of the industrial revolution.

The Revolutionary Changes in British Society

The happenings of the time which Dickens considered brutal were a result of the revolutionary changes occurring in the British society. In particular, the rise in population by an approximated 64 percent in England alone meant that there would be migrations to urban locations to secure jobs in manufacturing sites. The production of goods had taken a new turn with the cottage industry serving as a good example. On the other hand, the employers viewed the laborers as interchangeable tools who could work for any duration. For this reason, the employees were mere commodities and no longer served as humans. They were a resource in the manufacturing process and played a vital role towards the industrial revolution. The poor being part of the society labored for the lowest wages.

The Cruel Treatment of the Poor

The thought of helping the poor was not an option as this would contribute further in their laziness. In any case, issuing them help was through hard labor, and the workhouses for the underage kids formed a viable solution to attaining a working society. Scrooge claims that “Those who were badly off had to go there.” (Dickens 12). Considering it was during Christmas time, offering hard labor could not be described in a better way other than cruel. However, other proponents during the time such as Karl Marx viewed this as a beginning of an industrial revolution. Besides, the eventual revolution served as a fearsome way through which the society would arrive at some of the solutions to its problems like poverty. For this reason, Dickens chose this period to bring out the impact industrialization would have on the society.

The Neglect of Worker Welfare

In A Christmas Carol, Dickens inscribes the prevailing scenario during a festive season as a "sledgehammer" blow as it was not what he expected (Dickens 7). However, according to Thomas Paine, a system that favors the welfare of its people must introduce some burdens such as taxes to assist in offering pensions leave alone offering insurance cover to the disabled (Dickens and Foreman). Hence, Dickens notes that the industrial revolution will come along with some social changes most of which he criticizes as he is a pro-socialist in A Christmas Carol. According to him, the employers ought to promote the welfare of their workers, and this made him have a negative view of the happenings during the 1700s. Malthus notes that intervening by feeding the poor without finding long-term solutions was improper as this would only lead to the growth of the population to untenable levels (Dickens and Foreman).

The Value of Workers

Dickens opposed the social changes as this indicated that workers were only of value to their employers if they had a positive contribution to their product. Scrooge nephew asserts that employees are useful as "fellow-passengers to the grave rather than another race of creatures bound on their journeys." (Dickens 17) Therefore, Dickens implies that it is not mandatory that employers be under the same conditions as their laborers but rather these workers should not be in a miserable state. He writes that that is the reason people celebrate by eating "a prize Turkey" during Christmas (Dickens 12). At some point, the Ghost of Christmas and Scrooge look at Tim, and his dad holding his weak wrist and the miser begs "will he be spared?" (Dickens 16). Inconsiderately, the ghost replies saying "If he be like to die, he had better do it." (Dickens 16). Hence, this aims at displaying the cruelty during the time.

A Criticism of Social Changes

In conclusion, Dickens’ A Christmas Carol displays immense criticism of social changes with the root being the Industrial Revolution. He draws all the attention to the poor population in the society. In particular, he talks about the hardships they go through during a period considered to be festive. On the other hand, he focuses on Scrooge who brings out the intentions of the story. Therefore, the story takes a relatively simple allegory but in a perfect way.

Works Cited

Dickens, Charles. A Christmas Carol Christmas Book. Armonk, NY: IBM, 1984. Print.

Dickens, Charles, and Michael Foreman. A Christmas Carol In Prose. London: Folio Society, 2003. Print.