How is the novel 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickes both deadly serious yet humorous? Are there two examples (from the book).
2007-10-13 04:05:57 · 15 answers · asked by wguate 3 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
I have read the book and by the ways this is for my coursework which is due on monday!
2007-10-13 04:11:16 · update #1
Wow that is an interesting question.
It is obvious that the novel touches on serious issues.
Poverty
Affliction (crippled boy)
Oppression (Scrooge pays his loyal employees a meager wage)
Greediness ( Scrooge won't even burn oil for light and heat even though he is rich)
Loneliness (Scrooge is a lonely old man)
Humor? Hummmmmmm Let's see:
When Scrooge wakes up from his night of terrible dreams he is a new man. He meets the boy at the window and throws him some money. He asks the boy "What day is this"? The boy answers "Why it's Christmas"..... Scrooge gets a ridiculous smile on his face. Scrooge is actually happy that it is Christmas morning. (now you have to realize that the English have a different sense of humor then we do)
Another example of humor is when Scrooge claims that the ghost from Christmas Past did not scare him, yet he goes ahead and locks his door before retiring again for the night.
2007-10-13 04:36:56 · answer #1 · answered by conim2002 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Dickens intended the book as satire on the Scrooge type (who incidentally was not unique to the Victorian period which accounts for the novel's lasting popularity.) His speech to the alms collectors about "decreasing the surplus population" was so shocking as to be funny. Fezziwig is both an admirable (in his being totally opposite to Scrooge) and funny. The central theme is a serious one. And Dickens wrings all the pathos he possibly can from Tiny Tim. The happy ending, Scrooge's extraordinary turn around, makes the humorous side of the book stand out. If it had ended with Tiny Tim gasping his last on the streets of London, the book would have been a tragedy.
2007-10-13 05:10:57 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
hey
oh u must have to write a report or something , well i got ur answer
it is serious as scrooge learns a valuable lesson , which is not 2 be greedy anymore . he learns to accept the joy of christmas
and then the book is also humorous as he intends to ignore the christmas carols and then he also is afraid oh the three ghost , like how he seems to be so stubborn but actually has no bone of braveness in himself .
hope i was some help or gave u some idea , i had read this back in 8th grade , been a while now
ok
hope ur report turns out well
good luck
2007-10-13 05:08:20 · answer #3 · answered by james 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I don't see the humor in it, unless you think Scrooge sounds funny when he was terrified about the ghosts visiting him.
But the seriousness is this: it is about Scrooge's discovery through the visits by the ghosts of Christmas past, present and future, that he had been such a mean and selfish and stingy person and a scoundrel too. Then his regret over what kind of person he had been and wanting to change his ways (that's called "repentance".) He did change his ways....that's true repentance! He became a better person through it all, at the end of the story.
2007-10-13 04:19:48 · answer #4 · answered by Globetrotter 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely! Take a look at when Scrooge meets the ghost of Christmas present, for instance: Here we have this grumpy miserable guy contrasted with this jolly happy one- who none the less has something serious to show him.
It's a great read. By all means, find a copy of it!
2007-10-13 04:12:29 · answer #5 · answered by Tigger 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Ghost of Chrismas Yet To Come is pretty serious because it warned him what his horrible future would be like. The end of the book is funny when Scrooge shocks everyone by being cheerful and giving money away.
2007-10-13 04:12:19 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is serious because his very soul is in jeopardy. It's humorous in many points in the book. Scrooge blames the haunting on a spot of mustard. Father Cratchet telling the boys to go outside if they're going to burst, mother hiding in the closet when transformed scrooge visits.
2007-10-13 04:52:37 · answer #7 · answered by chante 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
First- have you read the book?
I'll give you one example of serious. If Scrooge doesn't reform and become a better man, Tiny Tim will die.
Read the book- it's short.
2007-10-13 04:10:14 · answer #8 · answered by Eric S 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Its serious cause it shows a man reliving his past and ammending his wicked ways for the better, It's humorous cause they did a version on film with the muppets starring in it
2007-10-13 04:10:44 · answer #9 · answered by PollyDolly 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
It is a very heart warming and moral story, never fails to bring a tear to the eye. Tiny Tim, so sad.
2007-10-13 04:12:46 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋