November 18, 2008

Dickens expert: 'A Christmas Carol' highlights 'Hard Times' of 2008

"Most people think of 'A Christmas Carol' as a sentimental story of spiritual rebirth or a ghost story to illustrate a moral purpose of taking care of fellow human beings," says William J. Palmer, a professor of English. "When Dickens wrote 'A Christmas Carol,' he really wrote it as a harsh indictment of England's Victorian society's treatment of the poor.

"Fast forward to 2008, and America is in an acute economic crisis. There are a number of similar themes, including the increasing gap between the rich and poor. People in the working class are losing their homes or struggling to heat their homes, and we're going into the holiday season with anticipated layoffs and high unemployment. For many, it looks like a pretty dreary Christmas."

In "A Christmas Carol," a wealthy London miser, Ebenezer Scrooge, is visited on Christmas Eve by three spirits who warn him that his lack of charity and kindness will lead to an eternity of suffering. Scrooge, an investment banker, represents the merchant part of England's upper-middle class.

Most people know the tale from TV movies, films or cartoons, but few have read the novel. Palmer says most would be surprised by the original story's austerity.

Dickens, who wrote 18 novels with poverty themes, was critical of the widening gap between the rich and poor in the 19th century. Palmer says Dickens' goal in "A Christmas Carol" was to ask how the Christmas spirit could help starving people all year.

"The message in 'A Christmas Carol' also says it's not just good enough to donate money, but individuals need to get involved, as Scrooge learns in the end," Palmer says. "This is a message we can all keep in mind this year, too."

Palmer is the author of four mystery novels, "The Detective and Mr. Dickens," "The Highwayman and Mr. Dickens," "The Hoydens and Mr. Dickens" and "The Dons and Mr. Dickens." These novels draw on his expertise as a Victorian-age scholar to create mysteries that are peopled with fictional literary characters. He also is the author of "Dickens and New Historicism."

Writer: Amy Patterson Neubert, (765) 494-9723, apatterson@purdue.edu

Source: William J. Palmer, (765) 494-3729, wjpalmer@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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