A real humanitarian dedicated to social change. Many Britons would probably agree that after Churchill, Dickens is one of England's great men, greatest men perhaps, one of England's greatest people ever.
Dickens largely devoted himself to the plight of the less fortunate - and we should all be so generous to show even a trifle of such concern for our fellows in need. Scrooge, when want is most keenly felt.". I never could appreciate what this story was really about until I became an adult and witnessed the great divide in our society between the Have's and Have-not's and the amazingly steeled resolve of those among the Have's to enjoy the Christmas season while not really being concerned at all with those poor souls in the ranks of the Have-not's. Those less fortunates were there in Dickens' day just as they are with us now, and just as there are influential, prosperous and greedy men and women Scrooges among us today who coolly and easily stare straight ahead past those less fortunates instead of choosing to extend a helping hand. I think this story speaks directly to those men in Dickens' day who could do the most to rectify the wrongs described in this tale. The men who had trained their eyes not to look down at the gutter or the darkened doorways where society's less than fortunates were cowering for mercy, help, a hand up or a hand out. I think that a Christmas Carol is not so much a tale for the family as it is Dickens trying again to pierce hardened hearts of the - during that time - men in society. I do love Charles Dickens, critics of his might say that he went for the emotional jugular and that he even might be sentimental or even worse manipulative, but really, he had a consistent message to get out: that the plight of the poor and unfortunate is everyone's concern, and this story tells it best - against the backdrop of the Christmas season, the time to celebrate, give gifts and welcome friends and family into warm homes to share festivity and generosity.
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