Mr. Dickens And His Carol

“On that unseasonably warm November day at One Devonshire Terrace, Christmas was not in his head at all.”

The quote supports The Essence of the Christmas Spirit by showing Dickens’s struggle to regain his appreciation for the holiday. With his focus on Chuzzlewit and his financial issues, he cannot bring himself to enjoy the Christmas preparations. This trend will become important later as his cynicism hinders his ability to write a convincing Christmas book. Ultimately, he will have to confront his past before he can regain his Christmas spirit.

“And that every Christmas will be more splendid than the last.”

The quote emphasizes The Essence of the Christmas Spirit by showing the importance of Christmas in giving Catherine happiness. Dickens’s struggle with the joy of Christmas causes conflict in their marriage and makes him difficult to live with, which causes her to temporarily leave him. It is his journey to regain the Christmas spirit and his writing of A Christmas Carol that helps to fix their relationship.

“Because Christmas is not in the end about things, children. It is about feeling.”

The quote emphasizes The Essence of the Christmas Spirit by showing the importance of focusing upon one’s family during the Christmas holiday rather than obsessing over material objects. Dickens’s father taught him this sentiment, and he uses this to try to adjust his children’s expectations and thereby decrease his Christmas spending. However, he finds it hard to deny them toys, and he struggles with feeling the joy of Christmas throughout the novel.