A Christmas Carol (By Charles Dickens - 1843)

Charles Dickens was one of the most prolific writers of his generation, having written a number of books. Most of his books were on the subject of the society of Great Britain of that time, and he wrote about the horrors, the deprivation, the class challenges, and the poor condition of the poorer classes of that time (Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist, David Copperfield, and many others that contain some pretty grim descriptions of the conditions of most of England of that time). A Christmas Carol is different from many of those books - it also depicts the condition of society, especially the different conditions of the different social classes at that times, but it is also a novel that describes how a person can change himself if shown the right way. It is a book that is written for Christmas, a play on how the spirit of Christmas, of giving, can change even the most hard-nosed person and reform them.



A Christmas Carol was an incredibly successful novel, selling many copies right after release, and being popular ever since. When one thinks of the Christmas Spirit and of reform, the story of Ebenezer Scrooge comes to mind. It is a popular tale, and the concept of the redemption of a person when shown his own faults, and the vision of a horrible future that forces the person to confront his own inner self is a popular tale from the beginning of man.
A Christmas tale is the story of a miserable old miser, unwilling to recognize the suffering around him, unwilling to show pity to those around him. On the Eve of Christmas, he starts seeing various things of a paranormal nature, including visions of his former business partner Jacob Marley (dead for 7 years now). Finally, after all the bells of the house start ringing, and the ghost of Marley enters through the door and warns Scrooge that he has one chance of redemption, else his fate will be horrible - he would be doomed to wander the world after death, unable to make any amends for what he has done. He will see 3 spirits over the next 3 days that will allow him to change his fate.
And thus starts the journey:
He first sees the Ghost of Christmas Past, who shows Scrooge visions from previous Christmas Days, including how Scrooge's sister saved him from boarding school, and Scrooge does not treat her son Fred properly. The spirit reminds him of how others treated him, and takes him down the painful path of how he lost his love, Belle, due to his love for money. Scrooge gets angry and dismisses the spirit.
Next, he sees the Ghost of Christmas Present in the adjoining room, who takes him through how others are enjoying Christmas. His apprentice Bob Cratchit, with his lame son Tiny Tim are enjoying even though their celebrations are meager. Scrooge's other friends don't talk too much good about him either, with only his nephew seeing any good. Overall, the Ghost shows Scrooge how people enjoy the spirit of Christmas, no matter their circumstances. He admonishes Scrooge about 2 major causes of suffering in the world, 'Ignorance' and 'Want'. With that, the spirit vanishes.
Finally, in the most horrific experience, Scrooge is visited by the Ghost of Christmas Future, a grim black spectre. The spectre does not speak, only shows Scrooge future suffering, including a death where no one is with him, and even his attendants rob him. Scrooge is shaken by this vision, and promises to turn a new leaf.
With the 3 spirits gone, it is now Christmas morning; and Scrooge changes himself totally, becoming a kind-hearted person who cares for everyone around him. He starts using his wealth to improve the lives of those he touches.

A tale of 2 cities by Charles Dickens

One of the most brutal revolutions in Europe in recent times has been the French Revolution; it had many phases and can be taken to mean the period between 1789 and 1799, when the army finally took over in the form of its leader, Napoleon Bonaparte. In the interim period, there were many struggles, many twists and turns. A new instrument of murder, the guillotine, was the main execution tool. People condemned to death for anti-revolution fervor, for their thoughts, and because getting them condemned to death removed them from the scene, all would be brought to the public squares where they would be executed with the guillotine.
'A tale of 2 cities' was published in 1859, and is set during the time period of the French Revolution. It shows the sheer terror of those times, where you could be condemned to death for even sympathizing with the fate of an earlier executed 'enemy' of the revolution, where a person could be condemned based on the written statement of a person (even if the person wants to take the statement back). The terror of the French Revolution evolved during a complex stage in which the excesses of the nobility and the church had crushed the poorer part of the population (Wikipedia), and this was almost pay-back time.



The book led to a very remembered opening statement, starting with these incredible words, "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness". The book covers the conflicting story of many people, including arrogant aristocrats who were condemned, humble and good aristocrats who were also condemned, people taking revenge using the medium of the revolution, and how the revolution eventually also condemns those who were its proponents earlier. The book has been used as the base for a number of movies over the years, and was itself based on the book 'The French Revolution: A History' by Thomas Carlyle.
The novel covers the story of the following main characters:
- Dr Alexandre Manette: A prisoner in the Bastille for 18 years, and the father of the lady who is one of the main characters
- Lucie Manette: Young lady loved by both Charles Darnay and Sydney Carton, and also the daughter of Dr. Manette
- Charles Darnay: A young, and good-natured French nobel. He never liked the cruelty of his family towards the peasantry and abandons the family name (Evrémonde), and fled to England after assuming his mother's maiden name
- Sydney Carton: A complex, but depressed English barrister. Loves Lucie, and promises her that he will do whatever he can for her and her family. Eventually does so in the end with a supreme act of self-sacrifice.
- Monsieur Ernest Defarge: Took care of Dr. Manette, also a closet revolutionary
- Madame Therese Defarge: A dark-natured closet revolutionary and wife of Ernest. She is also bent of taking revenge for the extermination of her family at the hands of Darnay's uncle