The story of Ebeneezer Scrooge isn't only beloved because of the Christmas tradition it spawned, or its great literary impact, or even its enduring social influence. The story is beloved because it's an honest and compelling tale of redemption. The world is not a place to be feared or escaped, urges Dickens, and we human beings are not to treat one another as strangers or enemies. As the story goes, even a creature so bitter, so broken, so uncaring as Ebeneezer Scrooge can be warmed, come to his senses, and be transformed into someone more human. A Christmas Carol is a story of redemption, and the narrative arc of that one character, Scrooge, evokes in us that long-standing Christian and Christmas theme: hope.
