illustration of Ebenezer Scrooge in silhouette walking toward a Christmas tree and followed by the three ghosts

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

Start Free Trial

Discussion Topic

The use of allusion in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol

Summary:

The use of allusion in A Christmas Carol enhances its themes and character development. Dickens references various literary and historical elements to enrich the narrative, such as the biblical allusions to Christian morality and redemption. These allusions help to underscore the transformation of Scrooge and the moral lessons about generosity and compassion.

Expert Answers

An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is the use of allusion in Stave 1 of A Christmas Carol?

The main allusion in Stave One of Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol  is to Prince Hamlet from Shakespeare’s play ‘Hamlet.” In this case, the allusion is a reference to another piece of literature which increases the reader’s understanding of the current reading. Dickens alludes to the fact that in the play, Prince Hamlet'd father is dead before the play begins. The reader must understand this so that Hamlet's father's ghost is a believable, influential character.This allusion helps the reader understand the importance of believing that Jacob Marley is dead. Dickens goes to great lengths to have the reader believe this so that the ghost of Jacob Marley a credible character who comes to Scrooge from his past. Jacob Marley's ghost presents itself to Scrooge before the three apparitions take him through his past, present, and future in order to remind him of past transgressions, and to teach him the...

Unlock
This Answer Now

Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.

Get 48 Hours Free Access

lesson that he can repair his life. 

Approved by eNotes Editorial
An illustration of the letter 'A' in a speech bubbles

What is an example of an allusion in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol?

An allusion is a literary device employed to associate a character, place or object in a story with a character, place or object, often from another literary source. One of the first, and most obvious or blatant in Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, occurs very early in the story, specifically within the context of the narrator's discussion of the passing of Jacob Marley and the role of Ebenezer Scrooge in attending to his late business partner's affairs. In the passage in question, Dickens, repeatedly emphasizing the fact of Marley's death, and, as it turns out, presaging the events to follow -- in this case, the imminent appearance of Marley's ghost -- makes a literary reference to a well-known play by William Shakespeare:

"There is no doubt that Marley was dead. This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate. If we were not perfectly convinced that Hamlet’s Father died before the play began, there would be nothing more remarkable in his taking a stroll at night . . ."

In this passage, Dickens narrator makes an allusion to Shakespeare's Hamlet, the title character of which embarks upon his fateful journey to avenge his father's murder after encountering the ghost of his father and learning the truth of the deceased's demise. Now, this is, as noted, the most obvious example of allusion in A Christmas Carol, but is far from the only one. Indeed, it could be surmised that Dickens intended the name of his main character to reference the Biblical book of 1 Samuel, which seems to associate the word "Ebenzer" with the might and blessing of God, occurring as it does within the context of the Prophet Samuel's role in the Israelites' defeat of the Philistines. The Israelites were in and out of trouble with God for quite a lengthy period of time in the Bible, and Dickens' use of "Ebenezer" for his protagonist's name could have been meant to presage the character's eventual spiritual redemption. 

Approved by eNotes Editorial