The Ghost of Christmas Past: Understanding Charles Dickins and His Legacy

When English author Charles Dickens wrote "A Christmas Carol" in 1843, I doubt he had any idea that it would become the seminal classic it has become or that the name "Scrooge" would become a common pejorative to describe someone stingy or greedy. The story of the miserly ole Ebenezer Scrooge's Christmas awakening as one by one he is forced to confront his conscience in the form of the ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future and the ripple effect of his actions on the lives of others whether he is aware of them or not. Of course, in the end, ole Scrooge sees the many errors of his ways and learns a lesson about what's most important in life (which most certainly was not the sole pursuit of acquiring money).  

Politically, the Victorian era author would be what we'd call a "centrist" or "moderate" today.  Morally and fiscally, Dickens tended to be conservative, while socially he was a progressive. He wrote several books advocating for judicial reform between the wealthy and connected versus everyone else. He abhorred the snobbery, greed and insensitivity of the rich to the plight of the poor just as he despised employers who abused their workers and unsafe working conditions. 

He promoted educational reforms when and wherever he could. Many of his characters and storylines reflected his belief in these reforms as in the books "David Copperfield", "The Pickwick Papers", "Hard Time", "Oliver Twist", and "Bleak House". At the same time, Dickens was no Marxist or "socialist" as some would claim. He has been accused of being racist (in part for his support of the Confederacy during the Civil War) and nationalist for his belief in the British Empire.

In truth, Dicken's was what we'd might think of as a "racist", but that would be judging him by our standards today, and not by the accepted norms of his era. Dicken's did support the Confederacy because liked the concept of state's rights (and the fact that the Confederacy did not allow political parties). 

Nevertheless, Dickens was a strong and outspoken critic of slavery, serfdom, and other forms of enslavement (England abolished slavery throughout its empire in 1834). His distain especially extended to how Indians were typically treated even in their native India and to other parts of the empire. Charles Dickens was a nationalist (as was practically everyone during the early to late middle parts of the Victorian Era (so called because Queen Victoria ruled over this greatest expansion of British rule. It was said at the time that the sun never set on the British Empire). 

Unlike many of his social status, Dickens was a strong supporter of ideas which seemed outlandish at the time such as the right of women to vote and owning property and inheritance independent of their husband (or in the absence of a husband, some other adult male). Spousal abuse was unfortunately not uncommon in Great Britain (and elsewhere). Dickens spoke out in favor of shelters for abused women and children such as the "Urania Cottage", which was founded in 1846 and he helped to run (this also extended to cover prostitutes and women who were destitute).  

He believed the British Empire had a lot to offer to less developed countries such as industrial technology, medicine, trade, and education, but he still was left grappling with the notion of exploitation of people, culture, and resources (there's no question that Britain was the chief beneficiary of its expansionistic endeavors). 

Some of that era would add "Christianizing" the "backward savages" of its empire  as equally important, and went only slightly better than it did with "ignorant" natives of the Americas by the Spaniards. Such was the conceited arrogance of colonialism then and now.   

In sum, it could be said that Charles Dickens was a man slightly out of step with many of his contemporaries. He opposed political extremism in all its forms, preferring a moderate approach which focused on seeking solutions rather than elitist agendas (which tended to be very paternalistic). He disliked the rigid social caste system of his time, preferring meritocracy along with a liberal democracy. 

By the time of Dickens' death in 1870, the British Empire was near its zenith. Queen Victoria remained on the throne. The industrial revolution was in full swing, and the UK was crisscrossed with railroads, connecting the nation like never before. He had witnessed 18 imperial wars, beginning with the War of 1812 in which the British tried unsuccessfully to retake its unruly former colony, the United States, and ending with the Bhutan War (aka the "Duar War") in Northeast India, which had begun in 1864 and ended a year latter. 

During his lifetime, Charles Dickens wrote 15 novels, five novelettes, and hundreds of short stories and non-fiction articles, in addition to editing a weekly journal for over 20 years, proving him to one of England's most prolific and popular authors. He also wrote hundreds of letters promoting the rights of women, children, education, and social reforms, not including nearly as many public and private talks. 

Much of what he promoted eventually came to pass. Education is available to everyone regardless of gender or social class in the UK and throughout much of its former colonies (though not all. Some former colonies are far worse off now than they were under British rule such as Somalia, the Sudan and South Sudan, Nigeria, and Gambia).

 Quality healthcare is also available to all, and many of the illnesses affecting children, which he often wrote about, are eradicated. During his lifetime, there was over two hundred thousand cesspools throughout London. Even the basement of Buckingham Palace smelled like an open sewer. By one estimate, 4/5 of the "mud" in the streets of London was actually human waste. Diseases like cholera and tuberculosis were rampant, while the air was black with coal soot. Issues like extreme poverty, a lack of sanction, and a social safety net now exists in lieu of the dreaded "poor houses" and debtor prisons".

Women just don't have the right to own property in their own name or have the right to vote, women now hold elected office. Some have even been Prime Minister such Margaret Thatcher, Theresa May, and Liz Truss. Countess Margaret Markiewicz became the first women ever elected to Parliament in 1918.  Born in London, the trailblazer was a suffragette, a Irish revolutionary, a member of the first free Irish Parliament (aka "Dail"), and Irish Minister of Labour. 

Dickens would, I think, be a bit dismayed by the fact that the empire was no more. The United States had already set its own course despite a failed attempt by the Crown in 1812. India, the crown jewel of the empire, is now a prosperous independent nation, although it retains a status of "Commonwealth" and many of its British traditions. Pakistan, having split off from India, is its own nation and Afghanistan remains as fiercely unconquered as ever. As mentioned above, many of the colonies during Dickens' lifetime have spun off with varying success (most retaining their ties with England as Commonwealth nations). 

Perhaps his biggest surprised would be the independent of Ireland. During Dicken's life, the Irish experienced one of the worse famines of recent history, which lasted from 1845 to 1845. During those years, in what's known as "The Great Hunger", Ireland lost more than 25% of its population to death by starvation, disease, or forced immigration. Best estimates indicate that at least one million men, women, and children died of starvation while roughly one million were forced to immigrate, many to the United States, Canada, and Australia. 

Many attributed the famine to natural causes, the extent of the devastation falls squarely on the shoulders of British domestic policies (widespread absentee landlords, predatory-like laissez-faire economics, and dependence on single crop farming), and a callous indifference by the English ruling elites which chose to put the blame on Irish "laziness" or the result of  "divine punishment" due to a lack of "moral character" by the Irish. There were some efforts by the English to provide relief, but it was a matter of to little to late.

Perhaps the one blemish on Dickens' legacy is the Irish. While Dickens made three visits to Ireland, he found little to say about the famine. except that the severity likely stemmed from the "devotion to Roman Catholicism" which was uncharacteristically callous for man so interested in social reform. 

Nevertheless, Dickens, like many of the English, often spoke of the Irish as barely being human, often calling them "wild", "unruly, and "untamed". The Irish were often equated with Blacks in the American South with many of the same epitaphs, being called "England's Negros". Its also been written that Dickens took more note of the Irish in America than he did of the Irish in living in England or Ireland, and yet, as a group, he referred to the Irish as being "racially repellent".    

Another such group were Jews. Dickens once said the criminal class is almost always of the Jewish race.   Many of his character, such as "Fagin" in "Oliver Twist, usually were written as a stereotype caricatures (shifty", "sneaky", "greedy", "cheap", a "money lender", etc.), yet, later in life, Dickens said of Jews that they deserved the upmost respect.  His character "Riah" in "Our Mutual Friend" is portrayed as "righteous" and loyal. 

So, which was it? Was Dickens anti-semitic or not? Most of his critics see Fagin and Riah as two sides of the same Shekel. Extreme in example, but still, well written and relatable characters. In the end, Dickens had to struggle with the accepted anti-semitism of his day and the his conscience.   

During his lifetime, the Royal British Navy was the master of the seas. No one held a candle to the might of the Queen's navy. Today, the UK still maintains a powerful sea force, although Britannia no longer rules the Seven Seas. That honor goes to its former colonies, the United States. However, if one includes all of the Commonwealth nations, it is still the largest in the world. 

The British military was of the best (perhaps second only to the Imperial German military). Combined with the East India Company (a semi-independent corporation), it could flex its muscle on every one of the world's continent. While the East India Company is gone (having been dissolved just three years after the death of Dickens), British corporations still reach around the world and exert powerful influence, including as examples Lloyds Banking, BP, and Barclays. 

During his life, Charles Dickens achieved a level of celebrity that few authors then or now have been able to achieve. Thus, his literary recognition was something he had come to expect. Yet, here we are, just over a century and half--- 154 years---later and his books are as widely read as ever. In fact, his audience is global. His books have become stage plays and radio shows. But it's the tale of the beloved Tiny Tim, Bob Marley, Bob Cratchit and his wife, "Ole Fezziwig", Fred, Belle, and of course, Ebenezer Scrooge and those three Christmas ghosts becoming the most endearing of them all and is retold every year. 

What is it about this story which has become a enduring holiday tradition? Is it the characters? The storyline and the simplicity of the Victorian Era? Perhaps it's the subplot and the morality tale reminding us of what's important or, like Bob Marley, it's how our actions ripple over time. Perhaps it's that memories often carry a seed of regret as with Ebenezer and Belle. In the end, as with most great literary works, we each find that unique personal message we subconsciously seek. Let's hope Tiny Tim Marley had right when he "May God bless us everyone". 

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Charles Dickens

Left, Right, and Dickens

Charles Dickens: A Sympathizer with the Oppressed

Victorian Class System

War of 1812

Duar War

Great Famine (Ireland)

The Crisis That Nearly Cost Charles Dickens His Career