Ebenezer Scrooge - modern liberal

John Trucano

Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol’s character, the miserly Ebenezer Scrooge is completely devoid of Christmas spirit until given a second chance by the three ghosts of Christmas past, present, and future on Christmas eve.

It hadn’t occurred to me, but after looking at much of what Scrooge did and said, he fits the pattern of the modern liberal. Consider:

Scrooge trusted the government to meet the needs of the poor, citing the taxes he paid for it. (Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?) Paying taxes alone, he believed, relieved him of any further responsibility. There is a government program, and I pay taxes toward it, so I have met my obligation. The government, in essence, has given in my name.

Scrooge was an elitist, believing himself qualified to decide who should live and who should not. When confronted with the fact that many would rather die than go to the prisons or workhouses, he said: If they’re going to die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Sounds similar to the pro-abortionists who believe they can and should decide which lives are viable and worthy, and which lives are “surplus”.

Scrooge lacked moral values expecting his poor clerk Bob Cratchett to work on Christmas Day. (You’ll be wanting the whole day off tomorrow I suppose. If it’s convenient, sir. No, sir. It is not convenient. And it is not fair. But it I stopped your wages for it you’d think yourself ill used no doubt. Yet you don’t think me ill used for paying a days wages for no work.) He made Bob work until 7:00 PM on Christmas eve, and if not for the objection of Scrooge’s nephew, may have been forced to work on Christmas. Scrooge had no idea of Cratchett’s family life, or that he had a seriously sick child. He never left, as his partner Jacob Marley described it “the narrow limits of their counting house.” Scrooge hadn’t raised his clerks wages in years, assuring poor Bob that times were hard while Scrooge himself lived in luxury.

Scrooge had no problem going to collect debts on Christmas eve, turning a deaf ear to the pleas of those indebted to him. He showed no compassion, as he went about to assert his legal rights. His was a life completely lacking in values. And it is surprising, considering the life he lived that he was shocked at the lack of compassion showed him at his death showed him by the spirit of Christmas yet to come.

But his old friend and partner Jacob Marley had pity on him and came to give his old friend the tiniest chance of avoiding his fate. Marley’s lack of values, and concern only for himself had sealed his fate. But he came to realize too late to do him any eternal good that mankind should be our business, but we seldom tend to it.

Though Christ tells us in His word that we have Moses and the prophets, and if we won’t listen to them, we wouldn’t listen even if someone came back from the dead, Scrooge does listen, embraces values, and is redeemed. He then goes about making amends showing his conversion genuine by raising Bob’s wages and getting involved in his family to find a cure for Tiny Tim.

It is a classic story of faith and second changes. Scrooge embraced the family he had ignored, and became like a father to Tiny Tim. He was born anew, from valueless liberalism relying on government and being miserable, to values driven pro family joyous Christmas honoring conservatism.