Marley: and the Transformation of Ebenezer Scrooge

There have been a large number of presentations based on the 1843 Charles Dickens novella, A Christmas Carol, all revolving around the main character Ebenezer Scrooge. Without a doubt, A Christmas Carol, is one of the most influential and important works that has been the prominent backdrop for publications, cartoons, movies, TV shows, musicals and plays. It is also the most famous published work associated with Christmas, especially the character of Scrooge.Dickens provides enough information about Ebenezer’s childhood and events that impact the development of his demeanor.

However, he does not spend much time including the impact that Jacob Marley had on Scrooge. This is the reasoning behind this paraquel novella, to provide an interpretation of Marley’s impact on Ebenezer’s character, and why he was willing to participate, along with the other three spirits, in changing Scrooge’s attitude and feelings toward philanthropy and Christmas. Afterall, Jacob was a similar soul, one that did not care for others or Christmas similar to Ebenezer.

So why would he be willing to help change Scrooge’s disposition from a selfish old miser to a Father Christmas type figure?It is impossible to tell this story without using information from the original story, A Christmas Carol, especially dialogue between Marley and the three spirits with Scrooge. So credit must be given to Charles Dickens for matching background information and the conversations that are used. In other words, they are not original to this story, but are obviously needed to keep the continuity of the two.