Ebenezer Scrooge of Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol is one of the quintessential villains of literature. However, he also represents one of its greatest heroes. At the start of the novel, Scrooge is "a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone." He is rich but miserly and moves through life shirking all human contact. Even his own clerk isn't given a name until Scrooge is forced by the Ghost of Christmas Present to realize that Bob, the clerk, is a human being with a real family. There are a number of reasons why Scrooge is such an unpleasant person. His early conversations with his nephew, Fred, suggest that there was some moment in Scrooge's past where he lost a love and has subsequently rejected the idea of love and marriage ever since. During his time with the Ghost of Christmas Past, it is revealed that Scrooge is the son of an abusive father and was sent away to boarding school at a very young age. Upon revisiting this memory, Scrooge thinks back to a young boy whom he treated harshly and wishes he had the chance to give him something. Clearly Scrooge makes the connection between the loneliness he felt as a child and the loneliness he caused for another as an adult. Beyond the affinity he developed for reading, the only source of love and compassion in his young life was his sister, Fan, who died young, sometime after she gave birth to Fred. It is also revealed that Scrooge was in love with a woman named Belle, but as Scrooge's love for money grew, his love for her declined until she eventually released him from what she refers to as their "agreement." Belle goes onto marry and have children, and Scrooge is deeply upset as he sees a vision of what he could have had.As stated above, Scrooge's time with the Ghost of Christmas Present allows him to witness the life of his clerk, Bob Cratchit. He sees Bob's home life and his family, including his youngest: a sickly boy named Tiny Tim. Despite their poverty and the concerns for Tim's health, the Cratchit family is genuinely happy for what they have; even if it is only one another, it is enough, and they make do. As he watches this vision, Scrooge begins to feel a connection to Tiny Tim and a desire to help him. Time grows short for the second ghost who, after furthering Scrooge's unease by introducing him to two wolfish, dirty, feral, yet pathetic children, referred to as Ignorance and Want, disappears. Shortly afterward, the final spirit presents Scrooge with a glimpse of the future, which contains not only the death of Tiny Tim and Scrooge, but a view of the pillaging of Scrooge's possessions and even the degradation of his corpse by greedy, opportunistic urchins. By this point, Scrooge had already started to shift his perspective. He felt regret upon seeing his younger self; he wished he had treated his clerk better after seeing how his own boss, Fezziwig, treated him at a younger age, and he has developed a genuine desire for Tiny Tim to get better. However, these final visions push Scrooge over the edge and he begins to repent for the life he has led, promising to change. The dark spirit vanishes, and Scrooge finds himself in his own bedroom on Christmas morning. Immediately, Scrooge makes good on his word. He joins his nephew for Christmas dinner, he gives Bob Cratchit a raise and sees to the health of Tiny Tim. He becomes the man he should have always been, and proves that it is never too late to change one's ways. He is an extremely dynamic character, and represents one of the greatest changes to take place in all of literature.
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