Grouchy Old Men Analysis

Improved Essays
Many children do not care for the company of elderly people, particularly older men. This could be for various reasons: they are not interesting, they smell funny, or they require too much assistance. I personally think the main reason is because children are led to believe that old men are grouchy; at least, that is the stereotype. Television and movies often shows how old men are grouchy, but sometimes they show how elderly men have the ability to overcome that stereotype. Carl Fredricksen from the movie Up is a terrific example of the stereotypical grouchy old man. After Carl’s wife died he became hostile and cranky. Carl tried his best to isolate himself from society, but when the town started doing construction around his house, it became …show more content…
Ebenezer Scrooge may be the poster-child for grouchy old men. Scrooge is the main character in the movie version of, A Christmas Carol. Scrooge is a bitter old man who hates Christmas and has no desire to associate with others. When his nephew, Fred, invites Scrooge to attend Christmas dinner at his house, Scrooge refuses to go. Scrooge has no affection for others and only cares about himself. He shows his selfishness when he, being a wealthy man, would not donate any of his money to charity during the holiday season. He also has no desire to be kind. Scrooge refused to buy coals to heat the fire in his office building, which lead to his worker, Bob Cratchit, working in the cold. Not only was Mr. Cratchit forced to work in the cold, he was forced to work on Christmas day. Due to Ebenezer Scrooge’s cold-hearted demeanor, his whole appearance is affected. He always walks sluggishly through the town with a mean mug on his face. His heartless attitude brought him down mentally and physically, although he did not realize it. Scrooge represents the standard grouchy old man by his selfishness and vicious …show more content…
When the ghost of Scrooge’s deceased business partner visits him on Christmas Eve, he shows Scrooge visions of the past, present, and future. Ebenezer Scrooge realizes how hateful he had always been and decides to make a change. The next morning, Scrooge wakes up a completely different person. He donated a large amount of his money to charity and allowed Bob Cratchit the day off to spend with his family. Scrooge also decided to attend dinner at his nephew’s house to celebrate Christmas. A Christmas Carol shows how even the grouchiest of men has the ability to overcome his grouchiness and become a likeable

Related Documents

  • Superior Essays

    Ghost In A Christmas Carol

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The most important character among three Christmas ghosts in A Christmas Carol Christmas Carol was an influent novel which was written by Charles Dickens throughout one and half century about a life of Ebenezer Scrooge as a negative, penny-pinching and distasteful man in London. No one had ever wished to work as an employee in his office after his best business partner Jacob Marley died except Bob Cratchit. Nothing in the world would scare Scrooge if it wasn’t about the gold coins. The man, who used to be a heartless person, had changed in just a few nights before Christmas Eve coming. At this point, we must be thankful to three Christmas Ghosts which demonstrated Scrooge life’s faults and gave him a chance to change his bad…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    How well do you know Ebenezer Scrooge? And what does business mean to you? Ebenezer Scrooge does not understand the true meaning of “business”. The novel A Christmas Carol is about a mean old greddy man that learns a big lesson. He believes that “business” means to make money and to be rich.…

    • 347 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    "(4)He was also extraordinarily cruel to Cratchit, Scrooge wouldn't even allow Cratchit to put more coal in his fire. Scrooge then was taken by the ghost of Christmas present to Cratchit's home where he saw Cratchit and his family making the best out of Christmas even though Cratchit has a low salary and his son, Tiny Tim, has a disability. He was also toasted by Cratchit which touched Scrooge. Scrooge was also taken by the ghost of Christmas present to see his younger sister who loved him and took him home from school over Christmas. Scrooge was reminded she had his Fred and he should be kinder to him.…

    • 572 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Marley tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits, one on each of the next three evenings, and that he must listen to these ghosts or he will be cursed. The first ghost takes Scrooge to visit the Christmases that are past. These visions remind Scrooge of the feelings and events of his boyhood. This stirs the gentler side of Scrooge, now deeply hidden within, and reminds him of his once youthful love for a young woman, and the happiness she now shares with…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Scrooge and his experiences with the ghosts and his feelings about the Cratchits are both driven by the concept of empathy, and it is this feeling of empathy that would inspire readers for years to come. The lasting impact of A Christmas Carol is widespread and unparalleled, as it has shaped the modern meaning of Christmas and all of society’s Christmas traditions. But the most meaningful impact the novel has had on society is the conflation of Christmas with charitable giving. Dickens’ belief in social justice as depicted in the novel was credited with inspiring an outpouring of charitable deeds during his time, as well as a revival of the Christmas spirit that is still evident today. The story of the redemption of Ebenezer Scrooge is one…

    • 132 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This cold and dark apparition leads him through the icy streets of London, it shows Scrooge several scenes of people. The foremost scene being a cluster of businessmen discussing the death of a fellow wealthy businessman in town and where his money is going. Their main topic of conversation is his money, whether or not they plan to go to his funeral is merely a secondary thought. They are his comrades, and all that’s in their minds are thoughts of greed. The second scene shown to Scrooge is a foul shop in the backstreets of London, where several vagabonds are selling this same businessman’s belongings, which they stole directly from his home while he was dead in bed.…

    • 1032 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Scrooge was being his typical self, hating everything about Christmas, while everyone else was enjoying and being thankful for the holidays. It all started to change when the ghost came to tell Scrooge he was the one to save Christmas. To change up the story a little, instead of having a ghost take Scrooge around, Frosty the Snowman was the one to guide Scrooge through his adventure of saving Christmas. The narrator was on the side giving side notes, to what was going on. Throughout the play Scrooge and Frosty meet all of the Christmas characters, like Rudolf, who joins along for their adventure.…

    • 959 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    This showed some of Scrooges soft feelings, but the thing that really hit home with Scrooge was seeing his own…

    • 1049 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Scrooge is taught the consequences of being a mean-spirited person by the ghost of his dead co-worker, the ghost of Jacob Marley. The Ghost of Christmas Past teaches Scrooge that in order to interact and be a larger part of society, he needs to open his closed heart. The Ghost of Christmas Present teaches Scrooge that being a wealthy human being does not guaranty long term happiness. Finally, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge that events that will occur if he does not change his way of life. From the beginning and to the end of the novel, Scrooge learns a lot and redeems himself.…

    • 1220 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Dickens makes a positive aura around the Christmas feeling as of Stave 1, he makes the Stave full of energy as when Scrooge wakes up he is suddenly buzzing with energy and is as “light as a feather” and runs to the window where a young boy is shocked to know that Scrooge doesn’t know what day it is. Scrooge pays the boy to get the poultries and to buy the prize turkey which he delivers to Bob Cratchits as anonymous. The Stave is significant to the story as it shows that if someone as miserly as Scrooge can change it means that anyone can change which is what Dickens wants the adults as well as children who read the book so that they can change the way they behave to people. Dickens shows what the readers how it is like to be living in a poor family and is more or less basing the book on his own experience in his life. Scrooge evidently has become a happier person as Dickens shows by pretending to be angry with Bob Cratchit for being late…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “We can change our future by merely changing our attitude to the positive. Simple yet powerful!” - Zeenat Merchant Syal. In Frederick Gaines’ drama, A Christmas Carol, adapted from Charles Dickens’ novel Scrooge learns that if he does not have a change in heart he will die in the near future. Ebenezer Scrooge changes from the exposition of the play to the denouement. Ebenezer Scrooge is mean and heartless in the exposition; by the middle of the play Scrooge becomes scared, and by the denouement of the play he becomes a kind person who understands the meaning of Christmas.…

    • 449 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    These events of death finally made Scrooge switch into a better man. To summarize, the events of the spirits made Scrooge think about something other than…

    • 608 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    A Christmas Carol tells the tale of Ebenezer Scrooge a man who, despite the cheerful spirit of Christmas, turns to solitary and secrecy throughout this period. The selfish attitude Scrooge portrays correlates to the manifestation of four spirits that present themselves as a warning of what shall occur if he continues on the path of self-interest. Self-interest lives within all of us, it gives us the inclination to put ourselves in front of others. However the spirit of Christmas lives to curtail the selfish motives we all shelter. Scrooge becomes cognizant of his ambivalence regarding his selfish intentions and desire to promote charity.…

    • 1881 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Everyone laughed at him because a weirdo like him liked her. Therefore, he hates Christmas, and he blames the Whos. Now, he lives in misery because he is despised and disliked by the Whos and was never treated fairly. In A Christmas Carol, when the Ghost of Past takes Scrooge on a tour of his childhood memories. He quickly starts crying when he remembers himself as a neglected boy who no one cared about. During the Christmas season, while the other children went home to be with family, young Ebenezer was left on his own at…

    • 1530 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    His sensitivity for mankind stirred, he welcomes the Ghost of Christmas Present to show him another “lesson.” He is directed to the festive joy in the suburban dwelling of his clerk, Bob Cratchitt, overshadowed by Tiny Tim’s declining health, and with frightfulness he sees the pitiful youngsters, Ignorance and Want, the outgrowths of human detachment, attached to the ghost. (Wagner, 1) It also shows him that people are able to enjoy life without having a lot of money like Scrooge. As the spirits of Christmas Past and of Christmas Present show up, Scrooge’s recovery starts. He recollects little deeds of thoughtfulness that he may have done.…

    • 1040 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays