Second Greatest Christmas Story
Charles Dickens' Last Hope
The Second Greatest Christmas Story Ever Told
The famous story, A Christmas Carol, is commonly known by many as the second greatest Christmas story ever told. This is because of two main reasons. First of all, the story of baby Jesus Christ being born was the BEST Christmas story ever to be told by anyone so obviously that spot was taken. The other reason is that this story has touched the hearts of its' many readers for nearly one hundred years and is still doing so to this day.
Dickens' Inspiration
At the time that Dickens wrote this story he was deeply in debt. He was a father of four and he was trying his best to support his family but he had fallen on hard times. During these times he would often take long walks to calm his nerves and look for inspiration. During the day the streets of London were filled with the rich and royalty who would go about their business. But at night the pick-pockets, footpads, and beggars would come out. This gave Dickens the inspiration for a new book. He decided to write a book about those like him who were suffering through hard times and needed some relief.
The Impact of A Christmas Carol
As Dickens was writing his book he saw it grow from a scheme that was created to get him out of debt and started to change him. Not only did this great and touching story get Dickens out of debt but it also remained a classic and beloved novel through the years even after Dickens' death.
Dickens' Purpose
Originally Charles Dickens wrote A Christmas Carol as a desperate attempt to pull him and his family out of debt. But as the story grew he found a new purpose for writing the novel. He wanted to entertain his readers with a touching story about Christmas traditions he loved as a child. He told a story of family parties, gifts, carols, games, and a family feast. As the story developed Dickens found himself loving the book and knew that others would love it as he did. Guess what.... He was right!