Will Scrooge Sustain his Mystical Transformation?

I want to do a brief examination of Ebenezer Scrooge and his relation to mystical experiences. I want to focus on the mystical awakening that Scrooge had-which ultimately is the reason for his character development. I will do this by examining the themes of redemption and transformation.

In the novel, Scrooge undergoes a profound spiritual transformation from a miserly and selfish man to a compassionate and generous one. This transformation is brought about by the intervention of supernatural forces, namely the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who guide Scrooge on his path to enlightenment. The same way did Mysticism usually involve a sense of transcendence, interconnectedness, and oneness with the universe.

Take Julian of Norwich as an example. The universe is wrapped up in, specifically a hazelnut, in which God is in ‘everything’. The entire universe, thus, is in the palm of your hands as you make your transcendence through your spiritual journey:

“He is oure clotheing, that for love wrappeth us, halsyth us, and all becloseth us for tender love, that He may never leeve us, being to us althing that is gode as to myne understondyng. Also in this He shewed a littil thing the quantitye of an hesil nutt in the palme of my hand.”¹

Like Julian of Norwhich, Scrooge is left with the hazelnut of not necessarily religion, but his social class in the palms of his hands. What he does with it is really up to him. Through his encounters with the ghost of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, Scrooge undergoes a profound awakening to a higher spiritual reality, leading to a transformation of heart and mind. He specifically embodies the universal themes of redemption and transformation, and the inherent goodness and interconnectedness of all creation.

Whether or not his transformation as a newly good-hearted person is permanent is questionable. Maybe, is his tranformation self serving? Was his mystical experience all for nothing? Will he continue on his journey of spiritual awakening and create a sustainable growth-over-time?

1. The Shewings of Julian of Norwich, TEAMS, edited by Georgia Ronan Crampton, pg 43 ↩︎