Mr. Dickens And His Carol

Dickens finishes his book, giving the characters a happy ending. When he is finished, the desk clerk tells him that an Irish couple plans to stay in his room, and Dickens tells him that he was about to leave anyway. The Irish couple recognizes him, and the husband thanks him for his work. He appreciates their positive feedback and goes to tell Eleanor that he has finished the book.

Dickens walks through London with Eleanor all that day. As midnight approaches, they go to the clock tower where they first met. They admire the snow, and Dickens thinks about Catherine and the children in Scotland. Eleanor then puts on her cloak and prepares to walk home. He promises to read her the book soon, but she tells him Timothy will be asleep when she gets home, and she wants him to hear the reading. They note how the book and Dickens have changed, and he offers her his thanks, which she returns.

She enters the house. The clock chimes 12 times, and he imagines her preparing for bed. After the 12th chime, he notices that her footprints are disappearing, and he goes to the house. When he knocks, he only finds Timothy there. He demands to know where Eleanor is, but Timothy tells her that she has been dead for a year. Not wanting to believe it, he shows Timothy the magazines, but Timothy says that Eleanor told him to keep them after she died. Ever since, he has stayed in the house so that he would not be living on the streets. He has been selling the sketches to support himself, and he still feels her presence even though she is gone. Dickens comforts Timothy. He says that Eleanor wanted him to read Timothy his book.

Dickens realizes that Eleanor was a ghost and that she appeared to get him to help Timothy. Now, he reads the book to Timothy. When the morning comes, Timothy is already gone. Dickens leaves a note telling Timothy to pack his belongings and meet him at Furnival’s. Once there, Dickens prepares his manuscript and finalizes the title, calling his story A Christmas Carol. Once printed, it becomes an immediate success. All those close to him read it intently and find themselves enjoying it, even Thackeray and Magistrate Laing. The book also becomes popular with multiple demographics. Catherine and the children receive a copy as well, along with a letter from Dickens. Catherine reads the letter and the book to her children, who listen closely.

On Christmas Eve, Dickens eats breakfast at Furnival’s and prepares for the public reading. He reads A Christmas Carol to the public, and the audience includes Chapman and Hall, Forster, Macready, Timothy, and several others. The book emotionally touches the audience members, many of whom tear up or cry during the reading. When he finishes, the audience applauds, and he bows, feeling elated. He then notices that Timothy is missing and searches for him, finally finding him in the graveyard near Eleanor’s grave. Timothy cries and tells Dickens that he thought he would never feel the Christmas spirit again after his mother died. Dickens has Timothy write down his Christmas wishes and invites the boy to join him for Christmas.

On Christmas Day, Dickens and Timothy leave Furnival’s and go to Bumble’s Toy Shop, where Dickens has Mr. Bumble sign him up for the charities, buys more toys for the children, and lets Timothy buy whatever he wants. They sing carols in the streets when they encounter the boys who live on the street. The boys’ leader reveals that they did not steal his book, but they longed to be featured in one of his books. Dickens tells him that he can use their names in a future book. He learns that the leader’s name is David Copperfield. They pass Mudie’s bookshop, where A Christmas Carol is selling well. They then go to visit John Dickens, and Dickens reconciles with his father.

Dickens, his father, and Timothy arrive at Dickens’s house. To their surprise and Dickens’s delight, the annual Christmas party is in full swing; nearly everyone in Dickens’s circle is celebrating. Thackeray compliments his book and Chapman gives him a pen. Dickens apologizes to him for his behavior, and Forster forgives him. However, Topping tells Dickens that Catherine and the children are still not home; instead, Forster, Thackeray, and his daughters contributed greatly to the party. Dickens goes into his study to find the clock he threw and laments his family’s absence. Timothy appears and expresses support. Suddenly, the group hears the sound of a carriage. Catherine and the children arrive, and Dickens embraces his children. He apologizes to Catherine, and she tells him that it would not be Christmas without their party. She forgives him, and they embrace while holding their baby. With everyone together, they sing a carol, and as Dickens holds his newborn son, he quotes the last line of his book.