The style. The style is that of a short story and has similarities to his other “Christmas books”. All are short and three can be fitted into the number of pages often required for a single one of his other novels (eg Tale of two cities).
Dickens links Christmas with weddings. In Pickwick papers, and the Chimes there are also Christmas season weddings. Is Christmas the season when couples traditionally tie the knot? Not in our times and culture when spring/summer weddings are idealised. Is it that in Dickens’ mind the Christmas spirit is required in order to negotiate marriage successfully. The graces of love, forgiveness and selflessness being required.
The appearance of a “ghost, fairy spirit or presence”. As in the most well known story “A Christmas Carol the Ghosts of Christmas past, present and future appeared. In the chimes, the church bells appear as a ghostly embodiment of the past. In this story the Cricket on the hearth appears as the spirit of a long lost beloved both in Mary’s home and in the home of Caleb and Bertha. In Mary and John’s home the cricket appears in a fairy form and is described as a presence that ministers to John throughout the night before the wedding.
An anti-hero turned into a hero. Just as Scrooge turns from being a Christmas hater to being a Christmas lover, the toymaker Mr Tackleton changes from being a hard nosed business man to a person considerate of others.
Marriage for love and companionship rather than an unequal marriage between an older richer man to a young woman who is intended to be his housekeeper. This theme is also followed in the chimes, where…….
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