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Why Scrooge Is NOT VIRTUOUS. // Abbie Hedden

Scrooge is an amazing story about how a man used introspection and a loopy dream to become virtuous, right? According to Aristotle, that's wrong, and I'll tell you why. Aristotle emphasizes a balance in all things. Anything taken in excess can end badly; even virtuous things taken too far become vices. Scrooge never made sense to me, and I don't think the beloved Christmas story would make too much sense to Aristotle either. In the beginning, it is clear. Scrooge is hated by everyone who knows him because he is a greedy miser. He basically steals from the poor, shows no grace to the impoverished, and accumulates wealth for himself at the expense of everyone else. While he goes about it in a mostly legal way, it still burdens all those around him, as they have no way to pay back the massive debts they accumulate. If you look at it then, it shows a very Aristotlean point of view; he is doing what he should by accumulating money, but by doing it in an excessive way, he harms those around him and becomes miserable. However, when it gets to the end of the story, Scrooge gives away bountiful amounts of money. He buys out an entire toy shop, purchases the most expensive turkey in the butcher's shop, and forgives everyone's debts. This does not show virtue like the writers would have you believe; instead, this is the wild pendulum swing to the other side of matters of money. He is throwing away his money with little to no regard for widsom or savings. In this way, Scrooge does not become virtuous, he simply changes his vice.

PS Braylan and Hailey Morgan

Comments

  1. Jamie PetersOctober 26, 2020 at 8:35 PM

    Very interesting observation, Abbie! In the Christian culture, it is more encouraged to go to the extreme ends of the virtues than it is stay in the middle of the line. Take anger, for instance. Many people misinterpret the lesson taught in Matthew 5:38-40 (Going the Extra Mile) that getting angry at people when they do misdeeds against you is wrong. There isn't enough space here to explain the correct viewing of that passage, but overall, trying for less wrong seems to be a common theme.

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  2. Rachael GregsonOctober 27, 2020 at 12:27 AM

    Scrooge's sudden change has always seemed rather fishy to me (a literal overnight change), but then again the man was shown his headstone and burial site. A scene like that would sober just about anyone up. Maybe drastic circumstances can actually determine drastic results? I'd like to think his transformation was genuine. The disciples in the Bible did things like that. They were prepared to leave everything they had behind for Jesus.

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