MovieChat Forums > A Christmas Carol (1984) Discussion > Do you think his "redemption" helped sav...

Do you think his "redemption" helped save/extend his life?


None of the future scenes where Scrooge had died look like they're much further in the future, and he didn't really seem old enough to be a few years away from death. When the peddler was selling his stuff, they seemed to think he died from an illness rather than old age.

Maybe within a few years of the "present", he got horribly ill. But as he build bridges with the Cratchitt's, they helped nurse him back to health, and sought out medical health Scrooge was too ill to seek himself, and/or too tight to pay for lol.

So the Ghosts' visit saved both Scrooge and Tim!

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In the novella, the charwoman mentions that if he had been more "natural" in his lifetime, he might not have been alone in his last hours gasping out his last breath. It's not hard to imagine that after his reclamation, Scrooge might have had someone look after him or in on him, or perhaps he wouldn't have been too cheap to go to a doctor, or maybe his new joyful outlook on life might have reduced his hypertension and prevented a stroke or heart attack. It's not hard to imagine several scenarios where Scrooge would have lived much longer after his redemption.

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When death show's him his grave, there are no dates, so it seems that Scrooge was freaked out simply by the idea of dying.

I'll be good now, so that I don't die.

He's in for a shock.

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I think being a miserable person does shorten life and can cause health problems. It's not hard to believe that his new positive outlook could extend his life. Perhaps even God could give him some extra years so he can finally 'live'.

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