MovieChat Forums > A Christmas Carol (1984) Discussion > 'Ebenezer I release you'

'Ebenezer I release you'

posted 12 years ago by btibbens
7 replies | jump to latest

So it sounds like Belle and Scrooge were under some sort of contract that they would get married in the future? I don't know if this was common back in the 1800s, was this part of the engagement process back then?

[–] lightninggirl 12 years ago

No contract. Belle was simply dumping Ebeneezer and breaking off their engagement, which would have been agreed upon by the both of them. He promised to marry her by proposing at some point, but that as at a time before he'd become successful. She asks if he'd seek out a woman in her position, which was basically poor. He couldn't answer and she knew that he loved money more than he loved her.

[–] StrongRex 12 years ago

She did say, "Our contract is an old one"...did she really mean their relationship?

[–] TheGuyWithTheFeet 12 years ago

Yes. They had a contract of the heart.

[–] 12 years ago

[deleted]

[–] silver_surfer74 12 years ago

That was actually one of the most chilling points in the film, to me anyway. It represents the point at which he began the change in earnest, from being a somewhat normal guy with normal feelings and a heart, into the miserable cold-hearted man that he was at the present point in the story. If he had just hung onto his woman and prioritized according to the heart, he may have turned out a completely different man, but then, we wouldn't have a book/film, either..

[–] Adler-99 12 years ago

Yes, in various cultures and times past, engagements/betrothals were considered social contracts, sometimes legal ones. In Victorian England, a "breach of promise" lawsuit was possible if an engaged person decided to terminate the engagement without the other's agreement. So if Belle hadn't released Ebenezer, he was obligated to marry her or, if he broke off the engagement (which he obviously wanted to do since now he loved money more), he could have been sued by Belle or her family.

There's a book that explains a lot of things about the world of "A Christmas Carol" -- it's called "What Jane Austen Ate and Charles Dickens Knew" by Daniel Pool. It explains workhouses, poorhouses, dancing etiquette, parlor games, and lots of other things about daily life in 19th century England.

[–] chainsaw_metal1 8 years ago

At the time, one could be taken to court over the breaking of an engagement. She was releasing him of all obligation, simply saying that she wouldn't pursue legal action.