I came to this conclusion because I see the story as a moral lesson from Dickens. I can't imagine Dickens wanting to teach us that we should be generous and joyous at Christmas time out of fear of a lonely death and torment in the afterlife.
If the moral lesson had been based on fear, then two entire chapters - or staves - would have been unnecessary for the narrative, namely "Stave Two", in which we meet The Ghost of Christmas Past, and "Stave Three", in which we meet The Ghost of Christmas Present. Jacob Marley's tormented apparition and the haunting scenes shown by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come would have sufficed to convey the moral lesson.
The story is short and compact, and it is clear that Dickens thought a lot about its symbolism and structure before having it published. If he felt something he wrote was unnecessary, he would have left it out from the finished product. If the apparitions of The Ghost of Christmas Past and The Ghost of Christmas present were necessary to convey the moral of the story, then the lesson could not have been solely one based on fear.
I believe Scrooge's change was genuine.
I came to this conclusion because I see the story as a moral lesson from Dickens. I can't imagine Dickens wanting to teach us that we should be generous and joyous at Christmas time out of fear of a lonely death and torment in the afterlife.
If the moral lesson had been based on fear, then two entire chapters - or staves - would have been unnecessary for the narrative, namely "Stave Two", in which we meet The Ghost of Christmas Past, and "Stave Three", in which we meet The Ghost of Christmas Present. Jacob Marley's tormented apparition and the haunting scenes shown by The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come would have sufficed to convey the moral lesson.
The story is short and compact, and it is clear that Dickens thought a lot about its symbolism and structure before having it published. If he felt something he wrote was unnecessary, he would have left it out from the finished product. If the apparitions of The Ghost of Christmas Past and The Ghost of Christmas present were necessary to convey the moral of the story, then the lesson could not have been solely one based on fear.
Merry Christmas!