What words or ideas are repeated in the story, A Christmas Carol, and what are their significance?

There are several words that are repeated throughout the story, and these are often themes of the book as well, which indicates their significance. After doing a quick "find" search, the following words appeared multiple times:

Money = 10 times. Obviously Scrooge has money he is unwilling to spend and there are many in the story who need money in order to buy the essentials to survive on. Money is a major theme in the story because it is the thing Scrooge values most, and yet those who do not have it value family and health more than money.

Family = 14 times. There are many families in "A Christmas Carol," mostly happy ones. Scrooge is not a part of any of them until the end, and then he not only is welcomed back into his own family by his nephew, Fred, but is also "adopted" by the Cratchit family.

Love = 10 times. Scrooge is lacking love for anyone at the beginning of the story, and it takes the Spirits showing him those around him and how he used to love and be loved, as well as how much now he is not loved, to realize he wants to change his life.

Poor = 32 times! Clearly there are many poor people in this story, including the many women and children the charity men are requesting donations for and most noticeably, the Cratchits. Scrooge has the ability to make all of their lives easier, and he eventually does. This theme is so crucial to the story because even the poor in this story show more generosity than the richest man.

Happy = 13 times. Scrooge is not a happy man at the beginning of the story. In spite of his terrible behavior, the Cratchits and Fred all manage to retain their Christmas spirit and thankfully, Scrooge comes around at last.

Alone = 14 times. Scrooge is utterly alone. He has no friends and he has pushed his family away. The Spirits help him to recognize that as a boy at school he hated being alone and now as an adult he has forced himself to be alone once again.

Help = 16 times. Scrooge has the ability to help others and it is not until later in the book he chooses to do so. However, throughout the book we see many characters helping each other. This theme of the story is central, as Dickens is trying to remind us that even when we do not have anything at all, we can still help one another.

To do your own word searches, check out the eText of this story by going to either of the links below.