larger view

I had the opportunity to watch a very moving movie based on Charles Dickens's "Nicholas Nickleby."  A quick summary is that a boy inherits the responsibility of caring for his family after his fathers death.  He must then struggle to protect his family from an evil uncle and the inhuman degradations of a fallen society.

    The background itself is representative of the evil, man has created for himself.  Victorian England is characterized by inhuman institutions created by greed and sanctified by a warped religiosity shaped by Calvinistic/Puritan heresies.  Men, women and children are treated worse than animals and the very air is choked by the foul, blackness of materialism.  This is similar to our post modern world were people campaign for the right to destroy human life and dignity under the auspice of freedom of choice and tolerance.  Where the atmosphere itself is choked in a smog of self indulgent ideologies.

     Even though this tale takes place in a despairing world.  Goodness and Light still manage to shine through.  Like  Mel Gibson's "Passion of Christ"  in the midst of the horror God's love peaks through in acts of human kindness and love toward each other.  The hero of our saga meets many kindhearted people who are willing to help and eventually bring to ruin all of the machinations of the evil one personified here by the evil uncle.

     This is a timeless tale of morality were good over comes evil.  Charles Dickens is a classic author known for his deep insight into the human condition.  But don't take my word for it you can watch it in it's entirety here:

 http://www.hulu.com/nichola...#