The final ghost, Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come replaces the other ghost. He shows Scrooge several scenes of people discussing someone's death. Scrooge does not know, however, who the man is. He learns that Tiny Tim has died, but the Cratchit’s maintain their love. Scrooge finally discovers that he is the one who has died and his death has only pleased people. He expresses hope that these scenes of the future can be changed, and promises to include the lessons of the past, present, and future into his adoption of the Christmas spirit. Scrooge wakes up in his bedroom and learns that the whole adventure took only one night, not three, as it is now Christmas Day. In addition to smiling and being friendly to everyone he sees, he sends a large turkey to the Cratchit’s, gives a sizable donation to the charity worker he previously insulted, and has a wonderful time at Fred's party. The next day he gives Cratchit a raise. He never sees the ghosts again, but he keeps the spirit of Christmas alive in his heart.
Dickens wants the readers to react in many different ways; firstly I should think he wants them to react with compassion for Tiny Tim, outrage at how mean Scrooge is, sympathy for Bob Cratchit and also make them think about the class system now and in Victorian times.
The book is structured in staves, similar to acts in a play, because of this A Christmas Carol is very easy to adapt into play and/or a television programme.
Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly creditor whose redemption to kindness and selflessness forms the basis of A Christmas Carol. Scrooge represents the Victorian rich who neglect the poor and think only of themselves. The inspiration Dickens provides for Scrooge's character is his depiction of him as a young boy; neglected by his peers and, it appears, by his father. Bob Cratchit is Scrooge's overworked employee, a shy man afraid to stand up to his boss's demanding ways. He cares dearly for his crippled son, Tiny Tim. Cratchit is a symbol for the Victorian poor, good-hearted and hard working but unable to climb out the suffocating conditions of poverty. Cratchit's crippled son, Tiny Tim represents the overwhelming goodness of the Christmas spirit. The Ghost of Christmas Past is the first ghost to visit Scrooge; the small, elderly figure represents memory. The Ghost of Christmas Present is a giant clad in robes, this ghost has 1800 brothers and a life span of one day. He represents celebration and charity. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come. This solemn, silent phantom represents death, but also the presents the possibility that the future is not determined, but open to the free will of humans. These three ghosts have a major effect on Scrooge, they make him see that his way of life and the way he treats other people is wrong. The first ghost shows him how unhappy he was as a child; the second ghost shows him that other people are having so much fun at Christmas and that they don’t need him. The last ghost shows him what people really think of him, and what would happen to him and his possessions after he died. Belle was Scrooges former girlfriend; the Ghost of Christmas Past showed him this time. This was the only time when Scrooge was happy, but Belle ended it with him because he was getting too greedy. Fred is Scrooges nephew Scrooge's nephew; Fred symbolises the jollity and sharing of Christmas. He refuses to let Scrooge's "Bah! Humbug!" attitude bring him down, and is overjoyed when his uncle converts and attends his party.
Some of the language in the story is of its time, such as ‘bestow’, ‘kindred’, ‘portly’ and ‘covetous’. However most of the language is reasonably modern. Dickens uses a lot of lists to create scenes and uses fairly long sentences to really build up a picture of the scene. The pace is quite slow at first, but builds up towards the end, as does the tension in the story.
There are many different themes in the story. The Christmas spirit, above all, A Christmas Carol is a celebration of Christmas and the good it inspires. At Christmas time, people forget their petty disputes and selfishness in favour of friendship, charity, and celebration. Several representatives of these qualities stand out in Dickens's cast. Fred is a model of good cheer, while I think that Fezziwig adds to this the dimensions of being a tremendous friend and generous employer. Tiny Tim's courage and selflessness in the face of his ill health are also important, as is the loving nature of the entire Cratchit family. Scrooge learns the lessons of the Christmas spirit through his visions of Christmases past, present, and future; in each he sees either the ill effects his miserly nature has wrought or the good tidings that others bring about through their love and kindness.
Redemption and free will; a great pleasure in A Christmas Carol is watching Scrooge's transformation from money-pinching grouch to generous gentleman. His redemption is made possible through free will. While Scrooge is shown visions of the future, he states (and his statement is borne out in Stave Five) that they are only visions of things that "May" be, not what "Will" be. He has the power to change the future with his present actions, and Dickens tries to impart this sense of free will to the reader; if Scrooge can change, then so can anyone.
Problems of Victorian society: Dickens blames the huge class stratification of Victorian England on the selfishness of the rich and, implicitly, on the Poor Laws that keep down the underclass. Scrooge is the obvious symbol of the greedy Victorian rich, while the Cratchits represent the working poor. But Dickens goes beyond this and reveals the underbelly of the city. Even in the scene of the thieving workers divvying up the dead Scrooge's possessions, the responsibility for their actions is put on Scrooge had he not been such a miser, they would not have resorted to stealing from him. When the children of Ignorance and Want crawl out from under the robes of the Ghost of Christmas Present, the ghost sends a message to Scrooge, and the same is given to the Victorian reader: to help out those in Want, and beware of Ignorance in oneself and others. Ignorance and want are very major themes in the story, The Ghost of Christmas Present shows them, wretched and almost animal in appearance, to Scrooge with the warning: "This boy is Ignorance. This girl is Want. Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased."
A great deal of symmetry ties up A Christmas Carol after Scrooge's conversion. Scrooge does right by everyone he previously wronged in Stave One; the portly gentleman, the Cratchit’s (note how he even asks Cratchit to put more coal on the fire after he previously made him shiver in the cold), and Fred, not to mention everyone else in the city.
Also, all the ghosts have visited Scrooge in one night, not three. This surprise allows Scrooge to start his giving ways on Christmas Day, and promotes the idea that he has had an overnight conversion. After suffering through a hellish nightmare, he wakes up a happy, charitable, and redeemed man. Anyone can change his behaviour for the better, Dickens implies, as can any society.
The main intention of the writer was to show the Christmas spirit, as I have said previously he shows Christmas as a time when people forget their petty disputes, selfish tendencies, in favour of friendship, charity, and celebration. Also I feel that Dickens wanted to show that anyone could change their personality or behaviour no matter who they are or what society they live in. This is redemption. He also wanted to show the class system in Victorian times, the selfishness of the rich and, implicitly, on the Poor Laws that keep down the underclass.
