“Heaped on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cheery-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam.”
Dickens uses this long listed sentence to enforce the nature of Christmas present. This is like a list and overwhelms the reader with good things.
However Dickens then focuses on the appearance of the Christmas Present. In this description Dickens uses powerful words to exaggerate the qualities of the ghost.
“Capacious…shining…dark…deep green…genial…sparkling…open…cheery…unconstrained…joyful.”
By Dickens uses these words have a very big impact on the readers because it by using these words it creates a big picture of the story.
Then Dickens finishes on describing the appearance of the ghost of Christmas Present. They then go to visit Bob Cratchit’s house, but on their journey they pass all sorts of people, rich, poor etc. They are all enjoying Christmas no matter what they have or haven’t got.
“And so it was! God love it, so it was!”
There is no quarrelling and bickering on Christmas day, well not according to Dickens. This really addresses the reader and involves them in the novel; Dickens here is making his own seasonal message about peace and good will to all men.
When Scrooge and the ghost of Christmas present finally reach the Cratchit’s house they find them all having a good time, getting into the Christmas spirit, especially Mrs Cratchit who is “ dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons”. This shows that Mrs Cratchit is the sort of person who makes the best of everything she has. This is the same reality of the majority of Victorians, most Victorians only really had one pair of clothes, but wore it until they couldn’t wear them no more. Dickens also describes the cheapness of the goose. “There never was such a goose”. Bob Cratchit had said he didn’t believe there was such a goose cooked “Its tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness, were themes of universal admiration”. This passage shows that everyone around the table knows the goose is cheap but is all-thankful of how it looks. This here shows that they really make the best of what they have. Many different ways Victorian reality was different including infant mortality which Dickens talks about through Bob Cratchit son Tiny Tim, whose the smallest of the house at sits on Bob Cratchit arm.
Tiny Tim hasn’t got much and is crippled but he is still a blessing to the Cratchit family. He is warm-hearted and has innocence.
“He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see”.
Tiny Tim hear is thinking about others and not himself, this goes to show he hasn’t got much, and is a cripple but is still in the Christmas season. Which shows that Tiny Tim is very selfless.
Through all of this experience Scrooge is silent all the way through and this shows the reader that he is very ashamed. This is confirmed when the Ghost of Christmas present says the words that Scrooge had said.
“Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief.”
The reader starts to realise that Scrooge is changing and feeling sorry for what he had said, and wishes he could take it all back. Scrooge is starting to truly find out the nature of the Christmas season. But he still hasn’t fully got it yet; he has still got more to come.
On the journey to other places, which were celebrating Christmas, Dickens uses a number of long sentences to build up tension and to describe places.
“And now, without a word of warning from the ghost, they stood upon a beak and desert moor, where monstrous masses of rude stone were cast about, as though it were the burial-place of giants; and water spread itself where over it listed – or would have done so, but for the frost that held it prisoner; and nothing grew but moss and furze, and coarse, rank grass.”
Dickens uses a sentence structure where there are many sub – co ordinate clauses first in the sentence before the main clause. This is used to build up tension and describe places they are the ghost and Scrooge are going to visit.
Dickens gets Scrooge to go to these places because Scrooge needs to change his selfish ways, and by showing him how poor and rich people celebrate their Christmas and they are both alike.
The next and last place Scrooge goes to is his nephew. His nephew is sympathetic to him but the rest aren’t so easily quick to accept his new ways.
“I am sorry for him; I couldn’t be angry with him if I tried. Who suffers by his ill whims! Himself, always. Here he takes into his head to dislike us, and he wont come and dine with us.”
Scrooge’s nephew feels sorry for him being so selfish and tries to justify his selfish ways to the rest of the family.
“I have no patience with him, observed scrooge’s niece. Scrooge’s niece’s sisters, and all the other ladies, expressed the same opinion.”
Apart from Scrooge’s nephew they haven’t got time for Scrooge and his selfish ways.
By watching his own family he realises and finds out what people think about him, the truth about his behaviour. Then he realises that other people are very important to him. Family is important!
“A Merry Christmas and a Happy Year New Year to the old man, whatever he is!”
Even though Scrooge is selfish and has a solid cold heart, his family still love him and still wish him a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
To conclude, by Scrooge hearing this, going from door to door, following all the ghosts back through his life helps him to change his selfish ways and antics. Which helps to live and good and prosperous lifestyle, and start to find out what the Christmas season is all about.
