In the third chapter Scrooge awoke however prepared for what ever may face him next. But when the hour arrived nothing appeared until a booming voice called him into the next room. The room in which sat the giant was decorated with berries and delicious food. The giant revealed himself to be the Ghost of Christmas Present. Scrooge, still shaken from his encounter the night before with the Ghost of Christmas Past, goes with the giant without objection.
They appeared on the street on Christmas morning. The ghost takes Scrooge all over the city showing him how all the people of London celebrate this holiday. Then he takes him to the house of his employee Bob Cratchit. There Scrooge sees that even his sole employee whom he only pays fifteen shillings a week, has a large family, and a crippled son named Tiny Tim, is still full of cheer and takes immense joy in being with his family on this special day. They stop again at the house of Scrooge’s nephew Fred. There is a party going on with food, fun and games. Scrooge heard Fred talking of how much he pitied his uncle’s attitude of Christmas but loved him any way. Scrooge, quite bewildered by what he had seen, was conducted home by the Ghost. The moral throughout this chapter is no matter if you’re rich or poor joy and happiness can be spread on such an occasion.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come was shrouded in a long black robe which hid its face and spoke not a word. It merely pointed the way and Scrooge followed. First they went down the street stopping to listen to knots of conversation about a dead man, all with little or no emotion. Next they visited a pawn shop where two women were selling things taken from a dead mans house before the body was even cold. Then to Bob Cratchits house where Scrooge learns that Tiny Tim had died and the family is heart broken. Scrooge asked the Ghost if there might be a way to prevent his death. The ghost said nothing and led Scrooge away from the room. Scrooge asked if he might see himself in this future. The Ghost led him to a graveyard and pointed to a headstone. Scrooge looked at it and was shocked to find his own name engraved upon it. He fell to his knees by the spirit, proclaiming himself to be a changed man and that he would keep the Christmas spirit in his heart and forever heed the lessons of the Ghost of Christmas Past, Present and Future. The spirit vanished.
In the last chapter ‘The End Of It’ Scrooge awoke overjoyed by the fact that he did awake. He ran to the window and asked a passing boy what day it was. Christmas day he was told. He hadn’t missed it and was so happy he employed the boy to go to the poultry shop and buy the biggest turkey in the store and had it sent to Bob Cratchit’s house. Scrooge went to his nephew’s house and Fred welcomed him in joyfully and a wonderful time was had by all. The next day Scrooge got to work early. He caught Bob Cratchit coming in late and just as Bob thought he was going to get fired, Scrooge raised his salary and promised to help Cratchit and his struggling family. From that day on, Scrooge was a changed man. It was said that he knew how to keep Christmas well if any man alive possessed the knowledge.
In the first stave Scrooge is introduced to the reader a very greedy, isolated old sinner. This is indicated when he is described by the author ‘He was a covetous old sinner…and self contained, and solitary as an oyster’. This explains his reaction and behavior towards other people including his own family and employees. Some may ever think Scrooge was lonesome as no one ever stopped to speak to him, most people avoided him. However this was the very thing he liked. His uninfluenced presence in crowded areas warned ‘human sympathy to keep their distance’.
Bob Cratchit is an employee of Scrooge, his clerk. Working under the charge of a very greedy, self centered boss is as you presume, very hard. Scrooge is very selfish towards his clerk for example, ‘Scrooge had a very small fire but the clerks fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal…as the clerk came in with the shovel, the master predicted…for them to part’ This selfless act demonstrates that even on a bitter cold winter’s day Scrooge keeps himself warm with his fire, however doesn’t share the coal with his employee therefore remains cold.
Furthermore, being a very poor clerk, with his family living on his wages, makes life very difficult. His situation is indeed known to Scrooge who uses this to his advantage. This is revealed to the reader when ‘The clerk in the tank involuntarily applauded’ and Scrooge snapped back ‘Let me hear another sound from you, and you’ll keep your Christmas by loosing your situation’. This shows Scrooge’s unlimited power over him.
Finally Scrooge, as mentioned previously is very greedy and self centered. So naturally he will be very stingy towards Bob probably not even sparing him a penny. This concept is proved to us on Christmas Eve when Scrooge asks whether he would want the next day off and gets a positive reply though he then says ‘Its not convenient and it’s not fair. If I was to stop half a crown for it, you’d think yourself ill used, I’ll be bound? And yet you don’t think me ill used when I pay a day’s wages for no work’. This explains how Scrooge doesn’t want to pay him nevertheless knowing the special occasion.
Scrooge’s nephew is a joyful person with Christmas glistening in his heart. He comes to Scrooge’s counting house wishing him a Merry Christmas. However Scrooge has very different views and opinions surrounding Christmas, almost opposite. His views and opinions are revealed after this moment as he says ‘Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough’. This shows that on his mind is always money and what class you belong to, not the Christian view of celebrating and sharing no mater what state you are in. He also gives a description of Christmas in his own opinion ‘What’s Christmas time to you but a time for paying bills without money; a time for finding yourself a year older, and not a hour richer; a time for balancing your books and having every item in’em through a round dozen of months presented dead against you?’ This relates his job in everyone’s state and condition, stating that money is needed for such an occasion and if you celebrate Christmas you may become in debt. So in the view of Scrooge it you’re poor then you have no right to be merry.
Now known to the reader Scrooges personality, views and opinions on Christmas, another point is indeed needed to be taken into consideration. That is his views on the poor and giving to charity. These are expressed when two charity workers enter and summarize the conditions and common needs of the poor at the present time. Scrooge questions whether there are any prisons, union workhouses, and if the treadmill and Poor Law are in full vigor, he gets a positive reply. They declare that they are raising money for the poor and ask ‘What shall I put you down for’ ‘Nothing...I don’t make merry myself at Christmas and l can’t afford to make idle people merry’. This extends the points made earlier showing how selfish and self centered he is not even to spare a penny to feed and comfort those who are less fortunate than himself. Furthermore Scrooge doesn’t care the slightest for the poor, as he says; if they are that bad they should go to the work houses. But the charity workers reply ‘Many can’t go there, and many would rather die’ ‘If they would rather die they had better do it and decrease the surplus population’. This shows that he is uncompassionate and has no regret for all the poor people’s circumstances and that they should just die and decrease the expanding population.
Marley’s death is made clear to the reader in the opening sentence, repeating the word ‘dead’. The author made sure that at the very beginning one thing was understood, that Marley was dead, ‘dead as a doornail’. Scrooge knew this for a fact for he was Marley’s sole mourner. Now seven years on Marley’s head unexpectedly appears as a knocker on the door that Scrooge was just about to open. Then the scene changes as he enters his empty house and closes the door with a bang. The author highlights the fact that ‘the sound resounded through the house like thunder, every room above…appear to have echoes of its own’. This shows that Scrooge is in a very quiet, dark house with Marley on his mind. As he walks up the very wide stair case he sees an apparition of a locomotive hearse going on before him probably containing Marley’s body. Also when in his room he sees a copy of Marley’s head on every tile. These frequent sightings of Marley builds up tension in the reader like a count down until the big finale. Suddenly all the bells in the house start ringing indicating to the reader that the count down is complete. This is a very tense moment for the reader as anything may occur next. Sounds are heard downstairs as if chains are being dragged across the floor, as the sounds draw nearer to the room the reader is very tensed yet anxious to see what’s about to happen. That being so Marley entered through the door into the room. He was dressed the same, looked the same as he was before he died. However wore the chain he forged in the past as a sort of punishment. During his life he lived as Scrooge was today never wandering beyond the counting house, he walked through crowded areas with his head down, never helping the poor or giving to charity. With his death cold eyes he was condemned to travel through the world, bearing the heavy chain for all the sins committed. He informed Scrooge of his misfortune and Scrooges own ill fate if he doesn’t change.
The Ghost of Christmas Past firstly conducted Scrooge to the place he was bred. Scrooge could recollect every gate, post, and tree and named all the boys upon the ponies. They saw a lonely boy reading near a fire, it was Scrooges long forgotten self left in a boarding school for many of the Christmas holidays. Out of the window he saw Ali Baba. Scrooge began exclaiming about such subjects with the almost extraordinary voice, laughing and crying with an excited face. Already a difference can be seen in Scrooges character compared to his present. Looking back at himself as a boy he remembered the carol singer. A theme of regret begins to develop as he wishes he gave something instead of chasing him away however is joined by the theme of charity as he is shown another shadow of Christmas. They visit the place where Scrooge had apprenticed, Mr. Fezziwigs. Together they viewed the party which was thrown every Christmas aided to by Scrooges former self yet older and his fellow apprentice Dick. The Ghost points out that not much is spent to make all those people happy. Corrected by Scrooge who says ‘he has the power to render us happy or unhappy…his power lies in words and looks…the happiness he gives is quite as great as if it cost a fortune’ speaking unconsciously as his former self. The theme of regret is continued as Scrooge after hearing Fezziwig being praised says ‘I should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now’. As proved by in Scrooges words and character the Ghost of Christmas Past has had a positive impact on the transformation in his character.
The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge another view of Christmas, a view in which Scrooge had never encountered before in the past or present, a view into a poor family’s house in this case his clerk Bob Cratchit’s house. They watched as they dined and then sit round the fire. Scrooge asked if Tiny Tim will live which indicates to the reader that he has a slight feeling of remorse as he is partly to blame for paying such a low wage. The Ghost says that if the future is unaltered he will die however then uses Scrooges own words against him saying ‘if he be like to die, he had better do it and decrease the surplus population’. Hearing these words he hung his head with guilt. He had learnt a lot from that visit and had come to his senses about the poor realizing that they lived every day going hungry, wearing rags, some were ill but couldn’t afford treatment. The theme explored during this scene was guilt.
The Ghost then takes him to his nephew’s house where a Christmas party is underway. When they played music all the things that the ghost had shown him, came upon his mind and he gradually softened. Through that if he could have listened to it often, years ago, he might have cultivated the kindness of life for his own happiness with his own hands. This shows that his past experiences with the Ghosts have had a great impact on his character as the sound of music softened and brought kindness to his heart realizing his past mistakes. He reacts in a very different manner compared to his own when everybody starts singing and dancing, he joins in without a care in the world singing and dancing, joining in with the fun. However being in a shadow he couldn’t be seen or heard.
The Phantom then shows Scrooge two children both ‘wretched, frightful, hideous, miserable…ragged…where devils lurked’ from his robe. They were the children of man symbolizing mans Ignorance and Want. Scrooge was told to beware before it vanished.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come has been made the most the most frightening of all described as a phantom moving silently concealing his face and form in a deep black garment.
They first went and overheard a conversation between a group of businessmen. They were talking about Scrooge’s death. They commented on his legacy, however concluded that he left it to his company. They talked about his funeral, not caring at all. One queried whether they should ‘make up a party and volunteer’; another replied ‘I don’t mind going if a lunch is provided’. This shows that Scrooge was a very uncared for person.
Scrooge understands that if he changes he could change the course of his future. He tells the spirit that he will change and ‘honor Christmas’ in all his heart.
In the last chapter Scrooge was overcome with joy when he realizes its Christmas day. He tells a passing boy to buy the prize turkey and send it to Bob Cratchit’s. He went out wishing everyone a Merry Christmas as they went by. He sees the charity workers and tells them to come back later where they will receive payment. He went to his nephew’s house and joined in the party sharing happiness and joy. The next day he got in early catching his clerk coming in late. Bob thought he was going to get fired; instead Scrooge raised his salary and promised to help his struggling family. From this it shows Scrooge was able to redeem himself in every possible way in contrast to the past. From there on Scrooge kept Christmas in his heart and was a changed man.
In conclusion the moral in which Dickens is trying to elicit in his readers is in my opinion that ‘It is never too late to change your ways. You should be kind to yourself and others. Sharing Christian values in every possible way’. Dickens shows the differences in society between the rich and the poor and how we should help others to benefit all. Especially highlighting the views and opinions of the poor and how they feel because many people aren’t aware of these factors.