In the novel Scrooge shows his hatred towards the poor and charities that tried to help them. Scrooge has an employee called Bob Cratchit who works for him but gets very little money and is treated very badly. It is Christmas and very cold but although Bob has to work near window and a very little fire is provided for him so he gets freeze. On the Christmas Eve a Charity man came to collect money for poor people. When the Charity man asked for money Scrooge asked are there no prisons. This shows that he doesn’t care if the poor people go to prison. Even though the charity man asked how much you want to pay Scrooge replied nothing. The word nothing is so hard which Scrooge said that the Charity man couldn’t even persuade Scrooge anymore. Scrooge also said that if people need support to live then they should go to workhouses otherwise go to prison. The charity man replied
They cant go there and would rather die and Scrooge said if they would rather die they had better to do it and decrease the surplus population. This shows that he is so cruel and mean and if they die he won’t have to pay so many taxes.
Later as he went back home he was sitting on his sofa and eating his soup. 7 years were gone since the death of Marley and it was Christmas Eve. As Scrooge was sitting he heard some voice. First he just thought it was nothing but he heard it again. He stood up and saw a Ghost coming in surrounded with loads of chains and money boxes. It was Marleys ghost but Scrooge didn’t recognise it because of Marleys appearance.
Marley came to change Scrooges attitude towards poor .He said that if you do one bad thing your chain gets one more link like me.
Marley said I made it link by link, and yard by yard, I girded it on my own will, and of my own free will I ware it.
Is it pattern strange to you? Marley warned that he had seen Scrooges chain 7 Christmas Eves ago and it was as heavy and as long as his You have laboured on it since. It is a ponderous chain.
Charles Dickens has brought the ghost to warn Scrooge and give him a chance to change his mind ant attitude to the poor. Dickens also wants all rich people to care about the poor.
As Marley went away he says to Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits. Scrooge sees hundreds of ghosts in chains floating and moaning through the air. Scrooge tries to say Humbug but he stops at the first syllable. This shows that Scrooges mind has started to change and he is not as uncaring as before.
The first spirit is the Ghost of Christmas Past. He shows Scrooge his childhood and reminds him how his father did not love him. Scrooge was left alone at Christmas while his friends went home. Dickens is trying to make us to understand Scrooges character and perhaps feel sorry for him. There is also his sister and a girlfriend who Scrooge loved. The sister dies and the girlfriend left him because he was too busy with his work. Scrooge doesn’t want to be reminded about his past and tells the ghost Remove me from this place I cannot bear it which shows he is feeling very uncomfortable
The next ghost the Ghost of Christmas Present, is a fat, jolly big man dressed in green with holly on his head. He shows Scrooge people preparing for their Christmas celebration, people going to church. He goes to Cratchits house and Scrooge sees all the children and how poor they are. Dickens has created the character of tiny Tim. Bobs crippled son. This makes the reader more emotional and sympathetic towards the family. They have been to the church and Dickens included this to remind people that Christmas is a religious festival and not just a time to be happy.
Bob says to his wife that Tim was as good as gold in church. And Tim told him he hoped the people saw him in the 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.
The last ghost the Ghost of Christmas yet to come. This ghost wore a black coat with a big hood so you couldn’t see his face accept his dangerous eyes. This ghost didn’t spoke, he just showed everything by pointing it with his finger. He shows Scrooge the future. He shows Scrooge that he is died and some old women are selling all his stuff like bed sheets and the cutlery. This shows that absolutely nobody liked Scrooge and as he died right at the time people are selling his whole stuff. Even he is died nobody cares about it a great fat man with a monstrous chin, I don’t know much about it either way. I only know he is dead said one of the women and another said suppose we make up a party and volunteer. Dickens uses the scary ghost for the future because he wants to show the death of Scrooge. The ghost also shows that Tiny Tim is died because of no money and no treatment.
As Scrooge get up from his sleep he was very happy the bed was his own, the room was his own. He was very changed. He watched out the window and saw snow and a child running away.
Scrooge called him and gave him some money to buy a big prize turkey for him.
He went to church and then he went to his family for dinner. Next day Bob was early to his job and Scrooge said I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer.
And therefore, he continued, leaping from his stool, and giving Bob such a dig in the waistcoat that he staggered back into the Tank again, and therefore I am about to raise your salary.
And Scrooge also said A merry Christmas, Bob. Scrooge infinitely did more and to Tiny Tim who did not die he was his second father.
At the end I want to say that Charles Dickens wrote this story to give poor people a bit more respect and to encourage rich people to help poor people and not to behave like Scrooge.
