Scrooge’s character at the beginning of the text was a very cold and grouchy old man. Scrooge’s character is mainly described using words linked with weather at Christmas. He showed no compassion to anyone at all. “No warmth could warm” him. Scrooge was very cheep and “tight-fisted hand to the grindstone Scrooge”, he disliked spending money, infact he disliked manythings. Probably the only thing that Scrooge did like at this point in the story was saving and making money, “Scrooge liked the dark, it was cheep.”
Scrooge had no friends and he had a reputation for being a mean old man. Scrooge does not like poor families; he thinks they are a waste of space and time. When a couple of charity workers come round on Christmas eve to collect money for the less fortunate he asks if there are any work houses or prisons.
Ebenezer Scrooge hates holidays, especially Christmas. In fact Christmas was a “humbug” in Scrooge’s eyes, it was also an excuse to get drunk and not to work.
When Scrooge walks down a street people ignored but he didn’t mind. I get the impression that at this point in the story Scrooge doesn’t even want to change.
Scrooge treats Bob Cratchit, his employee, as his own property because this is how he sees him. Bob Cratchit is a husband and a father to many children. He needs money to support his large family not to mention his critically ill son Tim. Scrooge knows about all this and still he refuses to give Bob a pay rise or even time off at Christmas.
But it is not only Bob Cratchit who he mistreats. He also is mean to his nephew, Fred. Scrooge regards Fred as poor and foolish. He thinks this because Fred got married (I think Scrooge is secretly jealous about this), he is too happy and he gives away too much money. Scrooge never really talks to his nephew even though he is his only living relative.
Scrooge lives in “chambers” that used to belong to his now dead partner Jacob Marley. “They were a gloomy suite of rooms”. The building where Scrooge lived was so old that nobody lived there now, only him. All the other rooms were let out as offices. Scrooge’s living conditions remind me of him, old, dark and lonely.
As Scrooge was coming home one evening he saw, or thought he saw the face of Jacob Marley in his doorknocker. This startled Scrooge as Marley had been dead at this point in the story for seven years. Little did Scrooge know that this was only the beginning. When Marleys ghost did appear, in chains, Scrooge was very sceptical. He didn’t want to believe that it was him. “You may be an un-digested bit of beef”. This upset the ghost because the whole point of his visit was to warn Scrooge that if he carried on living the way he was, then when he died he would have to carry around a chain too. A long chain that he has forged in his life with “cashboxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses wrought in steel.” I feel that Scrooge respected Marley when he was alive; he was probably one of the few people Scrooge ever has respected. Because of this fact, the message from Marleys ghost would have carried more weight. In life they both shared a common ground, business, and probably got on well together because of this I expect.
Towards the end of Marleys visit Scrooge wants to talk to him. He wants comfort from Marley when he finds out what will happen to him if he doesn’t change his ways. But Marley has none to give to him. Marley tells Scrooge that three Spirits will visit him. These are his last chance to change his ways before it is too late. At this point Scrooge is unsure about being haunted by three spirits.
The Spirit of Christmas Past showed Scrooge his childhood. It showed Scrooge his school and his school friends. I feel that Scrooge had forgotten them on his quest for money. Being shown them again reminded Scrooge that he did have friends once upon a time and that he hadn’t always been with out them. “Why did his cold eye glisten, and his heat leap as they went past”. This is one of the first signs that Scrooge is becoming human again.
The Spirit also by doing this reminded Scrooge that he had not always been rich. He also used to have to stay in the schoolhouse over holidays, as his father would not have him home. His father blamed Scrooge for his mother’s death, so the only source of love he had was from his sister Fanny. Whilst in the schoolhouse he read books to pass the time, Scrooge referred to the characters from the books as his friends. He must have been very lonely in that building all by himself at such a young age.
The spirit also showed Scrooge his first love, Belle. Scrooge loved Belle with all his heart. She was beautiful and kind. Her and Scrooge were supposed to get married but they never did as Scrooge was too caught up in his money making to marry anyone. Belle told Scrooge this: “our contract is an old one. It was made when we were both poor.” So you see making money had become Scrooge’s life and not even his first love could distract him from it. Scrooge had changed, he no longer wanted to enjoy himself, and he only wanted to make money. When Belle left Scrooge I believe this is where he reached a crossroads. He could either go after Belle, or forget her and continue making money and this is what he did.
The Spirit then showed Scrooge Belle later in her life, as a “comely matron”, with many children. This must have been a hard pill for Scrooge to swallow because these could have been his children. If only he hadn’t cared about his money so much. The scene, which the Spirit showed Scrooge, was a happy one. Every one was smiling and laughing and having a good time. It was Christmas Eve and Belle’s husband was giving out presents, this could have been Scrooge, they all looked like a happy family. This made Scrooge angry and then he demanded to leave. The name “belle” means beautiful in French. I think that Dickens named her this so that the reader could visualise what she might look like and also know that she is pretty. Scrooge gets rid of this Spirit by force. He decided when it would leave. He refused to listen any more.
As it nears the time for the second Spirit to arrive Scrooge prepares himself to meet it. This time Scrooge is not stubborn and recognises the Spirit for what he is and not a piece of cheese. The spirit of Christmas Present tells Scrooge that just because he is rich it doesn’t mean that he is better than every one else, especially poorer people.
The Spirit shows Scrooge the Cratchits on Christmas. The purpose of this is to show Scrooge that no matter what your finical situation you can still have a merry Christmas. Scrooge sees everything that the Cratchits do that day. The way they treat each other, what they do, how they act and what they say. All this reminds Scrooge of the love he received from his sister. In this part of the story Scrooge asks if Tiny Tim will live. This shows that Scrooge is thinking of someone else, not just himself. Scrooge asks the Spirit if Tim will die. Tim is the Cratchits little ill son. The Spirit said that Tim would die if the “shadows” remain unchanged. The Spirit also shows the Cratchits making a toast to Scrooge. This, I think, surprised Scrooge, because he thought that no body cared about him.
Next the Spirit showed Scrooge his nephew’s house. Scrooge is again showed everything that they did. Again they make a toast to him. Fred is celebrating Christmas with a group of friends. While in the house Scrooge learns that his nephew loves him and that he has no thing against him. But he also learns what people think of him. Fred’s wife thinks he is tight fisted and although everyone knows he is rich, they know it does no thing for him.
The Spirit takes Scrooge to an “open place”. While there Scrooge notices something under the Spirits gown. There are two children, Ignorance and Want. The Spirit warns Scrooge to be aware of them because on their heads he sees the word DOOM. The Spirit also tells Scrooge that man had made them. Scrooge showed concern for the children, “have they no refuge”. But the Spirit shows no compassion towards him. In fact he uses Scrooge’s own words against him. “Are there no prisons”? I think that this shows that Scrooge has changed because he no longer thinks the same way about the poorer people. The Second Spirit leaves Scrooge very abruptly in fact he just disappears.
The Third Spirit, the Sprit of Christmas Yet to Come was the scariest of the three Spirits. In the book it is described as a “phantom”. I think this is because the future is a little scary for every one. The Spirit did not talk but this did not deter Scrooge who was determined to take in every thing that the Spirit wanted him to learn. Scrooge saw many scenes in the future. One was some of his business friend talking about someone’s funeral but Scrooge did not gather it was his. Another is of servants and cleaners selling his belongings that they had stole out of the room in which his dead body lay. This shows that Scrooge had taken so much money from the people that they now wanted it back. It also shows what little respect they had for him.
Eventually Scrooge realises that it is he who is dead. He then wants to see emotion connected with his death but all the Spirit shows him is happiness and relief. The servant selling his belongings brings the happiness. And the relief is shown by the people who owe Scrooge money hugging each other because they now have extra time to give back the money they owe him. Scrooge, seeing no love connected with his death then demands to see tenderness connected with death. The Spirit then shows Scrooge the Cratchits. Tiny Tim is now dead and the family are sad because of this. This is another example of a loving family, something that Scrooge never really had. The Spirit also shows Scrooge grave. It is his. With reading this Scrooge then begins to cry out. He pleads to know if the future is something that “will be” or is it something that “may be”. Charles Dickens thinks that you can change the future.
Scrooge at the end of the text is a completely different man. He is any thing but grumpy or tight fisted. Now when he walks down the street he speaks to every one he sees. He no longer neglects Bob Cratchit, he even raises his salary. He also gives the charity workers the donation that they wanted the day before.
Scrooge is so worried about Tim that he sends a large turkey round to the Cratchits on Christmas Day. Scrooge, in the end becomes Tim’s second father. I think that this is something that Scrooge has always wanted to be. He respects the Spirits and vows to always live in the past, the present and the future and he will also never forget the lessons that the Spirits have taught him.
Scrooge also goes round to his nephew’s house for Christmas. He is kind to Fred’s wife as well. He really enjoys himself and he eventually gets the reputation that if anyone knows how to keep Christmas well its Mr. Ebenezer Scrooge.
There are many morals in this story. One is that you cannot change the past, you can either learn from it and move on or you don’t. Another is that you can change the future by the present. You must always think about the way you are acting and how it will affect your future. Another is that just because you are rich doesn’t make you better than everyone else. Poor people have just as much right to a good life as richer people. This story also shows that by ignoring a problem it doesn’t go away. You need to confront it. I hope that by reading this book I will take on some of the moral and carry them with me for the rest of my life because they are some good moral to live by.
By Sarah Lindsay
