This makes him sound very self-centred’ and highlights his ignorance for
the less fortunate. From this beginning we can tell that Scrooge is not a nice character. Dickens uses Scrooge’s ex partner Jacob Marley to highlight why Scrooge should change.
When Scrooge first sees the face of his dead ex partner on the doorknocker of his home he refuses to believe it but it does leave him rather shaken. He then meets the ghost in full, but still Scrooge does not believe what his eyes show him and he convinces himself that what he see before him is just a hallucination caused by a bit of ‘undigested beef, blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato’ Scrooge does not want to accept what his eyes has shown him. He is trying to cover up and ignore the truth. When Scrooge finally realises that the spirit is true, he begins to question why it is visiting him. The spirit explains how he wasn’t charitable or kind hearted in life, and regrets what it could of started in his life on earth. When Marley discusses about how he ‘wears the chain he forged in life’ Scrooge begins to fear it. The spirit shows how unhappy he is living the life of a spirit who walks the earth, ‘again the spectre raised a cry and shook its chains and wrung its shadowy hands.’ Feeling remorse and ashamed the spirit knows he has missed out on a good life. With all the inadequate things Marley had done in his life caused his death, he wanted to warn Scrooge that he still has a chance to redeem his obnoxious ways, and become a well-mannered friendly person. The chain that Marley wore was symbolic of the way he lived his life, ‘padlocks, deeds and safety deposit boxes’ haunt him now. The spirit explained and warned Scrooge that three ghosts would visit him. Scrooge reacts in a startled manner, ‘he demanded in a faltering voice.’ Scrooge’s response is full of shock and fear. We begin to see that Scrooge isn’t as superior and tough as he is described in the beginning of the novel.
The first ghost to visit is the ghost of Christmas Past. This ghost is as small as a child and dressed in white to represent innocence and Scrooge childhood but has grey hair to show it is the past. The first place the Ghost takes Scrooge is to his old school. This brings back Scrooges childhood memories and Scrooge says ‘clasping his hands together I was bred in this place I was a boy here.’ This tells us that Scrooge did have some happy memories here. The surroundings change and we are stood in the school where the is ‘a solitary child, neglected by his friends.’ This shows us he also had some unhappy memories as his family didn’t have him home for Christmas, which could be part of the reason why he is so bitter now. After this he becomes sad and says ‘there was a boy singing carols at my door last night, I should have liked to give him something; that’s all.’ Which shows him having the feeling of regret. The ghost then takes Scrooge to another Christmas period and the scene changes to Mr Fezziwig. Dickens deliberately contrasts Fezziwig with Scrooge. Mr Fezziwig is Scrooges ex employer, he is a businessman. Mr Fezziwig is a happy, kind, jolly character. Scrooge reminisces about when he used to work for Fezziwig, and reflects on how much he relished it. ‘the happiness he gives is quite as great as it costs a fourteen.’ This highlights to us that Scrooge realises how generous Fezziwig was and yet was still a good businessman. Scrooge is starting to show more emotion, ‘I should be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now.’ This shows us Scrooge remembers how he was treated when he was an apprentice, and how he can treat Cratchit who works for him. Scrooge is feeling a bit regretful that he treats his employee with no respect. The final place Scrooge is taken to is the place where his ex-fiancée, Belle, breaks off the engagement because she feels ‘ another idol has misplaced me, a golden one.’ She explains to Scrooge that he is not the same person he was previously, when they first met. She believed greed and selfishness had taken over priority in his life. This enormously affects Scrooge. He doesn’t want to remember something he regrets deeply, ‘why do you delight in torturing me?’ This shows us Scrooge doesn’t want to be shown this fragment in his life because it distresses him to realise what he missed out on and what future he could have had with Belle. This scene different to other scenes. Beforehand, Scrooge was described as callous and heartless but now Dickens portrays him with emotions. These shadows have actually dented his ruthless appearance and personality.
The next ghost he is haunted by is the Ghost of Christmas Present. This ghost is nice, cheerful, gentle and happy to symbolise how Christmas should be. The first place he is taken to is his clerk’s house, Bob Cratchit. Here he sees how poor the family is and how much they eat yet are still contently happy when they are together. Then the character Tiny Tim is introduced. He is the crippled son. Here Scrooge inquires whether or not he will live and the ghost coldly replies ‘if he die he best do it quickly and decrease the surplus population.’ It is here that Scrooge realises how cold hearted his words are scrooge feels guilt in abundance. He is realising the reality of being poor as he has never been in the situation. When he discovered Cratchit and his family were poverty stricken, he realises only himself was to blame for Bob’s circumstances, because he pays him pittance. The setting is then changed to his nephew, Fred’s, house and he sees all the merriment and fun they are having. Hearing Fred’s toast to him made him ‘so light-hearted, that he would have thanked him in an inaudible speech.’ Scrooge also came to the realisation
of love for his nephew.
The nephew described Scrooge, as ‘a comical old fellow however would not hear a negative word said about him.’ Instead he should pity ‘who suffers by his whims: himself.’ The nephew has the right to be a mean and spiteful character but refuses. Scrooge is learning the concept of compassion and love. The spirit shows Scrooge the two children ‘Want and Ignorance.’ Two young children deprived under the spirits cape desperately need him otherwise their future remain bleak. He warns Scrooge the children will get him unless he changes and once again uses his own words against him, ‘are there no prisons, are there no workhouses?’ the ghost sarcastically repeats another phrase Scrooge said, back to the time when he was inconsiderate. The spirit answers Scrooge in this way in order to make him feel extremely guilty and realise what he has said was becoming.
Finally it is the ghost of Christmas Future. This spirit is darkest of the three, ‘draped and hooded’, and importantly is mute to show it can be changed. The third spirit takes him to the stock exchange. Scrooge feels at home. The businessmen were discussing whether they would turn up to his funeral, seeming as he didn’t deserve to have people there as he was a cold man. However Scrooge was terribly confused as he didn’t know who had died as he joined mid conversation. ‘Scrooge knew the men and looked towards the spirit for an explanation.’ Scrooge wanted the spirit to describe to him what was the purpose of taking him here, but the spirit stood in silence. The ghost moves onto another scene where a deceased body is laying on a bed, covered by a sheet. The spirit points at the head of the body, signalling Scrooge to uncover what is underneath. Scrooge feels horrified and generally doesn’t want to face that there is a dead person underneath, ‘this is a fearful place. In leaving it, I shall not leave its lessons’ we can see Scrooge has had enough of this torture and doesn’t want o stay any longer. Even though he wants to leave he wont forget the message. He begs the spirit to show him some tenderness connected with a death and the ghost shows him Bob Cratchit in the future without his son and how badly affected they were. This obviously isn’t the kind of tenderness he meant, he wanted someone to care for his broken, run-down grave. At this point he is no longer a mean miser but a good man.
At the end of the novel after all three ghosts had visited Scrooge, he returned back to reality a changed man. As he returns in his room from the encounter with the ghost he praises everyone and everything. This demonstrates that he has changed for the better. Dickens again shows his change by using similes, ‘as giddy as a child’ Dickens shows the rebirth of Scrooge, in that he is now a child and looking at Christmas in a new light. Dickens uses the repetition of the word ‘good’ to create a very positive effect on Scrooge. Scrooge is now a kind man and is generous and loving and wants to change what he has for-seen. He buys a big turkey for the Cratchits and goes to his nephew’s house for dinner. He also gives Bob a raise and tries to turn round his life. This is a big contrast to the cold hearted, cruel miser we saw at the beginning of the story.
Dickens saw a problem with working conditions. Dickens saw a problem with housing conditions. Dickens saw a problem with people starving and having to steal. With our lifestyles most of us have today, we can says Charles Dickens changed all of our lives for the better.
By Tim Coll