Jacob Marley is Scrooge’s dead business partner, he had the same attitudes and behaviour as Scrooge, “We have no doubt his liberality is well presented by his surviving partner,”… It certainly was; for they had been to kindred spirits.”
The ghost of Jacob Marley visits Scrooge one night and warns him if he does not change his ways, and help others he will be doomed to spend his existence bound in chains, for Jacob Marley has spent his ghostly existence bound in chains that are made from things he preoccupied himself with in life. It says, “The chain he drew was clasped around his middle. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; and it was made (for scrooge observed it closely) of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel.” People in Dickens time were extremely scared of ghosts and so Marley is a good way to get across a message to the reader that actions in life have consequences.
Scrooge is told that three spirits, which will give him a chance to escape the same fate as Marley, will visit him. “You will be haunted.” Resumed the ghost, “by three spirits…” Is that the chance and hope you mentioned, Jacob?” [Scrooge] demanded in a faltering voice. “It is.” “I-I think I’d rather not,” said Scrooge. “Without their visits you cannot hope to shun the path I tread.”
The first ghost that visits him is a small child, however it shows signs of age and wisdom, “ its hair which hung about its neck and down its back, was white, as if with age; and yet the face had not a wrinkle in it, and the tenderest bloom was on the skin.”. The ghost shows Scrooge scenes of his past, the first is when he is a little boy at school and he has been deserted by his friends and left in the school. Another shows his sister fan whom has come to say that his father has decided to let him come home. The next scene shows his first work place and his boss Fezziwig whom Scrooge is fond of and he cries in excitement when he sees him “ why its old Fezziwig! Bless his heart its Fezziwig alive again” Scrooge also realises in this scene that the party that Fezziwig throws must have cost a fortune, and that he should perhaps be more generous to his own clerk. The next place the ghost takes him to is with his girlfriend Belle who is tearful, it shows Belle breaking up with Scrooge as he is becoming obsessed with his work and does not love her as much anymore. “It matters little,” she said softly. “ to you, very little. Another idol has displaced me; and, if it can cheer and comfort you in time to come as I would have tried to do, I have no just cause to grieve.” “ What idol has displaced you.” “A golden one.” The golden idol she speaks of is money and she is saying how Scrooge has just replaced his love for her with love for money.
The next ghost to visit him shows Scrooge scenes of people enjoying themselves at Christmas time. It shows him Bob Cratchit his clerk, who is underpaid by Scrooge and as a result is living in poverty, however his family makes the best of what little they have. Scrooge finds out how much they all hate him when Bob attempts to make a toast to Mr Scrooge. “Mr Scrooge!” said Bob. “I’ll give you Mr scrooge, the founder of the feast!”
“The founder of the feast, indeed” cried Mrs cratchit, reddening. “I wish I had him here. I’d give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope he’d have a good appetite for it.”
The final ghost to visit Scrooge is the ghost of Christmas yet to come, a very melancholy character, dressed in a black shroud with only his long skeletal hand visible, he has strong references to the grim reaper. This ghost shows Scrooge a scene of people laughing at a dead mans expense. It also shows the death of Tiny Tim. Bob Cratchit’s son. Scrooge asks to see the man who the people were laughing at and the ghost takes him to a graveyard, this scares Scrooge and he wants to know whether he can change his fate and asks the ghost. “Men’s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in they must lead,” said Scrooge. “But if the courses be departed from the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me!” he then looks at the grave of the dead man and finds that it bears his name.
The images the ghosts have Shown Scrooge have scared him and made him drastically change his attitude and conduct toward other people. He sends a huge turkey round to his clerk Bob Cratchit’s house and decides to visit his nephew to see if he will let him come round for Christmas dinner. He also increases Bobs’ wages. “Now I’ll tell you what, my friend,” said Scrooge. “I am not going to stand for 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.”
People enjoy reading ghost stories, as there is a sense of fear and the unknown. Dickens uses these conventions of a ghost story to make people reconsider their attitudes towards poor people. He uses the mystery of what happens after death, with the Ghost of Jacob Marley, to make people consider the consequences of their actions. Being stuck in some sort of chains for eternity was a real fear in Dickens time, so this is used to create a sense of fear in the novel. He also uses the three spirits; they seem very wise and the reader is more likely to pay attention to them than if Dickens was to campaign himself. The novel works because the reader would pay less attention to politicians or social activists than a novel; the population were not interested in people campaigning for the poor, but if it is written in the form of a novel people are more likely to be susceptible and receptive to Dickens views.
