The ghost of Christmas past was a strange figure. Its hair hung about its neck and was white as if with age. Its arms were very long and muscular. It had a lustrous belt around its waist and was holding a branch of fresh green holy in its hand. "You are one of those who's passion made this cap, and force me through whole trains of years." The ghost said to Scrooge. Meaning because of people like Scrooge the ghost has to visit them. The ghost of Christmas past took Scrooge to the place where he grew up. They saw travelers; Scrooge knew and named every one of them. "Why did his cold eye glisten...Why did his heart leap as they went past.” The ghost then took Scrooge to his old school; he was the only child left there. All the other children had gone back home to their families for Christmas. The ghost then took Scrooge to a house were a young Scrooge was reading a book by a weak fire. Some actors visited young Scrooge and performed a play for him. Scrooge remembered how lonely he was and how happy the actors made him feel.
"There was a boy singing a Christmas Carol at my door last night. I should have liked to have given him something." This shows that Scrooge is starting to change. He regrets that he didn't give anything when the boy was singing at his door.
The ghost then took Scrooge to a warehouse. It was where he used to work for Mr. Fezziwig. They were having a Christmas party. People were dancing, there was food and everyone was having a good time. When the ghost said to Scrooge that Mr. Fezziwig doesn't deserve all the praise he's getting from everyone because he didn't spent a lot of money on the party. Scrooge replies "He has the power to render us happy or unhappy...A pleasure or a toil." This quote shows that Scrooge has already changed - he disagrees with the ghost. He says it doesn't matter that Mr. Fezziwig hasn't spent a lot of money. It matters that he is making people have a good time and making them happy. The ghost then took Scrooge to another place. Where a woman is telling Scrooge that she does not want to marry him any more. She tells Scrooge that since he's become wealthy he's changed and she doesn't like him any more. "Why do you delight to torture me" Scrooge asks the ghost of Christmas past.
Scrooge's transformation from a selfish miser to a man who "knew how to keep Christmas well" is remarkable and miraculous. Nobody would have thought that a man who lived like that and was stepped so deeply in his own cesspool of sin could be changed so dramatically and quickly.
To make sure that we don't accidentally confuse Scrooge with a nice person, Dickens' only portrays him to us in incriminating circumstances to further convince us of his guilt (metaphorically).
Dickens goes into great depth to depict Scrooge character with words. He did not have to be concise, as that way he would be able to get his full meaning across. The statements' impact would be lowered if the sentences were to be shortened and fewer words were used e.g. 'Scrooge was a greedy, mean and cold-hearted person with no compassion for anything or anyone but himself!' It wouldn't get across just how vile Scrooge was. Dickens presents Scrooge's character to us throughout the novel in his many bad deeds, which show us what he is like. Dickens shows us scenes such the one in which Scrooge is cantankerous and grumpy with his clerk, "Let me here another sound from you, and you'll keep your Christmas by losing your situation!" and Fred his nephew. The next description of Scrooge character is "No eye at all is better than an evil eye, dark master!" This sentence helps to reinforce our views that Scrooge was mean-hearted. His bad looks were enough to inspire dislike towards him. The descriptions that Dickens uses are intense as they show the presentation of the character. Dickens goes into tremendous detail concerning the food around the Ghost of Christmas Present. He wants us to really be there, to taste the gravy, and smell the pies. He wants us to become part of the story, not just readers. Dickens uses powerful vocabulary to involve us. "Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam." His vivid descriptions of the food are astounding. This was no ordinary Christmas dinner; it was fit for a king; the perfect Christmas dinner.
The ghost of Christmas present was clothed in one simple rob. Its feet were bare; its dark brown curls were long and free. The ghost had a cheery voice. Scrooge knew and understood that what the ghost was doing for him was for his own good so he was eager to learn. "Conduct me where you will...I have learned a lesson which is working now." This quote shows that Scrooge has learnt from the ghost of Christmas past and is ready to learn from the ghost of Christmas present. The ghost took Scrooge to the house of one of his workers Bob Cratchit. The Cratchit family were poor, even so they were happy and grateful for what little they had. Even Bob's son Tiny Tim who was a cripple was grateful for what he had. As the Cratchit's ate their Christmas dinner, although the goose wasn't a great meal they were still thankful. "There never was such a goose," Bob says to the rest of the family. Scrooge asks the ghost "Tell me if Tiny Tim will live." the ghost answers "If the shadows remain unaltered tiny Tim will die"
"Oh no, kind spirit? Say he will be spared." This quote shows that Scrooge is changing. At the start Scrooge says the poor people should just die and decrease the surplus population. But now Scrooge doesn't want Tiny Tim to die. When the ghost says Scrooge's own words "If they like to die...he had better do it so." Scrooge hung his head to hear what he had said himself. There were no arguments in the Cratchit household until Bob Cratchit said Scrooge was the founder of their feast "Scrooge was the ogre of the family." The ghost took Scrooge to another place to show him people who were happy and enjoying himself at Christmas. He was taken to a place were miners work, even though they were poor and working they were full of Christmas spirit.
The ghost then took Scrooge to his nephew's house. Scrooge's nephew Fred says that although Scrooge has never done anything for him he will not have a bad word said about him. He goes on and says Scrooge's wealth is no good to him, he doesn't do any good with it. Fred says that he will keep on inviting Scrooge to come to his house on Christmas whatever. Scrooge joined in with the games all the people were playing even though none of them knew he was there. "One half hour, spirit, only one." This quote shows the change in Scrooge. He now realises that if he goes to his nephew's house he might enjoy himself. He is begging for the ghost to let him stay for an extra half-hour.
The scene where Scrooge meets the spirit is also painstakingly detailed (surprise, surprise!). The details he has used set the atmosphere and draw in the reader. The reader just has to continue, or he may miss some vital little detail without which the picture is not complete. "It was clothed in one simple green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur." The dialogue in the book helps the story to go on and the characters to express their feelings through the dialogue.
The last of the spirits to visit Scrooge was the ghost of Christmas future. The ghost was more frightening than the others. It wore a deep black garment, which covered its head, face and form.
"Ghost of the future! I fear you more then any specter I have ever seen. But I know your purpose is to do me good." Scrooge becomes anxious to see what lies ahead for him as he says "Lead on! Lead on! The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know. Lead on, spirit!' this quote from Scrooge shows that Scrooge wants to learn from the spirit. The ghost then took Scrooge to a place were a group of people were talking. "I don't know much about...I only know he's dead.,” one of the men said to the others. The men discussed what was going to happen to the person's money. They said that they would attend the funeral if there were a free meal.
The ghost then took Scrooge to another place. Here there was a person who was buying all of the possessions from other people, possessions that had bean taken from the house where the person had died. They had taken his bed curtains, bed sheets and even the clothes that he was wearing when he was lying dead on his bed. Scrooge realizes that if he does not change his ways and become a better person the dead person could be him. "I see...The case of this unhappy man might be my own." The ghost then took Scrooge to a dark room. Lying on the bed was the dead person who the group of men had been talking about. Scrooge walked up to the bed and lifted the sheets up. When Scrooge saw himself lying there dead he begins to cry and shows true emotion through the dialogue as he cries and pleads with the spirit to forgive him, as he believes that he is a changed man and that this is his final chance for redemption. "Hear me! I am not the man I was!" Scrooge is finally showing some bit of humanity behind that polished and fraudulent façade, as he learned to be happy; he learned to be sad.
After the visits by the four ghosts Scrooge slowly started to change. After the visits he changed from being a person who doesn't care about anyone else but himself. He regrets that he didn't give a carol singer any money. After the visit of the ghost of Christmas present he realizes that he was wrong when he said that the poor people should just die to decrease the surplus population. He also realizes that if he actually bothers to go to his nephew Fred's house he would actually have a good time and enjoy himself. In the visit of the ghost of Christmas future Scrooge is shown both himself and Tiny Tim are going to die unless Scrooge can change.
After the visits of all the ghosts, Scrooge wakes up on Christmas Day a new man. "I am as light as a feather...I am as happy as an angel." Scrooge goes out and buys a huge turkey and gives it to Bob Cratchit. Scrooge realizes that spreading happiness and being kind is far better than being a lonely old selfish man. At the beginning of the book Scrooge is a tight fisted heartless person but at the end he has changed and he's kind jolly and helps lots of people.
