The novel 'A Christmas Carol', by Charles
The novel 'A Christmas Carol', by Charles Dickens was written in 1843 and reflects poverty in Victorian times where poverty and ill health was very common. The book was published a week before Christmas and was presented in a small gold and crimson book - the perfect Christmas gift. Dickens wishes to use the character of scrooge to make the reader see that being selfish and cold hearted gets you nowhere and encourages everybody to be generous and loving. The novel is about a cold and mean hearted man called Ebenezer Scrooge who runs a business. Scrooge is very tight fisted and one Christmas is visited by the ghost of his dead business partner, Jacob Marley. The spirit shows him how he is now, and how he will become as he grows older. There are 4 ghosts that show him his past, present and future. When visited by the spirits, he is given a chance to change. He turns from a mean old man to a generous one, to the delight of his family and new found friends. Dickens uses many devices to introduce Scrooge's character, such as similes, metaphors and comparisons to the weather. The presentation that Dickens gave of Scrooge was so clear that "Scrooge" is still used in language today, having the meaning of someone who is tight with money, cold hearted and who hates Christmas. I will be examining these points in my essay.
Victorian London was a very difficult time to live in. If you were poor, then you had virtually no hope of becoming someone of any wealth. Rich people didn't care for the poor and needy, and kept themselves to themselves. Poverty was a big issue in Victorian times and the poor were mainly the ones to suffer from sickness and ill health. Schooling in Victorian times was only for people with money, which meant that poor people had no chance at a future. They were forced into working long hours in bad conditions. Dickens realised the problems in this, and the fact both groups, poor and rich, kept apart. He draws attention to the problems of Victorian times with this book, and uses the current times as a focus of his story.
Even at the beginning of 'A Christmas Carol' Scrooge's character shows itself strongly. Dickens describes Scrooge as a "tight fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire". These few lines are direct and tell us that Scrooge is tight-fisted and, as the word "covetous" means, greedy for wealth. It is obvious what kind of person Scrooge is by the description of him, but to make sure we know, Dickens gives us a physical one too. He says that "the cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice". This gives us the general picture of a thin, pointed and hard looking man, stern looking man who is expressionless and almost robotic in the sense all he lives for is money and himself. His physical appearance tells us of his cold nature immediately. Dickens reinforces the negative picture of Scrooge by the usage of weather. "Scrooge sat busy in his counting house. It was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal". The weather references remind you of his physical appearance and the fact he is in his counting house reminds you how selfish and tight fisted he is with money.
Scrooge's mean attitude is shown in this novel to effect other people, namely his clerk and his family. His self centred nature is shown in one particular sentence, "Scrooge had a very small fire, but the clerks fire was so very much smaller that it looked like one coal". Scrooge's appalling mean streak comes though when a man asks for donations to help the poor and not so fortunate. Scrooge asks if there are any prisons or Union workhouses and one of the gentlemen says there are, though he wishes there were not. Scrooge then says "I don't make merry myself at Christmas and can't afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned- they cost enough; and those who are badly off must go there". When told that many would rather die than go there, he retorts with "if they would rather die then they had better do it, and decrease the surplus population". This shows just how mean and heartless he is at the beginning of the book, and how blunt he is with people, wanting them to go away. Overall, the first few pages of the book are essential for showing Scrooges character and setting the scene for the story. They tell you what sort of person you are dealing with and what people might be feeling around him. The references to the weather make us think of what kind of person he is, and the different moods he might have. All the weather references are of bad weather, painting a bad first picture of Scrooge and where he lives, and the differences in conditions in Victorian times.
Scrooge reacts oddly upon seeing his dead business partner's ghost. He questions himself as to whether he saw it or not. First he see's Marley's head on the door knocker, and it had a dismal light about it. Dickens describes in one line that Scrooge was frightened enough to remove is hand from the key, but then gained composure again and went indoors. Scrooge might have been somewhat wishing the face had been there, because he stops and was a little startled, but then carried on. Dickens says that "He did pause, with a moment's irresolution, before he shut the door; and he did look cautiously behind it first". This could possibly tell us that because he is so mean and tight fisted he might be a little worried and on edge about being alone, possibly longing for company. Another possible interpretation of this quote is that Scrooge may be worried for his wealth and his home, in case someone had followed him as if to attack him, out of hate for him or for his money. After shutting the door, Scrooge dismisses ever seeing Marley's face on the knocker by saying "pooh, pooh!" and then slams the door shut. Scrooge goes upstairs and checks all the rooms in the house. "Sitting room, bed-room, lumber room. All as they should be. Nobody under the table, nobody under the sofa". Dickens writes this line in such a way so we begin to think Scrooge is getting paranoid and is dropping the defensive and straight faced guise, To tell us that this sighting of Marley has bothered Scrooge, Dickens writes that Scrooge locks, and then double locks the doors. We know this is not what Scrooge usually does, so this face has had an impact on him.
When Marley's ghost passes through the solid floor, Scrooge is scared. "His colour changed though, when, without a pause, it came on through the heavy door, and passed into the room before his eyes." After the initial shock, Scrooge becomes sarcastic, maybe because he knows that the ghost won't hurt him. The fact that Scrooge is not scared even when seeing the whole body of Marley might be because he still doesn't believe it is there. It then dawns on him that the ghost is real because he asks it if it can sit down, and there is a stutter in the way he says it, perhaps because he is frightened. The ghost says "You don't believe in me" and Scrooge says "I don't". Scrooge says that it might be an upset stomach that's making him hallucinate and see Marley, but he is actually quite disturbed by what he is seeing. The ghost shakes the chains that it is bound with at him, and Scrooge clings onto his chair. The ghost then takes off a bandage around his head and his jaw drops to his chest. This makes Scrooge drop to his knees and plead to the spirit to tell him why it is troubling him. This shows us that Scrooge is deeply troubled by what he has seen. All in all, this part of the book shows us that Scrooge's character is cracking. Going from a cold and mean looking man, to one who is vulnerable and weak. Readers can use this as a way of thinking about changing their ways, or ending up like Marley.
Scrooge learns from his past by being talked to by the Ghost of Christmas Past. The ghost appears at the bottom of Scrooge's bed and which looks like both a child and an old man both at the same time. Upon the spirits head is a clear jet of light, and in its hand a huge candle-snuffer, to put it out with. The spirit takes him outside, much to Scrooge's annoyance, as he was not dressed for the outdoors. It takes him to where he was born, and on to Scrooge's school. Dickens writes "'a solitary child, neglected by his friends is left there still'. Scrooge said he knew it. And he sobbed." Scrooge is hurt by the memories of his own Christmases, but never thinks that he makes other peoples unhappy now by his own selfish nature. You can see Scrooge changing throughout the ghosts visit. Scrooge says "there was a boy singing a Christmas carol outside my door last night. I should have given him something: that's all." This sentence shows the reader that Scrooge is changing and feeling sorry for people and understanding their emotions. Dickens then shows us Scrooge's torture by making the ghost show him more than he wishes to see. "' No more!' said Scrooge. 'No more. I don't wish to see it. Show me no more!'" Scrooge wishes to see no more of what the ghost has to offer, because he knows it is all true, and perhaps knows what he will next show him. He is obviously troubled by the things he is seeing. When the spirit shows him the scene of Scrooge sitting by himself in his office, whilst Marley was very nearly death, he insists that they leave and go home. "'Spirit!' said Scrooge in a broken voice, 'remove me from this place.'". What the spirit is showing him, is gradually breaking him, and making him think upon his past actions.
The next ghost to visit Scrooge is the Ghost of Christmas Present. Scrooge learns from this ghost, as he did with the Ghost of Christmas Past. Scrooge becomes worried when nothing appears when the clock strikes 1, but notices a red light coming from the next room. When he investigates, he finds the room is filled with food and drink and decorated for Christmas. Dickens shows that scrooge is changing. "Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before the spirit. He was not the dogged Scrooge he had been; and though the Spirit's eyes were clear and kind, he did not like to meet them." This quote shows us that he is scared and worried about the spirit and what he might have to see next. In this we are seeing a change in his character, as he is no longer a stubborn, head strong person, but one who looks and acts scared. Scrooge says the spirit wants to close shops on Sundays, which will deprive the poor of their best meal of the week. This is unusual for Scrooge to say, because as we saw earlier on, he doesn't care about the poor. Scrooge later asks "tell me if Tiny Tim will live". It is odd for Scrooge to take an interest in poor or needy people, such as Tiny Tim, but he finds himself doing so. Scrooge is upset to hear that he will die, if nothing changes. When he hears his own words repeated to himself about the poor, he hangs his head in regret. Scrooge is learning from the Spirit of Christmas Present because his personality tells us so. His character is changing and becoming more kind and thoughtful, and he's thinking of other people instead of himself all the time.
Dickens completes Scrooge's transformation with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. This spirit is by far the worst looking one of them all. Scrooge is prepared for this spirit and urges it to show him the future, saying "'lead on! The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know. Lead on, Spirit!'". This quote shows us he is eager to learn from this spirit, and to understand what it has to say to him. Scrooge says "' But as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear you company, and do it with a thankful heart'". He is showing here that he is willing to change, and is thankful for what he has seen and will see now. Scrooge is taken to a pawn shop where the belongings of a dead man are being exchanged. Scrooge is horrified to see that they have taken the shirt that the man was to be buried in. Later on, the spirit takes scrooge to Bob Cratchit's house, where he is mourning the death of Tiny Tim. After that the spirit moves him on to a graveyard, where he points to Scrooge's name on the gravestone. Scrooge exclaims "'Am I that man who lay upon the bed ?' he cried, upon his knees". The spirit points his finger from the grave, then to Scrooge, then the grave again. Scrooge declares that he is changed, "'Spirit!' he cried, tight clutching at his robe, 'hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I have been but for this intercourse'". Scrooge is aware that he can change the pattern of the future, if he changes his ways. Scrooge promises to change his views upon Christmas, "' I will honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. I will live in the Past, the Present and the Future. The spirits of all Three shall strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons they teach.'". This final ghost is the one that makes scrooge a new man, and Dickens uses the reader's fear of going to hell as a way of shocking them into being kind and generous. Scrooge's transformation is complete.
Scrooge has changed immensely from the start of the novel, to the end. At the beginning of the novel we see Dickens using the weather to give us an example of Scrooge's character. After his transformation there is "no fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for the blood to dance to; golden sunlight; heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells.". This describes Scrooges character now, loving and jubilant, like a ray of sunshine to other people. He says he is "as happy as an angel", which is a complete change of character. He was ...
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Scrooge has changed immensely from the start of the novel, to the end. At the beginning of the novel we see Dickens using the weather to give us an example of Scrooge's character. After his transformation there is "no fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring, cold; cold, piping for the blood to dance to; golden sunlight; heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells.". This describes Scrooges character now, loving and jubilant, like a ray of sunshine to other people. He says he is "as happy as an angel", which is a complete change of character. He was first described as steel which had never struck out generous fire, but in the last part of the novel, he buys the biggest turkey in the Poulterer's. He pays a young boy to get it for him, and he will send it onto Bob Cratchit's. Scrooge enjoys talking to the young boy, which he did not enjoy doing to begin with. When Scrooge walks around the streets after shaving and dressing, he looks so pleasant that many people exchange Christmas greetings with him. He raises Bob's salary and is described as being "better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did NOT die, he was a second father."
Dickens has created a character which people can relate to. Scrooge acts as a guideline to what people can be, and what they should be. He succeeds in showing the reader how you can change for the better and make people happy. Dickens' presentation of Scrooge is a very good one because it shows you how seeing a different side of things, no matter how big or small, can make you a completely changed person. People in this day and age can relate to the settings of this novel also, as poverty and ill health is around today too. It encourages people to give to the homeless and be aware of people not as fortunate as themselves. The character of Scrooge and the way he changes is a moral lesson for the reader. People can be quite mean with money, but if an illness such as cancer touches a family member of that of a friend, they tend to give to cancer charities more. Overall Scrooge is a character that everybody remembers because he is a very realistic one, and people see parts of themselves in him.
In 'A Christmas Carol', Dickens is trying to get across to the rich people of society the difference between their lives and those of the poor. He does this by using Scrooge, who personifies the rich people. It is set at Christmas time in early Victorian times, a time of giving and compassion. This signifies that the rich should give to the poor, especially at a festive time like Christmas. Dickens saw the cold, ugly conditions that the poor were living in and thought that he had to do something about it, so he wrote 'A Christmas Carol'. He sees the rich people as those with the power to change the poor people's lives. It is the rich who need to be educated about the power they have to change things for the benefit of the poor. The poor also need to be educated so that they can earn money for themselves.
The tool that Dickens uses is Scrooge, he is a caricature of the problems and he portrays what the rich people were like. The rich people were the equivalent to Scrooge. He uses Scrooge to show the wilful ignorance of the rich. Although Scrooge can afford to support the poor, he only does this through paying his taxes which go towards the workhouses and treadmill. Scrooge is a miser; he does not want to give anything away. When Scrooge's clerk asks for Christmas day off work:
'It's not convenient' Said Scrooge, 'and it's not fair. If I was to stop half-a-crown for it, you'd think yourself ill used, I'll be bound?'
Scrooge is very selfish here. He can easily afford to not have his clerk in for the most festive time of giving in the year but Scrooge wants to ignore the time of year and carry on making money. He tells his clerk to arrive even earlier for work the day after.
Scrooge is a bitter, cold, stingy person. Dickens describes him as,
'A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice'
Dickens paints an amazing picture of scrooge being a bitter, cold and twisted old man. All the adjectives he uses are harsh sounding and they make him appear cold. Dickens refers to scrooge very often as being cold, because cold makes him sound miserable, his surroundings are always cold. There is no warmth in his life.
'External heat and cold had no influence on Scrooge. No warmth could warm, nor wintry weather chill him'.
Everything about Scrooge is miserable. His name is onomatopoeic; when one says it, it sounds harsh and it does not exactly flow out of your mouth, it is hard to say. Dickens describes Scrooge as being surrounded by dark:
'They were a gloomy suite of rooms, in a lowering pile of building up a yard'
His house was even described as gloomy. The dark represents the rich being blind to the state of the poor. Scrooge is wilfully ignorant about the condition of the poor, Dickens uses the dark to show this.
'Half a dozen gas-lamps out of the street wouldn't have lighted the entry too well. Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it'.
Scrooge is also displayed as quite a hard character,
'Scrooge was not a man to be frightened by echoes. When they saw him coming on , would tug their owners into doorways and up courts',
This is showing that he was not the sort of person that would yelp at the sound of an echo. Also people around the area knew him well enough to keep out of his way, even the guide dogs knew of him.
Scrooge's nephew comes to see him especially to invite him to his poor household (where they can just about afford a Christmas lunch), to dine with him and his family on Christmas day. Scrooge's nephew is a very jolly and warm person. Dickens shows a contrast between Scrooge and his nephew:
'His face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled'.
The first thing the nephew says when he sees Scrooge is,
'A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!'
Scrooge replies,
'Bah Humbug! Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.'
This shows Scrooge in a very bad light. He is basically saying that his nephew should not be happy because he is poor. The nephew then cleverly replies,
'Come then. What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough.'
I think dickens is very clever here. He shows that the rich represented by Scrooge, know about the conditions of the poor but purposely ignore them. Scrooge shows society's wilful ignorance towards the poor.
When the charity collectors come in to try to get some money from Scrooge, to give to the poor to help them, he is very rude. They explain what they are there for then go on to say,
'We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?'
They obviously had not been acquainted with Scrooge before because they expected Scrooge like all others to give money.
'What shall I put you down for? Nothing! Replied Scrooge'
This, again emphasises how little the rich helped the poor even though they could afford it.
When Scrooge returns home to see the knocker on his door turn into to Marley's face, he gets very worried. Double-locking his door he goes and sits in his arm chair in his slippers, dressing-gown and night cap in front of a very low fire. His bell begins to swing. In this novel a bell always signifies something about to happen. When scrooge can distinctly hear Marley coming nearer he still refuses to believe it.
Marley is in eternal punishment because he had been like Scrooge for all his life. He was a miser and he helped the poor just as little as Scrooge does. For this he was eternally locked in chains. He comes to warn Scrooge that if he does not change his ways then he will receive this punishment too.
'The chain he drew was clasped about his middle. It was long, and wound about him like a tail; it was made of cashboxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses wrought in steel.'
When the first of the three spirits comes to visit Scrooge, once again the bell chimes to signify something is about to happen. The first spirit, the spirit of Christmas past and the second spirit of Christmas present are both associated with light. As soon as the first spirit appears, Scrooge's bed curtains are drawn and there is a flash of light.
'It wore a tunic of the purest white'
The second spirit is also associated with light. Scrooge is called to enter his own room to meet the ghost and upon entrance everything has changed. Everything is bright and cheerful, a direct contrast to Scrooge and his usual environment.
'The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove'
The third of the three spirits however is the exact opposite to the first two. The third is completely associated with darkness and cold. Dickens tried to makes the Phantom appear like the Grim Reaper, the spirit that comes to get you when you die.
'Beheld a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards him. The Phantom slowly, gravely, silently, approached'
This spirit is also referred to as a phantom rather than a spirit. All the adjectives that describe it are hard harsh words. 'Gravely' is associated with death, it also means sternly but a grave is where one goes upon death. This spirit is all about death. Its hand is always pointing downwards as if to say that is where you will go when you are condemned, to hell.
The first signs of Scrooge changing are when he saw his former self, hunched in a corner reading. He feels pity for himself.
'Poor boy!'
'There was a boy singing a Christmas carol at my door last night. I should have liked to have given him something: that's all'
He starts to regret how he had acted before. This is the first sign of Scrooge changing.
Dickens is very clever in the way he portrays Fezziwig, a complete contrast to Scrooge.
'No more work to-night. Christmas Eve, Dick.'
Scrooge was complaining about letting Bob Cratchit, his clerk, have Christmas day off. Here Fezziwig lets all his employees close up early on Christmas Eve. Fezziwig was in the same business as Scrooge, though he loved Christmas, Scrooge hated it.
'Some shyly, some boldly, some gracefully, some awkwardly, some pushing, some pulling; in they all came, anyhow and everyhow.'
This is to show that Fezziwig treats everyone the same. He is not patronising towards the poor like Scrooge; he treats them as if they are the same as him. Scrooge treats all poor as if they are of no worth and belong in the grotty workhouses. Fezziwig is associated with warmth and light whereas Scrooge is associated with cold and dark.
'Hilli-ho! Cried old Fezziwig, skipping down from the high desk, with wonderful agility'.
The dinner that Fezziwig prepares for them all is emphasised very heavily too. There is a lot of repetition in the explanation of the feast. This shows Fezziwig's generosity whereas Scrooge would not give a penny to the charity collectors.
When the spirit and Scrooge visit the Cratchit's house everything symbolises happinessof the poor. Mrs Cratchit was dressed cheap clothes because the family could not afford better:
'Dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make a goodly show for sixpence',
Tiny Tim is another symbol of the poverty that people were living in. He is a cripple and likely to die soon. For the state he was in he was the most hearty person on the planet.
'He hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember on Christmas day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see'
Dickens uses Tiny Tim as another message to the rich. What Tiny Tim says here is basically that the poor are the equivalent of Tiny Tim, that he wants the rich to remember Jesus making blind men see and lame beggars walk, and Dickens wants society to help the poor in the same way.
Everything in the Cratchit household emphasises warmth, light love and joy. The children talk merrily about their goose that they can smell. It is a tiny goose stuffed to the bursting with stuffing so it could fill them all. The children are still ecstatic about it.
'There's such a goose, Martha!'
'There never was such a goose' said Bob
More signs of a change in Scrooge are shown here; he asks the spirit if Tiny Tim will live. It is the fist sign of compassion we see from Scrooge. The spirit tells him that Tiny Tim will die if the Cratchits situation remains the same in the future. This is saying that society will fall apart if the current situation does not change.
When Scrooge accompanies the spirit to the graveyard he starts to get a sneaking suspicion why they are there. Through the whole course of events with the Phantom he does not realise that the death everyone was talking about was him. I think that this was more wilful ignorance shown by Dickens. I think Scrooge did have a feeling in the bottom of his stomach that he did not want to believe. Before Scrooge goes to see the headstone the Spirit was pointing at he asked,
'Are these the shadows of things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be only?'
Scrooge now knows that it is his grave and shows the first sign of exposing his hard image, he is scared. He wants to know if he can change what is going to happen by changing his ways and becoming a kind and forgiving person.
Throughout his experience with the spirits Scrooge, the most wretched, cruel and stingy person in London manages to change. He goes from being a dark, hard, cold person to a forgiving, loving and warm person. What dickens is saying is, if Scrooge can make this transformation, so can the rest of Britain. Dickens best shows this when the spirit of Christmas Present reveals the two children from beneath its robe. The children signify want and ignorance. These were the two main things corrupting the country. The rich people will not help the poor because of their wants, and their wilful ignorance. The majority of them knew about the situation of the poor and chose to ignore it because they would do better themselves if they did so. The spirit warns to beware most of the boy, signifying ignorance. Scrooge must beware of ignorance or he is doomed, along with the rest of society. If the rich carry on ignoring the poverty going on around them then they will be damned to eternal doom like Marley. Scrooge replies to the spirits attempts to explain this with,
'Have they no refuge or resource?'
Showing how much Scrooge has changed. The spirit then comes back at him with his own words from earlier on,
'Are there no prisons, are there no workhouses',
This is what Scrooge said to the charity workers that were asking Scrooge the same question Scrooge just asked the Spirit. Scrooge has no friends, this proves that money cannot buy you friends.
From writing this book, Dickens achieved his aims as part of a social change. This was not because of 'A Christmas Carol' but it helped people realise.
Dickens describes Scrooge with miserable adjectives at the start of the book:
'A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!'
At the end of the book when Scrooge has undergone his change Dickens uses delightful adjectives:
'Golden sunlight: Heavenly sky; sweet fresh air; merry bells. Oh, glorious. Glorious!'
The rich people themselves could experience this change too if they are willing to help the poor. When Scrooge visits his ex-fianc? she is married to someone else and they are quite poor. The room is small but full of comfort, warmth and love. If Scrooge had not been so obsessed with making money all of the time, that could have been him.
In this novel the whole time Dickens is trying to get across to the rich people of society the difference between their lives and those of the poor. He does this by using Scrooge, he signifies the rich people. It was set at Christmas time in Victorian times. The novel is set at Christmas because it is a time of giving, this signifies that the rich should give to the poor, especially at a festive time of like Christmas. Dickens saw the cold ugly conditions that the poor were living in and thought he had to do something about it. So he wrote a Christmas Carol. He sees the rich people as those with the power to change the poor people's lives.
The tool that Dickens uses is Scrooge. He is a caricature of the problems. He portrays what the rich people were like. He uses him to show the wilful ignorance of the rich. Although Scrooge can afford to support the poor he only does this through paying his taxes which go towards the workhouses and treadmill. Scrooge is a miser; he does not want to give anything away. When Scrooges clerk asks for Christmas day off work,
'It's not convenient' Said Scrooge, 'and it's not fair. If I was to stop half-a-crown for it, you'd think yourself ill used, I'll be bound?'
Scrooge is very selfish here. He can easily afford to not have his clerk in for the most festive time of giving in the year but Scrooge is very spiteful and thinks it is asking far too much. He tells his clerk to arrive even earlier for work the day after.
Scrooge is a bitter, cold, stingy person. Dickens describes him as,
'A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner!'
'The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice'
Dickens paints an amazing picture of scrooge being a bitter twisted old man. All the adjectives he uses are harsh sounding and they make him appear cold. Dickens refers to scrooge very often as being cold,
'External heat and cold had no influence on Scrooge',
'No warmth could warm, nor wintry weather chill him'.
Everything about Scrooge is miserable. His name is onomatopoeic, when one says it, it sounds harsh and it does not exactly flow out of your mouth, it is hard to say. He is said to be 'Dark'
'They were a gloomy suite of rooms, in a lowering pile of building up a yard'
His house was even described as gloomy.
'Half a dozen gas-lamps out of the street wouldn't have lighted the entry too well'.
'Darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it'.
Scrooge is also displayed as quite a hard character,
'Scrooge was not a man to be frightened by echoes'
'When they saw him coming on , would tug their owners into doorways and up courts',
This is showing that he was not the sort of person that would yelp at the sound of an echo. Also people around the area knew him well enough to keep out of his way, even the guide dogs knew of him.
When Scrooges nephew comes to see scrooge especially to invite him to his poor household where they can just about afford a Christmas lunch, to dine with him and his family on Christmas day. Scrooges nephew is a very jolly and warm person. Dickens contrasts Scrooge and his nephew;
'His face was ruddy and handsome; his eyes sparkled'.
The first thing the nephew says when he sees Scrooge is,
'A merry Christmas, uncle! God save you!'
Scrooge replies,
'Bah Humbug!'
He then goes on to say,
'Merry Christmas! What right have you to be merry? What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough.'
This shows Scrooge in a very bad light. He is basically saying that his nephew should not be happy because he is poor. The nephew then cleverly replies,
'Come then. What right have you to be dismal? What reason have you to be morose? You're rich enough.'
I think dickens is very clever here. He shows that the rich know about the conditions of the poor but purposely ignore them. Scrooge shows society's wilful ignorance towards the poor.
When the charity collectors come in to try to get some money from Scrooge, he is very rude. They explain what they are there for then go on to say,
'We choose this time, because it is a time, of all others, when want is keenly felt, and Abundance rejoices. What shall I put you down for?'
They obviously had not been acquainted with Scrooge before because they expected Scrooge like all others to give money. Though Scrooge replied that he would not contribute anything and he wished to be left alone. This, again emphasises how little the rich helped the poor.
Everything about Scrooge is miserable. His name is onomatopoeic, when one says it, it sounds harsh and it does not exactly flow out of your mouth, it is hard to say.
When Scrooge returns to see the knocker on his door turn to Marley's face, he gets very worried. Double-locking his door he goes and sits in his arm chair in his slippers, dressing-gown and night cap in front of a very low fire. His bell begins to swing. In this novel a bell always signifies something about to happen. When scrooge can distinctly hear Marley coming nearer he still refuses to believe it.
Marley was in eternal punishment because he had been like Scrooge was then. He was a miser and he helped the poor just as mush as Scrooge does. For this he was eternally locked in chains. He came to warn Scrooge that if he did not change his ways then he would receive this punishment too.
When the first of the three spirits comes to visit Scrooge, once again the bell chimed to signify something about to happen. The first spirit, the spirit of Christmas past and the second, Christmas present were both associated with light. As soon as the first spirit appears, Scrooges bed curtains are drawn and there is a flash of light.
'It wore a tunic of the purest white'
The second spirit is the same. Scrooge is called to enter his own room to meet the ghost and upon entrance everything has changed. Everything is bright and cheerful, a direct contrast to Scrooge.
'The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove'
The third of the three spirits however was the exact opposite to the first two. The third was completely associated with darkness and cold. Dickens tried to make the Phantom appear like the Grim Reaper, the spirit that comes to get you when you die.
'Beheld a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards him'
'The Phantom slowly, gravely, silently, approached'
This spirit is also referred to as a phantom rather than a spirit. All the adjectives that describe it are hard harsh words. 'gravely' is completely associated with death, it also means sternly but a grave is where one goes when they die. This spirit is all about death. Its hand is always pointing downwards as if to say that is where you will go when you are condemned, to hell.
The first signs of Scrooge changing were when he saw his former self, hunched in a corner reading. He feels pity for himself.
'Poor boy!'
'There was a boy singing a Christmas carol at my door last night. I should have liked to have given him something: that's all'
He starts to regret how he had acted before. This is the first sign of Scrooge changing.
Dickens is very clever in the way he portrays Fezziwig. Fezziwig is a complete contrast to Scrooge.
'No more work to-night. Christmas Eve, Dick.'
Scrooge was complaining about letting Tim Cratchit, his clerk have Christmas day off. Here Fezziwig lets all his employees leave early on Christmas Eve. Fezziwig was in the same business as Scrooge, though he loved Christmas, Scrooge hated it.
'Some shyly, some boldly, some gracefully, some awkwardly, some pushing, some pulling; in they all came, anyhow and everyhow.'
This is to show that Fezziwig treats everyone the same. He is not patronising towards the poor like Scrooge, he treats them as if they are the same as him. Scrooge treated everyone that was poor as if they were of no worth and belonged in the grotty workhouses. Fezziwig is associated with warmth and light whereas Scrooge is associated with cold and dark.
The dinner that Fezziwig prepares for them all is emphasised very heavily too. There is a lot of repetition in the explanation of the feast. This shows Fezziwig's generosity. Scrooge would not give a penny to some charity collectors.
When they visit the Cratchit's house everything symbolises poor happiness. Mrs Cratchit was dressed in a twice turned dress, it had been turned inside out twice because she could not afford a new one. The dress was covered in decorative ribbons.
'Dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make a goodly show for sixpence',
Tiny Tim is an extra symbol of the poverty that people were living in. He was a cripple and was due to die soon. For the state he was in he was the most hearth person on the planet.
'He hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember on Christmas day, who made lame beggars walk and blind men see'
Dickens uses Tiny Tim as an extra message to the poor. What Tiny Tim says here is basically saying that the poor are the equivalent of Tiny Tim, that he wants them to remember Jesus making blind men see and lame beggars walk, and Dickens wants society to help the poor in the same way.
Everything in the Cratchit household emphasises warmth, light love and joy. The children talk merrily about their goose that they could smell. It was a tiny goose stuffed to the bursting with stuffing so it could fill them all. The children were still ecstatic about it.
'There's such a goose, Martha!'
'There never was such a goose' said Bob
More signs of changing are shown here by Scrooge, he asks the spirit if Tiny Tim will live. It is the fist sign of compassion we see from Scrooge. The spirit tells him that Tiny Tim will die if their situation remains the same in the future.
When Scrooge accompanies the spirit to the graveyard he starts to get a sneaking suspicion why they are there. Through the whole course of events with the Phantom he did not realise that the death everyone was talking about was him. Though I think that this was more wilful ignorance shown by Dickens. I think Scrooge did have a feeling in the bottom of his stomach that he did not want to believe. Before Scrooge goes to see the headstone the Spirit was pointing at he asked,
'Are these the shadows of things that will be, or are they shadows of things that may be only?'
Scrooge now knows that it is his grave and shows the first sign of exposing his hard image, he is scared. He wants to know if he can change what is going to happen by changing his ways and becoming a kind and forgiving person.
Throughout his experience with the spirits Scrooge, the most wretched, cruel and stingy person in London managed to change. He went from a dark, hard, cold person to a forgiving, loving and warm person. What dickens is saying is, if Scrooge can make this transformation, so can the rest of Britain. Dickens best shows this when the spirit of Christmas Present reveals the two children from beneath its robe. The children signify want and ignorance. These were the two main things corrupting the country. The rich people would not help the poor because of their wants, and their wilful ignorance. The majority of them knew about the situation of the poor and chose to ignore it because they would do better themselves if they did so. The spirit says that beware most of the boy, signifying ignorance. If people carry on ignoring the poverty going on around them then they will be damned to eternal doom like Marley. Scrooge replies to the spirits attempts to explain this with,
'Have they no refuge or resource?'
The spirit then comes back at him with his own words from earlier on,
'Are there no prisons, are there no workhouses',
This is what Scrooge said to the charity workers that were asking Scrooge the same question Scrooge just asked the Spirit.
The End
'A Christmas Carol' is an allegory which relies heavily on symbolism to convey meaning and atmosphere. Discuss.
The novel 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens can be represented in different ways. It can be represented as a simple story with a moral, where a man named Scrooge is visited by four ghosts who give him a chance to mend his ways. However Dickens also gives the novel a more profound meaning by using symblosim and so it can be represented as an allegory.
The four ghosts are repeated symbols that give structure to the novel. The book is divided into chapters that end after each ghost has left Scrooge. This is due to each ghost giving a different atmosphere in the novel. The four ghosts that come to visit Scrooge are: Marley, the ghost of Christmas past, the ghost of Christmas present and the ghost of Christmas yet to come.
Scrooge's dead business partner, named Marley is the first ghost to visit Scrooge. You first see his face as Scrooge's door knocker. This represents Marley trying to enter his life. The knocker 'had a dismal light about it, like a bad lobster in a dark cellar', symbolising Marley is there to enlighten Scrooge by giving him hope and help to amend his life. He is also an example of what will happen to Scrooge if he does not mend his ways. The terrors that Marley goes through can be seen by the horror in Marley's face (as the knocker) which 'seem to be in spite of the face and beyond its control, rather than part of its own expression'. This shows Scrooge that terrors await him if he does not change. 'Though the Ghost sat perfectly motionless, its hair, and skirts, and tassles, were still agitated' is another example to Scrooge of what might come, as Marley can not rest and is constantly tormented. Marley's body is transparent symbolising the helplessness and void he fills now he can not interfere and help in human affairs.
The next ghost that visits him, at one in the morning the next day, is the ghost of Christmas past. This ghost is a cross between a child and a small old man. It is partly the form of a child to emphesise Scrooge as a child; innocent, but also it symbolises hope for Scrooge to change. It also has features of an old man to show that time has gone by but also to show how the past experiences make us wiser. The ghost wore a white tunic to represent purity and innocence. It held a green holly and it's dress was trimmed with summery flowers to show the past exists in all the seasons. 'From the crown of its head there sprung a bright clear jet of light', this light represents the ghost's knowledge and symbolises how it tries to enlighten Scrooge. However the ghost is carrying an extinguisher under its arm which it wears for a cap. As Scrooge never thinks about his past as he wishes to forget it, for many years the ghost was forced to wear the cap and remain hidden. The cap also represents Scrooge's stubborness to not allow people to help him, as the light represents enlightenment and he does not wish to have it. The ghost of Christmas past gives an atmosphere of peace, innocence and wisdom.
The ghost that follows the next night is the ghost of Christmas present. This ghost represents the Christmas spirit. Similar to Santa Claus he is in the form of a giant man. It wears a simple baggy green robe/mantle, bordered with white fur and on it's head a holly wreath with shining icicles. The fur can be associated with warmth which represents the giant giving love and Christmas cheer. Green and white are traditional Christmas colours associated with hollies and snow, showing that this spirit represents a part of Christmas. Green also represents growth, hope and safety and white symbolises purity and innocence, which are also what Christmas and the Christmas Spirit represent. The ghost has long brown curls and all it's body features are cheery and free. The ghost wore a sabbard and sheath with no sword, emphasising the peace between people during Christmas as people feel full of Christmas cheer and happiness. Also everyone is included in Christmas as there is no discrimination to who can participate and so a sword to drive people away is not needed. The ghost 'bore a glowing torch... and held it up, high up, to shed its light on Scrooge', which means the giant tries to enlighten Scrooge. The torch is a magical one, that sprinkles Christmas Spirit on the people that allow it to enter. It makes people cheerful and thankful. The torch and it's sprinkle represent compassion, kidness, hope, happiness and joy. The giant is a protector as under it's robe it hides two small children that are Ignorance and Want. The ghost, as it represents Christmas, only lives for the Christmas season and so dissapears after Christmas day.
The last ghost to visit Scrooge is the ghost of Christmas yet to come. This ghost is almost the opposite of the last two ghosts; they symbolise in some way hope, this ghost shows a grim future ahead. All of it's body is hidden under a black garment, to represent the mystery of the future. 'It would have been difficult to... separate it from the darkness by which it was surrounded', also emphesises the darkness of the ghost, and the uncertainty of where you will end up in the future. All that is visble of the ghost is it's hand that points onward, symbolising how life goes on into the unknown. The ghost is silent, grave and slow, symbolic of death which is the only certainty in people's lifes.
The other symbols found in the novel help emphesise points. Most of the topics emphesised are connected in their meanings. This helps build two main overall atmospheres through the novel which are mainly found on Christmas eve and Christmas morning.
The novel begins on Christmas eve where there is a thick fog around the streets. The fog represents Scrooge's state of mind. He is lost and can not see very far forward which shows he is morally lost and can not see the right way ahead or see a life away from his work. It also symbolises how alone he is. When two gentlemen go by his work to ask for a donation for the poor, Scrooge refuses to give one and so 'the fog and darkness thickened', which shows Scrooge pushing himself further away from people and so becoming more lonely.
The darkness in Scrooge's house shows the lack of Christmas in his life. Again it also represents Scrooge's loneliness as there is no one else there to see. He is greedy and ignorant and as Scrooge does not attempt to make the house lighter you can see how he is stubborn to not change. This symbolism of darkness can also be seen in other parts of the novel, especially when Scrooge meets the last ghost and sees his grim future. In this part darkness also represents fear and lack of knowledge of the future, as the ghost of Christmas yet to come is dressed in black.
On Christmas eve the thought of coldness is also emphesised. This is because Scrooge is 'cold within' symbolising he lacks emotion and love in his life and so is lonely. The coldness around him shows how he lacks Christmas cheer. When you see Scrooge as a child at his school he is also cold, as he is alone and miserable. Also when Belle leaves him the coldness represents Scrooge becoming less affectionate. It also proves that Scrooge is a miserly person as he wont allow Bob Cratchet to refuel the fire.
The other main atmosphere produced is on Christmas day after the ghosts have visited Scrooge. The atmosphere then is the opposite to the one the previous night. The fog has cleared, which represents how Scrooge is now clear minded and is living a more free life. It symbolises he can see the people around him and is more charitable and caring. He no longer lacks company.
It is a light day outside, which shows he has been enlightened and is aware of which path to take. It represents his sudden Christmas spirit and compassion as he learns how to lead a positive life and so becomes more charitable now too. Also the brightness of the day represents how Scrooge is much happier and energetic.
In the novel money represents lack of human compassion. Belle says 'another idol has displaced me' when she leaves Scrooge as she notices his change towards her due to loving money more. In the novel it shows that being wealthy or poor does not make a difference in people's happiness. This can be seen in the Cratchet's home were they have a small pudding for a large family and still enjoy the meal. This is because food symbolises abundance, hope and excitement as people prepare the Christmas meals.
The chains that Marley carries symbolise the bad deeds he did in his life. These were mostly due to miserliness. He is now paying for the consequences of those sins as it is too late for Marley to gain forgiveness and so he is inslaved and reminded for all eternity of the bad life he lead. Also as every bad deed is done and every link is made the heavier the chain and so the worse his conscience becomes. As Marley is an example of what will happen to Scrooge if he does not mend his ways, Scrooge will become inslaved by his life too by the chain he is already making.
Children symbolise many things in the novel. Under the ghost of Christmas present's robe there are two children: Ignorance and Want. They are represented as children as they are formed by men and are innocent victims which hide under the ghosts robe for protection. Tiny Tim also represents the need for protection as without Scrooge's help he will die. He also symbolises kindness as he thinks of others and wishes happiness unto all people.The ghost of Christmas past is partly a child to symbolise hope and Scrooge's past as a child when he was honest and innocent. Children also represent lack of experience, like Scrooge as a young man doing an apprentaship. 'A little girl... came darting in,... and often kissing him... and bending down to laugh' shows energy, innocence, happiness and love in Scrooge's younger sister. The boy that fetched the goose for Scrooge also symbolised energy and joy, as he 'was off like a shot'.
Warmth symbolises compassion, christmas spirit and good cheer. You can see this when the ghost of Christmas present shows Scrooge his Nephew's house where there is a 'brisk fire' warming up a house full of cheer and laughter.
In this novel Christmas itself is a symbol. It symbolises good cheer, hope, honesty, innocence, awareness, charity, caring, compassion, love and many more positive things. As Christmas brings out the best in people and we are more thoughtful of one another around that season. The lack of Christmas spirit in Scrooge and the way he believes Christmas to be a 'Humbug!' shows how he lacks all the positive things in his life. The change you see at the end of the novel where he is happy that Christmas has arrived shows he has changed to be a much more compassionate person.
The symbolism in 'A Christmas Carol' by Charles Dickens emphesises the differences in atmosphere through the novel. It also explains how people are feelings. Some of the symbols structure the way the book is and so are necessary. 'A Christmas Carol' would not have the same effect without the hidden messages in it as it relies heavily on symbolism.
Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserable old bag. He hates everyone, even his nephew. He has no cares for anyone or the way they may be living. His trusty employee Bob Cratchit is even treated badly by Scrooge. This book shows how one person however nasty or selfish has a good heart. We see in the book that three ghosts (Christmas past, Christmas present & Christmas future) come to visit Scrooge and show him his wrong ways.
The Cratchit family in the book shows us that however poor you may be that Christmas brings it's own reward. And that there is no reason to be upset and miserable, but that you should be happy, and the Cratchit family show us that they are very content and they appreciate what they have got even if it is not a lot.
We have a lot of examples of Scrooge's attitude as a person and a businessman. In the beginning of the book we are told that Scrooge is sitting in his chair counting his money. We can see from this that all he cares about is money. His only love is for money. It was because of his love for money that he split up with his love. We are told that Scrooge's ex business partner Jacob Marley has died. There is no feeling inside Scrooge except that he will get all of the money from the business that him and Marley ran. We can see that in the book, a man comes round asking for money for the poor who have no homes. Scrooge is so nasty and selfish that he says to the man "I can't afford to make idle people merry. I help to support the establishments I have mentioned - they cost enough: and those who are badly off must go there. Many can't go there: and many would rather die. If they would rather die, they had better do it and decrease the surplus population. We can see there that Scrooge does not want to give any of his money and that if anyone died he could not care because "it's not my business". Scrooge also mentions that he pays taxes like most people which pay for these things like Union workhouses which people could go to, to get work, Prisons which people could take refuge in and the treadmill and the poor law where people could obtain money.
While Scrooge is at his home, the ghost of Jacob Marley comes to Scrooge and tells him that there will be three ghosts, who will come at the strike of a bell. As Marley left Scrooge examined everywhere Marley had been inside his room.
The first of the three spirits was soon to come. Scrooge woke up in the middle of the night. It was so dark that he could not see. He could not distinguish one item from the other. Soon the clock struck 12 and the ghost of Christmas past came in the presence of Scrooge. The ghost told Scrooge that he would show him his past. The spirit took Scrooge to a place that Scrooge remembered well. There he saw his younger self. Scrooge remembered all of this and he felt sad. The ghost asked him what was the matter and Scrooge said "There was a boy singing a Christmas carol at my door last night. I should like to have given him something: that's all." On this the ghost smiled to himself, knowing that Scrooge was changing.
The ghost took Scrooge to another Christmas, where Scrooge was at school and Sister came to get him. The ghost commented on his sister that she had a large heart. Scrooge admitted that. He said that she had one child and the ghost said it was true. The ghost said that the child was Scrooge's nephew. Scrooge suddenly seemed uneasy in his mind (which shows he felt bad because he had not been very nice to his nephew and he was the only family he had left) so Scrooge answered briefly to the ghost, "yes".
They next went to a warehouse where it showed scrooge all jolly like his old self. Here Scrooge felt uneasy too. Scrooge saw his old friends Mr & Mrs. Fezziwig. Scrooge saw how these people got so much joy out of something so small and remote. The ghost commented to Scrooge that
" A small matter to make these silly folks so full of gratitude." Scrooge argued about this and he remembered about his clerk. Scrooge once again was upset and the ghost asked him what was the matter and he told him that he felt like saying a few words to Bob Cratchit (his clerk).
The ghost told Scrooge that here was not much time, so they went to a place where Scrooge saw himself and his previous love. Here he was faced with the question of his love. The young girl asked him what idol has displaced him. Scrooge replied " A golden one". And so she left him and they parted. We could see there that Scrooge had lost all interest and that his only love from then till the present was his love for money.
The ghost then showed Scrooge the life he could have had if he had not left his love. Scrooge then heard the husband say that he saw an old friend, Mr Scrooge. Scrooge asked the spirit in a broken voice to take him away from this place. The ghost told scrooge that these shadows were not to be blamed on him but On Scrooge himself. Then Scrooge was put back into his room.
The next ghost s due, the ghost of Christmas present. The ghost took Scrooge to the streets of London. There they saw how everyone was happy but there was nothing very happy or cheery in the town. The ghost took Scrooge to the Cratchit's house. There Scrooge saw the Cratchits very cheery and merry. The Cratchit's clothes as Scrooge saw were threadbare and hanging off of them. Then Scrooge saw Tiny Tim. Scrooge felt instantly sorry for him. Scrooge asked the spirit with an interest that he had never felt before, if Tiny Tim would live. We can see here that Scrooge's attitude as a person is changing dramatically and he is starting to care for other people again. The ghost then told Scrooge that if things stayed the way they were, Tiny Tim would die. Scrooge was in such deep sorrow for Tiny Tim. The ghost then reminded Scrooge of something. In the words that scrooge had said earlier in the book he said to Scrooge "If he be like to die, he had better do it and decrease the surplus population." Scrooge felt so horrified by what he had said and he hung his head in shame and he was overcome with grief. We can see now that Scrooge is really changing into a person with feelings for other people apart from himself. During this The Cratchits were celebrating Christmas and they were celebrating to Scrooge. This amazed Scrooge because he had not been nice to Bob. From this we can see that the Cratchits represent the Christmas spirit which we all should have. This seriously changed Scrooge.
The Ghost then told Scrooge to hold on to his robe. They were transported onto a boat. There every man on board, waking or sleeping, good or bad had a kind word for everyone. Scrooge saw then his own Nephew. He said that his uncle was not that bad, but that his offences carry their own punishment. His nephew said that he might be rich, but that wealth could not buy happiness. Scrooge's nephew played games with everyone. Scrooge was amazed when Scrooge's Nephew wished him a merry Christmas wherever he was.
The ghost hen told Scrooge to look at the children. Scrooge was shocked by the sate they were in. They were tatty and yellow. Scrooge asked if they had anywhere to stay. The ghost replied to make Scrooge feel ashamed, "are there no prisons, are there no union workhouses" This really got Scrooge. As he looked around for the ghost he saw it not. As the bell had its last strike, a horrific phantom approached Scrooge and he was scared for his life. The phantom was darkly robed and resembled ironically death. Scrooge got on his knees and asked him if he was the ghost of Christmas yet to come. The ghost did not answer. Scrooge asked the ghost to lead on and so he did. The ghost stopped as Scrooge listened to the dialogue between the men. A great fat man with a monstrous chin was talking. He was talking to two men. One had a very large nose and the other was red-faced. From what Scrooge heard, someone had died the night before. They talked about how they had no more debts to pay back and how cheap the funeral would be. Scrooge knew who these men were. They were men who he had done business with. This was the life he had. Dealing with monstrous men. The phantom glided into another street. Scrooge knew these people too; they also talked about this person who had died and how they would not have to pay back debts. The couple talked about him for only a few seconds. This shows that who ever this person was nobody cared about him and did not want to know about him. The phantom then took them to the place where the corpse of the body was. Scrooge listened in horror to these people as they took the belongings of this person. Scrooge turned to the phantom and said he understood that the unhappiness of this person might be because of himself. The phantom then continued to point his finger at the head of the corpse. Scrooge did not have the strength to pull back the cover and look. This shows that scrooge as a person is now scared for himself. The phantom then spread his robe and they were in a different place. There was a mother waiting for here husband. When he came he explained that this person was dead. They were uneasy at first but were glad. Scrooge was then taken to Bob Cratchit's house. Everyone was silent. Poor Tiny Tim had passed away. All of the Cratchits the year before were full of joy and were running around. Now they were motionless. As Bob came in he talked to the family. He mentioned that nobody would forget Tiny Tim. All of the Cratchit's kissed Tiny Tim. His spirit was one of God's. He was a God given child.
Scrooge asked the phantom about the body in the bed, who was it. The phantom pointed away from Bob Cratchit's House. They came to a graveyard. The phantom pointed to a grave. Trembling with the most fear he had ever experienced in his life, he bent down and read the name on the grave. The name on the grave read " Ebenezer Scrooge". Scrooge fell to his knees as he cried. We can see now that Scrooge has fully changed. He is prepared to change. He begged the phantom to let him go. He said that the lessons from these three ghosts would stay with him his whole life. He would enforce the Christmas spirit all year round. He said he would honour Christmas in his heart and he would rid the writing on the grave.
The phantom collapsed and dwindled into a bedpost.
The bedpost was his own. Scrooge swore that from this moment onward would live in the past, present and future. We can see that Scrooge's attitude as a person and businessmen have changed for good. He has given up his selfishness. He will care for others as much as himself. Scrooge then felt rejoiced. He was a new human being. Full of emotion and care. Scrooge then cried down to a young boy and asked him to buy the prize turkey for him and he would reward him with half a crown. Scrooge then decided to send it to Bob Cratchit and he would let him rejoice. Scrooge went over to Bob Cratchit and gave him the turkey. He offered him a raise so he could afford to keep his family on the go.
Scrooge did more than he said he would. We have seen from this book that a man can change. Scrooge proved that he could be kind hearted. His attitude at first as a person was disrespectful and shamming. The same applied for his attitude as a businessman. In the end both of these changed. Scrooge is now a kind-hearted man full of joy. Scrooge now is a very generous businessman. As we saw he gave his employee Bob Cratchit a raise to support his family for many years.
As Tiny Tim observed he noticed the kind heart of Mr. Scrooge and said, "God bless us, Every One!"
