A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens EVENTS Stave One—Marley’s Ghost CHARACTERS Fred visits Scrooge in his counting house to invite him for Christmas Day. The charity men visit Ebenezer Scrooge Scrooge to ask for a donation to help the poor. Scrooge resents giving Bob the day off for Christmas Scrooge is a creditor, he owns his own counting house. He suffered rejection from his father as a child and Day. Marley visits Scrooge at home to warn him about his fate if he doesn’t change his ways. was sent away to boarding school. He was often left there in the holidays. Scrooge was close to his sister, Fan. His engagement to Belle ended because he grew to love money more than people and refused to spend Stave Two— The Ghost of Christmas Past. any money on extravagances. He made contributions to the prisons and workhouses. Scrooge’s attitude to The Ghost of Christmas Past takes Scrooge back to his childhood. He joyfully recognises some of the Christmas was changed by the visits of the ghosts and his character at the end is much-changed. He becomes boys he went to school with. This is tinged with sadness though as he is shown a time when he is left a generous donor to charities assisting the poor, he raises Bob Cratchit’s salary and spends quality time with at school at Christmas. Next, the ghost shows him when Fan persuaded their father to bring the Tiny Tim. young Ebenezer home. Later, the ghost shows him Christmas at Fezziwig’s, where a party was thrown Bob Cratchit with no expense spared for the employees. We see Scrooge’s early happy relationship with Belle, fol- Bob is Scrooge’s long-suffering clerk. He has to wear his scarf inside the office to keep warm and struggles to lowed by the Christmas when she broke off their engagement. Scrooge is visibly upset by these recol- support his large family. He is, however, a kind and cheerful man. lections of the past. Fred—Scrooge’s nephew. Stave Three—The Ghost of Christmas Present Fred loves Christmas and is generous in annually asking his uncle to spend the day with him. He is very much This ghost takes Scrooge on a journey through London where he sees how the shops and houses are like his mother and is delighted when Scrooge turns up at his house at the end of the novel. decorated and prepared for Christmas. They end up at the Cratchit’s home where Scrooge witnesses Jacob Marley the busy, loving family preparing their meal. He comments sarcastically upon the food even though it Scrooge’s business partner, dead for 7 years. He was equally as greedy and selfish as Scrooge. As a ghost , he is his fault that they can’t afford more. However, Scrooge is moved by Tiny Tim’s plight. The ghost is condemned to drag chains of cash boxes, padlocks and keys as a punishment for his conduct while alive. then takes Scrooge to Fred’s Christmas party, where all the guests are having great fun which has a He visits Scrooge on Christmas Eve to offer him a chance of redemption by sending 3 ghosts to visit him., so happy impact on Scrooge. Next, Scrooge is taken to poorer and less fortunate people in London who, that he doesn’t suffer the same fate. nevertheless, were enjoying the day. At the end of the stave, the ghost shows Scrooge Ignorance and The Ghost of Christmas Past Want in the form of children to highlight to Scrooge how much help is needed. Looks like a child and an old man at the same time. Shows Scrooge Christmases from his past,. Stave Four—The Ghost of Christmas yet to Come The Ghost of Christmas Present This ghost shows a variety of people reacting to a death. They are talking about the cheapness of the funeral, who the money has been left to and if anyone will go the funeral. The charwoman and her Looks like a giant robed in a green cloak. Shows Scrooge Christmas at the Cratchits, Christmas at Belle’s (with friend steal the curtains and bedding from the dead man’s house and a young couple are relieved that her husband and children), Christmas at Fred’s and Christmas for the poor on the streets in London. the threat of bankruptcy (and consequently the workhouse) has been removed because of the death. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come Scrooge asks to see “some tenderness connected with a death” and is shown the Cratchit family gen- Looks like the grim reaper and doesn’t speak. Scrooge fears this one most of all. tly grieving for Tiny Tim. The ghost takes Scrooge to a graveyard where he discovers to his terror, that Tiny Tim he is the dead man they were all talking about. Scrooge makes his promise that he “will not shut out A cheerful and optimistic boy despite his illness. the lessons” he has learned. Minor Characters Stave Five—The End of It Fan—Scrooge’s kind sister. Died giving birth to Fred. Scrooge wakes up on Christmas Day (“the spirits have done it all in one night”). He is beside himself with joy and asks a boy in the street to buy a prize turkey and deliver it to the Cratchit’s. He visits Fred Mrs Cratchit—Bob’s wife. Dislikes Scrooge. Makes the best of her poverty. who is overjoyed to see him. He treats Bob to lunch at an inn on Boxing Day and raises his salary. He Martha Cratchit—works as a milliner’s apprentice; Peter Cratchit—about to become Scrooge’s apprentice. gives a large donation to the charity men to include “a great many back payments” .He also became a The Two Portly Gentlemen—the charity men. second father to Tiny Tim and lived up to the promise he made. Dickens’ Language THEMES CONTEXT Allegory: an story that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, usually a moral. Poverty: charity men have to raise money to keep the poor out of Published 17th December 1843. Sold workhouses; Bob Cratchit earns 15 shillings a week (about $58); Tiny Structure: written in 5 staves, instead of chapters, to represent the 5 lines of a musical 5000 copies by Christmas Eve. Dickens Tim suffers from rickets and tuberculosis; Scrooge works as a creditor stave linking with the title of the novel; follows narrative theory of orientation (setting it wrote it “to awaken some loving and for- lending money; the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge home- up, Jacob Marley); three main events (Ghosts of Past, Present and Yet to Come); coda less people; Ignorance and Want bearing thoughts”. (the satisfying and happy end) - conventional and traditional method for allegories, ac- Greed: Scrooge works as a creditor; he’s rich but mean with his mon- Goose (which the Cratchits eat in Stave 3) cepted by Victorians. ey, even with himself (he eats gruel); he doesn’t spend any money at was cheaper than turkey. Repetition:repetitive sentence structures, clause after clause to build up the descriptions Christmas; he doesn’t give money to charity, just pays his taxes; Belle “they were not a handsome family; they were not well-dressed; their shoes were very far leaves him because he worships a “golden [idol]”; Scrooge resents The Poor Law 1834— funded by the gov- from being water-proof; their clothes were scanty”; “stood beside sick beds, and they paying Bob holiday pay for Christmas Day and pays him very little to ernment to reduce the cost (in middle and were cheerful; on foreign lands, and they were close at home; by struggling men, and start with; Scrooge’s charwoman and friend are greedy for Scrooge’s upper class taxes) of looking after the they were patient; by poverty, and it was rich” (also juxtapositionhere) belongings after his “death”; poor, take beggars and scroungers off the Charity: depicted visibly by the two portly gentlemen (ironic); Jacob street and encourage poor people to work Similes: especially to describe Scrooge, but elsewhere also: “solitary as an oyster”; “as Marley’s visit is charitable towards Scrooge to persuade him to change hard. The poor (if they couldn't pay their hard and sharp as flint”; “as merry as school-boy” his ways; Fred’s visit to his uncle is charitable; Ghost of Christmas Pre- rent) were sent to workhouses, fed, Dialogue: brings the characters and their reactions and emotions alive. Most film adapta- sent shows the poor and homeless being charitable and kind to each clothed and children received some tions keep the majority of the dialogue as Dickens wrote it. other schooling but they had to work several Exclamations and phrases: “Bah, humbug!” “A Merry Christmas!” “God bless us, every Redemption: change/forgiveness can be included here. Marley offers hours a day. Families were split up, condi- one.” the Scrooge the chance of redemption. There are glimmers of Scrooge’s change of heart from Stave 2: he feels guilty about not giv- tions were harsh. The poor feared the Lists: of adjectives, phrases and similes to emphasise : “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, ing money to the carol singer, he shows fondness in his memory of threat of the workhouse. Protesters said scraping, clutching, covetous”; Fezziwig; in Stave 3 Scrooge is moved by Tiny Tim and the scenes he they were “prison for the poor”. Charities Emotive Vocabulary: “Every idiot who goes about with Merry Christmas on his lips should sees; he is dismayed by Ignorance and Want. In Stave 4 Scrooge is so attempted to raise money to prevent the be boiled with his own pudding and buried with a stake of holly through his heart”; “I frightened and horrified that he weeps on his own grave and solemnly poor from suffering the humiliation. promises to change. Stave 5 is where the proof of Scrooge’s redemp- cannot bear it!” tion is visible: buying the turkey, donating money, going to Fred’s, rais- Dickens was a campaigner for social jus- Pathetic Fallacy: mist in Stave 1; darkness in Stave 3; graveyard in Stave 4; bright day in ing Bob’s salary and befriending Tiny Tim. He continues his benevo- tice. His own father had to go to debtors’ Stave 5 lence year after year. prison. Dickens worked as a law clerk for a Other key quotations: Mankind: Marley says “mankind was my business” he should have while so he had first-hand knowledge of “And therefore, uncle, though it has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I be- been generous and kind but he wasn’t. Dickens intention was to show social injustices against the poor. “mankind” what little you need to do to have a generous spirit. The lieve that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!" (Fred S1) Tiny Tim suffered from a combination of Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge how mankind behaves (see “It may be that in the sight of Heaven you are more worthless and less fit to live than mil- rickets, a deficiency of vitamin D found in Stave 3). lions like this poor man's child.”(GoCP S3) milk, and tuberculosis (a lung condition Christmas: Victorian (indeed, modern) traditions abound: carol sing- “while there is infection in disease and sorrow, there is nothing in the world so irresistibly ing; having the meat cooked at the baker’s (not modern!); family cele- arising from damp, cold living conditions). contagious as laughter and good humour” (S3) brations; party games; snow; the colour of the Ghost of Christmas Boxing Day—it became a tradition in Vic- Present’s robe (green); the decorations in the shop windows; Boxing “Let me see some tenderness connected with a death” (Scrooge S4) torian times for the wealthy to give dona- Day; charity. tions on Boxing Day to the poor (after A “He became as good a friend, as good a master, as good a man as the good old City knew, or any other good old city, town, or borough in the good old world.” (Stave Five) Christmas Carol was published).