In Charles Dickens’ beautiful “A Christmas Carol,” the familiar tale of repentance is told, as Ebenezer Scrooge journeys through the Past, the Present and the Future, learning a valuable lesson about humanity. The last specter to visit him is the ominous “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.” This haunting figure provides Scrooge with paralyzing fear, but in the end, convinces him of the error of his ways. Though Scrooge was on his way towards self-examination already, the threat of this last ghost provides him with the final motivation to change.
“Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only?” (Dickens, p. 79) – Scrooge asks the ghost this after witnessing the sadness and loss that will occur in the future, including his own lonesome death. This question reveals Scrooge’s state of mind. Already from the beginning of the tale, he was warned by his former partner, Jacob Marley, about what may await him if he continues to live the way he has – a life of rattling chains, of eternal suffering. This is the fate that has befallen Marley and yet, Scrooge has an opportunity to change his path. But this does not convince him, as it is clear from his question to the “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.” Though Marley has already told him of the possibility of change, he still needs reassurances from this ghost. This dark figure represents reality to Scrooge, despite its phantom nature.
Could Scrooge have righted his ways had it not been for this last ghost? Since Dickens wrote it the way he did, it seems reasonable to answer this in the negative. The specter of the future not only encompasses the climax of the tale, but also represents the unknown, and with that, possibility. Hope. Thackeray once said, “Who can listen to objections regarding such a book as this? It seems to me a national benefit, and to every man or woman who reads it a personal kindness” (Cerrito, p. 222).
The Term Paper on Scrooge Presentation in ‘a Christmas Carol’
... the three spirits, Dickens reveals feelings in Scrooge that have been repressed, which facilitates Scrooge’s change. The ghost of Marley warns Scrooge “You will be ... seen”’ to the Ghost of Christmas yet to come. Since none of us can foresee the future Dickens reminds us all that ... Day. It is a simple morality tale of the radical change in the character Ebenezer Scrooge from being bitter, ironfisted and ...
When he is on the first leg of his journey, Scrooge witnesses his painful youth, complete with a lonely existence and a lost love. He is saddened by what is before him and then later, when he sees his love married with a family of her own, speaking of him and his solitude, he cannot take it – “‘Spirit!’ said Scrooge in a broken voice, ‘remove me from this place’” (40).
The ghost tells him that he should not blame him for what they see, for these are the events of the past and are unable to be changed. Thus, the Past cannot be changed, but the Future is malleable.
When he is allowed to observe the Present, the impoverished, yet joyous Christmas Eve of Bob Cratchit’s family moves him, and he cannot help but watch little Tiny Tim – “… Scrooge had his eye upon them, and especially Tiny Tim, until the last” (54).
Clearly, the first two episodes of his journey prove that Ebenezer Scrooge is not as unfeeling as he leads people to believe. Later, in the Present, when he gets to see the party of his nephew, he wishes to partake in the festivities. Lacking a happy childhood makes the games Fred, and his family, play all the more joyous for him. It is clear that he wants to be a part of them, and yet, he is unable to because of the glass, which allows him to see, but not touch.
Leading up to the climax of the “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come,” Scrooge encounters two sad children – “Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility” (63).
Scrooge is deeply affected by this vision and when the ghost uses his own words against him – “‘Are there no prisons?’ said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. ‘Are there no workhouses?’” (64) – Scrooge is shaken, and he knows that the time has come for him to meet with his future.
The Essay on The Ghost of Christmas Past
In the book The Christmas Carol, Dickens describes the Ghost of Christmas Past as human memories. Some examples are that the spirit looked like a child yet he looked like an old man. Dickens described the ghost as having a non-wrinkled, young face, but having long, white hair like an old man. The child represents Scrooge remembering the memories of his childhood and the old man represents ...
It is fitting that his own words will be the last thing he hears before he confronts the future. Again, he cannot change his words from the past, and they will continue to “haunt” him for the rest of his days unless he mends them for the future. And then, the “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come” sinisterly stands before him. It is a hooded figure that does not speak, but rather, allows the visions to tell his story.
Perhaps it is the prospect of death that truly brings Scrooge out of his self-absorbed state of mind. Though the Past and the Present had affected him greatly, it is the final visions of loss that inspire Scrooge to change. The loss of Tiny Tim echoes his own lost childhood. To witness the loss of the Cratchit family is a sad experience for Scrooge, as he considers what might have been for the young boy, and what will now never be – “The colour? Ah, poor Tiny Tim!” (75).
But what truly jars Scrooge is his own future – “‘Spirit!’ he cried, tight clutching at its robe, ‘ hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been but for this intercourse. Why show me this, if I am past all hope?’” (79).
Indeed, Scrooge becomes very vocal and animated when he sees that death lies in his future, but it is what he had witnessed at the beginning of their journey that resounds in his mind. The cold indifference in which his belongings where looked over, the utter loneliness of which he died, with the only persons caring about his death being those that were now out from under his miserly thumb – “… it was a happier house for this man’s death!” (75).
Death awaits us all, but it is the way in which an individual is remembered that stirs the heart. Tiny Tim was mourned with love. Scrooge was not mourned at all, but rather, was told that he was to die without friends, loved ones, or sadness. The concept of changing the world in which one lives, of making an impact on society – this is something that eludes Scrooge, and he is resolved to not see this fate unfold.
And thus, the answer to the question, “Could Scrooge have righted his ways had it not been for this last ghost?,” would be “No.” It seems he needed to see the consequences of his actions before he could truly bring himself to mend them. Though he rued what the other two ghosts showed him, he was not compelled to plead for his life, which is what he does with the “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.” Dickens wrote, “Holding up his hands in a last prayer to have his fate reversed, he saw an alteration in the Phantom’s hood and dress. It shrunk, collapsed, and dwindled down into a bedpost” (80).
The Essay on Scrooge Life Fear Death
Scrooge learned a great deal about himself during the visitations of the three ghosts in A Christmas Carol. He learned things that not only changed his life, but also the lives of others such as Tiny Tim and his family. At first these changes came gradually, probably because they where not really 'fueled' by fear of what might be, but instead by remorse for things he had already done. Not until ...
The dreamlike experience allows Scrooge to see that he could make amends. As illusory as his “dream” was, it leaves a lasting impression. G.K. Chesterton commented on the dream background of “A Christmas Carol,” declaring that it is the atmosphere of the tale, which allows the reader to travel with Scrooge, see what he sees, and learn what he learns – “It has the same kind of artistic unity that belongs to a dream” (Harris, p. 165).
He further stated, “‘ The Christmas Carol’ is a kind of philanthropic dream, an enjoyable nightmare, in which the scenes shift bewilderingly and seem as miscellaneous as the pictures in a scrap-book, but in which there is one constant state of the soul, a state of rowdy benediction and a hunger for human faces” (Harris, p. 165).
That “hunger for human faces” is what the “Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come” denies Scrooge in the end, and with that threat, Ebenezer Scrooge pleads for his life and declares that he will change his ways.
The journey was complete. Scrooge had repented and was determined to right his ways. We learn that he had tears streaming down his face and that he was now prepared to make the most of what life he had left. The specter of the Future allowed him to see what could be, but what doesn’t necessarily have to be. Chesterton remarked, “The story sings from end to end like a happy man going home; and, like a happy and good man, when it cannot sing it yells. It is a lyric exclamatory…” (Harris, p. 164).
Scrooge learned his lesson and for this, he became a better person – “… and it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge. May that be truly said of us, and all of us! And so, as Tiny Tim observed, God bless Us, Every One!” (87).
References
Cerrito, Joann, ed. “Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism: Volume 37.” Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1993.
The Term Paper on Tiny Tim Scrooge Christmas Dickens
The hyperbolic description of Scrooge in the early stages of the book is used to describe a large proportion of those who were better off in Victorian London. Scrooge is a 'squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner'. Dickens uses the present participle extremely effectively here as he is writing it in a way that he might describe Scrooge if he was talking aloud. ...
Dickens, Charles. “A Christmas Carol.” New York: Bantam Books, 1995.
Drabble, Margaret, ed. “The Oxford Companion to English Literature.” New York: Oxford University Press, 1985.
Harris, Laurie Lanzen, ed. “Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism: Volume 3.” Detroit: Gale Research Company, 1983.
Morehead, Albert H., ed. “A Treasury of Literary Masterpieces.” New York: Grosset & Dulap, 1969.
Mullane, Janet and Wilson, Robert Thomas, eds. “Nineteenth-Century Literature Criticism: Volume 25.” Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1990.
