A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

 

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

 

A mean and miserly old man named Ebenezer Scrooge is sitting in his office on a freezing Christmas Eve. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, trembles in the hall because Scrooge refuses to spend money on heating coals for the fire. Scrooge's nephew Fred visits his uncle and invites him to his annual Christmas party. Two burly gentlemen also stop by and ask Scrooge for donations to charity. Scrooge reacts with bitterness and poison to the holiday guests, spitting out an angry "Bah!Humbug!" in response to his nephew's "Merry Christmas!"

 

Later that evening, back in his cold, dark apartment, Scrooge receives a terrifying visit from the ghost of his late companion, Jacob Marley. Marley, pale and pale, tells his unfortunate story. As punishment for his greedy and selfish life, his spirit was condemned to roam the earth in heavy chains. Marley hopes to save Scrooge from the same fate. Marley informs Scrooge that for the next three nights of, he will be visited by three ghosts. After the ghost is gone, Scrooge falls into a deep sleep.

 

He wakes up just before the Ghost of Christmas Gone arrives, a strange childlike ghost with a glowing head. The ghost takes Scrooge on a journey through time to past Christmases from years past. Unnoticed by those he watches, Scrooge thinks back to his school days as a childhood, an apprenticeship with a cheerful merchant named Fezziwig, and his engagement to Belle, a woman who abandons Scrooge because her greed for money impairs his ability to love another person. overshadowed.

A deeply moved Scrooge sheds tears of regret before the ghost puts him back to bed.

 

The Ghost of Christmas Present, a handsome giant in a green fur robe, leads Scrooge through London to reveal the celebration of Christmas that will take place this year. Scrooge watches as the large and feisty Cratchit family prepare a miniature banquet in their humble home. He discovers Bob Cratchit's crippled son, Tiny Tim, a brave boy whose kindness and humility warm Scrooge's heart. The Specter then ties Scrooge to his nephew to attend the Christmas party. Scrooge finds the merry gathering delightful and

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asks the ghost to stay until the festivities are over. As the day progresses the mind ages, it ages noticeably. At the end of the day, he shows Scrooge two starving children, Ignorance and Need, living under his cloak. He disappears immediately as Scrooge sees a dark, hooded figure approaching.

 

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come takes Scrooge through a series of mysterious scenes relating to the recent death of an unnamed man. Scrooge sees businessmen discussing the riches of the deceased, some vagabonds bartering his possessions for money, and a poor couple expressing relief at the death of their ruthless creditor. Scrooge, wishing to learn a lesson from his last visitor, asks the deceased's name. After begging the spirit, Scrooge ends up in the graveyard and the spirit of

points to the grave. Scrooge looks at the tombstone and is shocked to read his name. Desperately begging the spirit to change her fate, she vows to abandon her callous and greedy ways and celebrate Christmas with all her heart. Oh! Suddenly he finds himself safely in his bed.

 

Overwhelmed with joy by the chance to redeem himself and grateful that he has been returned to Christmas Day, Scrooge rushes out onto the street hoping to share his newfound Christmas spirit. He sends a giant Christmas turkey to the Cratchit house and attends Fred's party, to the stifled surprise of the other guests. As the years go by, he holds true to his promise and honors Christmas with all his heart: he treats Tiny Tim as if he were his own child, provides lavish gifts for the poor, and treats his fellow human beings with kindness, generosity, and warmth.

 

 

Character List

 

Ebenezer Scrooge

The miserly owner of a London counting-house, a nineteenth century term for an accountant's office. The three spirits of Christmas visit the stodgy bean-counter in hopes of reversing Scrooge's greedy, cold-hearted approach to life.

 

Bob Cratchit

Scrooge's clerk, a kind, mild, and very poor man with a large family. Though treated harshly by his boss, Cratchit remains a humble and dedicated employee.

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Tiny Tim

Bob Cratchit's young son, crippled from birth. Tiny Tim is a highly sentimentalized character who Dickens uses to highlight the tribulations of England's poor and to elicit sympathy from his middle and upper class readership.

 

Jacob Marley

In the living world, Ebenezer Scrooge's equally greedy partner. Marley died seven years before the narrative opens. He appears to Scrooge as a ghost condemned to wander the world bound in heavy chains. Marley hopes to save his old partner from suff ering a similar fate.

 

 

The Ghost of Christmas Past

The first spirit to visit Scrooge, a curiously childlike apparition with a glowing head. He takes Scrooge on a tour of Christmases in his past. The spirit uses a cap to dampen the light emanating from his head.

 

The Ghost of Christmas Present

The second spirit to visit Scrooge, a majestic giant clad in a green robe. His lifespan is restricted to Christmas Day. He escorts Scrooge on a tour of his contemporaries' Holiday celebrations.

 

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The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

The third and final spirit to visit Scrooge, a silent phantom clad in a hooded black robe. He presents Scrooge with an ominous view of his lonely death.

 

Fred

Scrooge's nephew, a genial man who loves Christmas. He invites Scrooge to his Christmas party each and every year, only to be refused by his grumpy uncle.

 

Fezziwig

The jovial merchant with whom the young Scrooge apprenticed. Fezziwig was renowned for his wonderful Christmas parties.

 

Belle

A beautiful woman who Scrooge loved deeply when he was a young man. Belle broke off their engagement after Scrooge became consumed with greed and the lust for wealth. She later married another man.

 

Peter Cratchit

Bob's oldest son, who inherits his father's stiff-collared shirt for Christmas.

 

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Martha Cratchit

Bob's oldest daughter, who works in a milliner's shop. (A milliner is a person who designs, produces, and sells hats.)

 

Fan

Scrooge's sister; Fred's mother. In Scrooge's vision of Christmases past, he remembers Fan picking him up from school and walking him home.

 

The Portly Gentlemen

Two gentlemen who visit Scrooge at the beginning of the tale seeking charitable contributions. Scrooge promptly throws them out of his office. Upon meeting one of them on the street after his visitations, he promises to make lavish donations to help the poor.

 

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