Character Analysis Of Ebenezer Scrooge In A Christmas Carol

This passage, from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens, discusses the character development of Ebenezer Scrooge, along with the irony regarding the Ghost of Christmas Present’s response to Scrooge’s evident transformation. The quote shows Scrooge expressing sympathy towards the declining health of Tiny Tim, the son of Scrooge’s employee, as Scrooge wishes for Tim not to die due to his illness. Scrooge is portrayed earlier in the book as a greedy, selfish man, who only cares about the money he earns, not willing to share it with those in need. This is further explained when Scrooge is asked about sharing some of his vast supply of money with the poor, as he responds by saying that if they must die, they should do so to decrease the surplus population; this depicts Scrooge’s initial despise and disrespect towards those poorer than him. Thus, by begging and showing desire for the revived health
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I awaited the Spirit’s support for Scrooge's new-found sense of selflessness, along with the Spirit being depicted comforting Scrooge when the Spirit tells Scrooge that Tiny Tim is destined to die. What contributed to my shock was the fact that the Spirit of the Present is conveyed as the most friendly of the three spirits Scrooge encounters throughout the book. This is because the Spirit of the Present is first presented to readers eating a jolly feast with plenty of guests, joyfully passing down food. Furthermore, the passage puzzled me because it shows Scrooge transforming from a selfish man to a caring old man. However, as Scrooge is already changing from the beginning of his journey with the Spirit of the Present, I wondered why does Scrooge need to visit a third ghost. Then, this brought an idea that I had not thought about before: maybe Scrooge has not fully changed into the altruistic character I perceived him to be at this point in the