Importance Of Scrooge In A Christmas Carol

Rahul Gupta

P3 ALA

12/18

ACC

The Metamorphosis of Ebenezer Scrooge

In A Christmas Carol-A 19th century novel written by Charles Dickens. Is about Scrooge who is an old grumpy man who has no friends and dislikes the Christmas spirit. In the end of the first stave, he is visited by his dead coworker, Jacob Marley’s ghost, who introduces the theme “Mankind should be your business” which is the main theme for the entire story. Three Ghosts of the Christmas Past, Present, and Future aid him with transformation to make him become a good person. Dickens uses characterization to show the theme “Mankind should be your business”.

In the beginning, Scrooge's business partner, Jacob Marley, dies. Scrooge was everything to Marley. “Scrooge was

After Scrooge wakes up waiting for the spirit for “Five minutes, ten minutes, a quarter of an hour went by, yet nothing came” the whole time “he lay upon his bed, the very core and centre of a blaze of ruddy light”(Stave 3, Page 2) this quote shows Scrooge accepting the light of goodness into himself. He then begins to see a ghostly light where he thinks is coming from the adjoining room. He then hears a voice calling him and enters the adjoining room. When he opens it Dickens says “It was his own room. There was no doubt about that. But it had undergone a surprising transformation.”(Stave 3, Page 2) This foreshadows Scrooge's eventual transformation. When the spirit tells Scrooge to look upon him “Scrooge reverently did so. It was clothed in one simple green robe or mantle.(Stave 3, Page 3).” This is what Scrooge sees the spirit as and shows that his state of confinement is shown by his clothes. The Spirit then takes Scrooge to the Cratchit's Christmas dinner and shows him what it is like to enjoy a Christmas meal with friends and family. Once Scrooge asks if Tiny Tim will live the spirit says “‘I see a vacant seat’ replied the Ghost, ‘in the poor chimney-corner, and a crutch without an owner, carefully preserved. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die.” Scrooge then tells the spirit that he wishes the poor innocent child to be spared and in doing so using

The spirit during the whole time never uttered a single word to Scrooge. It wore a black melancholy robe. The spirit's actions spoke for the Spirit. The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come takes Scrooge to his town in the future where he finds the townspeople are talking about a dead man. Although scrooge has somewhat of an idea of who it is he is not ready yet to consider that possibility. The people cared so less about this man that “Somebody was fool enough to do it, but I took it off.”(Stave III, Page 9) this quote was said by a woman who put a blanket on the man's corpse to be buried with since no one else wanted to. After this Scrooge demands to see something else. The spirit then takes Scrooge to the graveyard where the man was buried. When Scrooge goes to read the name on the tombstone to his horror he reads his own name Ebenezer Scrooge. Scrooge finally realizing the truth drops to his knees and sobs to the spirit “ ‘Good Spirit’ he pursued, as down upon the ground he fell before it ‘Your nature intercedes for me and pities me. Assure me that I yet may change these you have shown me, by an Altered Life!’ ”(Stave IV Page 12) Scrooge now knows that the transformation, that the spirits are pushing him into, is unavoidable. Scrooge then tells the spirit “Hear me! I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I have been but for this intercourse”(Stave IV Page 13). We now know that Scrooge has completed his transformation and