The Three Spirits in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

The Three Spirits in Dickens’ A Christmas Carol

In Dickens’ Ghost story ‘ A Christmas Carol’ we are shown a story of

redemption. Dickens uses description, sarcasm and many other effects

to create the sudden changes of atmosphere in the novel. I will look

at how Dickens creates such a structured book and what causes it to be

so effective. However before I begin to examine Dickens’ methods I

will see how each of the mysterious spirits affect Scrooge and how he

responds to them.

Ebenezer Scrooge is a miser if ever there was one - grasping and

covetous, rich and penny-pinching. Dickens describes how he keeps a

clerk, Bob Cratchit, on a measly fifteen shillings a week and a very

small fire. His only family, a nephew named Fred, tries to get him to

spend Christmas with him and Scrooge's only reply is "Bah. Humbug."

The name Scrooge itself sounds sinister in itself… His name screw +

gouge shows he is hard -hearted.

He is visited by four spirits. The first is of his former partner,

Jacob Marley, who arrives on Christmas Eve. Jacob tells him he made

his chain link by link and his spirit is condemned to walk the earth

desperately trying to help his fellow man to no avail. He tells

Scrooge their last hope is to be visited by three Ghosts - the Ghost

of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present and the Ghost of

Christmas Yet to Come. Scrooge dismisses his vision, saying "there's

more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are" and goes to

sleep.

Scrooge is redeemed because he learns how to let his spirit walk among

his fellow men. He shows this by becoming 'a better man, a better

master' as the good old city ever knew. He reveals his progress slowly

by his actions, reactions and emotions.

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...th the discovery that many think him a monster of a man.

Scrooge finds most out about himself from this Spirit, and mixes his

joy with his remorse and pain.

The Spirit of Christmas Yet to Come is perhaps the least accessible

character, but the line “the kind hand trembled” right at the end of

its visit shows that it has goodwill. Its lack of violence and terror

impresses Scrooge further. It must put the finishing touches to

Scrooge, ensuring he is aware of his own mortality and to encourage

him to change his life for the good.

Scrooge’s dream is a growing process, starting from the one extreme of

an old boring humble miser, and finishing up as a model of goodwill

and religious generosity. Charles Dickens achieves what he attempted

to do. With the use of humorous words and fantastic Ghosts he tells us

a deep moral story which is still relevant today.