A CHRISTMAS CAROL
Charles Dickens
Summary
A mean-spirited, miserly old man named Ebenezer Scrooge sits in his counting-
house on a frigid Christmas Eve. His clerk, Bob Cratchit, shivers in the
anteroom because Scrooge refuses to spend money on heating coals for a fire.
Scrooge's nephew, Fred, pays his uncle a visit and invites him to his annual
Christmas party. Two portly gentlemen also drop by and ask Scrooge for a
contribution to their charity. Scrooge reacts to the holiday visitors with
bitterness and venom, spitting out an angry "Bah! Humbug!" in response to his
nephew's "Merry Christmas!"
Later that evening, after returning to his dark, cold apartment, Scrooge receives
a chilling visitation from the ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley. Marley,
looking haggard and pallid, relates his unfortunate story. As punishment for his
greedy and self-serving life his spirit has been condemned to wander the Earth
weighted down with heavy chains. Marley hopes to save Scrooge from sharing
the same fate. Marley informs Scrooge that three spirits will visit him during
each of the next three nights. After the wraith disappears, Scrooge collapses into
a deep sleep.
He wakes moments before the arrival of the Ghost of Christmas Past, a strange
childlike phantom with a brightly glowing head. The spirit escorts Scrooge on a
journey into the past to previous Christmases from the curmudgeon's earlier
years. Invisible to those he watches, Scrooge revisits his childhood school days,
his apprenticeship with a jolly merchant named Fezziwig, and his engagement to
Belle, a woman who leaves Scrooge because his lust for money eclipses his
ability to love another. Scrooge, deeply moved, sheds tears of regret before the
phantom returns him to his bed.
The Ghost of Christmas Present, a majestic giant clad in a green fur robe, takes
Scrooge through London to unveil Christmas as it will happen that year.
Scrooge watches the large, bustling Cratchit family prepare a miniature feast in
its meagre home. He discovers Bob Cratchit's crippled son, Tiny Tim, a
courageous boy whose kindness and humility warms Scrooge's heart. The
spectre then zips Scrooge to his nephew’s to witness the Christmas party.
Scrooge finds the jovial gathering delightful and pleads with the spirit to stay
until the very end of the festivities. As the day passes, the spirit ages, becoming
noticeably older. Toward the end of the day, he shows Scrooge two starved
children, Ignorance and Want, living under his coat. He vanishes instantly as
Scrooge notices a dark, hooded figure coming toward him.
The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads Scrooge through a sequence of
mysterious scenes relating to an unnamed man's recent death. Scrooge sees
businessmen discussing the dead man's riches, some vagabonds trading his
personal effects for cash, and a poor couple expressing relief at the death of their
unforgiving creditor. Scrooge, anxious to learn the lesson of his latest visitor,
begs to know the name of the dead man. After pleading with the ghost, Scrooge
finds himself in a churchyard, the spirit pointing to a grave. Scrooge looks at the
headstone and is shocked to read his own name. He desperately implores the
spirit to alter his fate, promising to renounce his insensitive, avaricious ways and
to honour Christmas with all his heart. Whoosh! He suddenly finds himself
safely tucked 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 honours 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.
