A

CHRISTMAS
CAROL
CHARLES DICKENS

WORKBOOK
What is A Christmas Carol?
‘A Christmas Carol’ is a short novel (novella)
about a bitter man called Scrooge. With the
help and guidance of three ghosts, Scrooge
changes dramatically, from a harsh bitter
and cold man to someone who is kind and
generous by the end of the novel. Although
it is a fictional story, the novel explores the
very real problem of poverty in Victorian
society. It criticises the attitudes of many
rich people, who Dickens saw as dismissing
and ignoring the problem. Dickens argues in
the novel that people have a duty to help the
less fortunate.

What is meant by ‘Victorian Society’?

• The Victorian era was from 1837 – 1901
and it marks the reign of Queen Victoria. •
Victoria was the longest reigning British
monarch (until the current Queen) and the
figurehead of a vast empire. • She oversaw
huge changes in British society and gave her
name to an age.
 BRIEF DESCRIPTION ABOUT CHARACTERS

 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.

 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 suffering 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.

 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.

 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.

 Mrs. Cratchit
Bob's wife, a kind and loving woman.

Stave 1 Summary

On a frigid, foggy Christmas Eve in London, a shrewd, mean-

spirited cheapskate named Ebenezer Scrooge works meticulously
in his counting-house. Outside the office creaks a little sign
reading "Scrooge and Marley"--Jacob Marley, Scrooge's business
partner, has died seven years previous. Inside the office, Scrooge
watches over his clerk, a poor diminutive man named Bob
Cratchit. The smouldering ashes in the fireplace provide little heat
even for Bob's tiny room. Despite the harsh weather Scrooge
refuses to pay for another lump of coal to warm the office.
Suddenly, a ruddy-faced young man bursts into the office offering
holiday greetings and an exclamatory, "Merry Christmas!" The
young man is Scrooge's jovial nephew Fred who has stopped by to
invite Scrooge to Christmas dinner. The grumpy Scrooge responds
with a "Bah! Humbug!" refusing to share in Fred's Christmas
cheer. After Fred departs, a pair of portly gentlemen enters the
office to ask Scrooge for a charitable donation to help the poor.
Scrooge angrily replies that prisons and workhouses are the only
charities he is willing to support and the gentlemen leave
emptyhanded. Scrooge confronts Bob Cratchit, complaining about
Bob's wish to take a day off for the holiday. "What good is
Christmas," Scrooge snipes, "that it should shut down business?"
He begrudgingly agrees to give Bob a day off but insists that he
arrive at the office all the earlier the next day. Scrooge follows the
same old routine, taking dinner in his usual tavern and returning
home through the dismal, fog blanketed London streets. Just before
entering his house, the door knocker on his front door, the same
door he has passed through twice a d ay for his many years,
catches his attention. A ghostly image in the curves of the knocker
gives the old man a momentary shock: It is the peering face of
Jacob Marley. When Scrooge takes a second re-focused look, he
sees nothing but a door knocker. With a disgusted "Pooh-pooh,"
Scrooge opens the door and trudges into his bleak quarters. He
makes little effort to brighten his home: "darkness is cheap, and
Scrooge liked it." As he plods up the wide staircase, Scrooge, in
utter disbelief, sees a locomotive hearse climbing the stairs beside
him. After rushing to his room, Scrooge locks the door behind him
and puts on his dressing gown. As he eats his gruel before the fire,
the carvings on his mantelpiece suddenly transform into images of
Jacob Marley's face. Scrooge, determined to dismiss the strange
visions, blurts out "Humbug!" All the bells in the room fly up from
the tables and begin to ring sharply. Scrooge hears footsteps
thumping up the stairs. A ghostly figure floats through the closed
door--Jacob Marley, transparent and bound in chains. Scrooge
shouts in disbelief, refusing to admit that he sees Marley's ghost--a
strange case of food poisoning, he claims. The ghost begins to
murmur: He has spent seven years wandering the Earth in his
heavy chains as punishment for his sins. Scrooge looks closely at
the chains and realises that the links are forged of cashboxes,
padlocks, ledgers, and steel purses. The wraith tells Scrooge that
he has come from beyond the grave to save him from this very
fate. He says that Scrooge will be visited by three spirits over the
next three nights--the first two appearing at one o'clock in the
morning and the final spirit arriving at the last stoke of midnight.
He rises and backs toward the window, which opens almost
magically, leaving a trembling Scrooge white with fear. The ghost
gestures to Scrooge to look out the window, and Scrooge complies.
He sees a throng of spirits, each bound in chains. They wail about
their failure to lead honourable, caring lives and their inability to
reach out to others in need as they and Marley disappear into the
mist. Scrooge stumbles to his bed and falls instantly asleep.

Stave 2 Summary

Scrooge awakes at midnight, which leaves him baffled--it was well

after two a.m. when he went to bed. Initially, he thinks he has slept
through an entire day or that it's actually noon and the sun has
merely gone under some sort of cover. He suddenly remembers the
words of Marley's ghost. The first of the three spirits will arrive at
one o'clock. Frightened, Scrooge decides to wait for his
supernatural visitor. At one o'clock, the curtains of Scrooge's bed
are blown aside by a strange, childlike figure emanating an aura of
wisdom and a richness of experience. The spirit uses a cap to cover
the light that glows from its head. The specter softly informs
Scrooge e that he is the Ghost of Christmas Past and orders the
mesmerized man to rise and walk with him. The spirit touches
Scrooge's heart, granting him the ability to fly. The pair exits
through the window. The ghost transports Scrooge to the
countryside where he was raised. He sees his old school, his
childhood mates, and familiar landmarks of his youth. Touched by
these memories, Scrooge begins to sob. The ghost takes the
weeping man into the school where a solitary boy--a young
Ebenezer Scrooge--passes the Christmas holiday all alone. The
ghost takes Scrooge on a depressing tour of more Christmases of
the past--the boy in the schoolhouse grows older. At last, a little
girl, Scrooge's sister Fan, runs into the room, and announces that
she has come to take Ebenezer home. Their father is much kinder,
she says. He has given his consent to Ebenezer's return. The young
Scrooge, delighted to see his sister, embraces her joyfully. The
aged Scrooge regretfully tells the ghost that Fan died many years
ago and is the mother of his nephew Fred. The ghost escorts
Scrooge to more Christmases of the past including a merry party
thrown by Fezziwig, the merchant with whom Scrooge apprenticed
as a young man. Scrooge later sees a slightly older yet still boyish
version of himself in conversation with a lovely young woman
named Belle. She is breaking off their engagement crying that
greed has corrupted the love that used to impassion Scrooge's
heart. The spirit takes Scrooge to a more recent Christmas scene
where a middle-aged Belle reminisces with her husband about her
former fiancé, Scrooge. The husband says that Scrooge is now
"quite alone in the world." The older Scrooge can no longer bear
the gripping visions. He begs the Ghost of Christmas Past to take
him back, back to his home. Tormented and full of despair,
Scrooge seizes the ghost's hat and pulls it firmly over top of the
mystical child's head, dimming the light. As the inextinguishable,
luminous rays flood downward onto the ground, Scrooge finds
himself zipped back in his bedroom, where he stumbles to bed yet
again and falls asleep immediately.

Stave 3 Summary

The church clock strikes one, startling Scrooge, who awakes in

mid-snore. Glad to be awake, he hopes to confront the second
spirit just as it arrives. The echoes of the church bell fade,
however, and no ghost appears. Somewhat disappointed, Scrooge
waits for 15 minutes after which a bright light begins to stream
down upon him. Curious and a bit befuddled, Scrooge pads into
the other room where he finds the second spirit waiting for him.
The figure, a majestic giant clad in green robes, sits atop a throne
made of a gourmet feast. In a booming voice, the spirit announces
himself as the Ghost of Christmas Present. He tells Scrooge that he
has more than 1800 brothers and his lifespan is a mere single day.
The spirit orders Scrooge to touch his robe. Upon doing so, the
feast and the room vanish instantly and Scrooge finds himself
alongside the spirit in the midst of the bustling city on Christmas
morning. Blissful passersby take pleasure in the wondrous sights
and smells abounding through the shop doors. People merrily
shovel snow, tote bags of presents, and greet one another with a
cheery "Merry Christmas!" The spirit then takes Scrooge to the
meagre home of Bob Cratchit, where Mrs. Cratchit and her
children prepare a Christmas goose and savour the few Christmas
treats they can afford. The oldest daughter, Martha, returns from
her job at a milliner's. The oldest son, Peter, wears a stiff-collared
shirt, a hand-me-down from his father. Bob comes in carrying the
crippled young tyke, Tiny Tim, on his shoulders. The family is
more than content despite its skimpy Christmas feast. Scrooge begs
to know whether Tiny Tim will survive. The spirit replies that
given the current conditions in the Cratchit house, there will
inevitably be an empty chair at next year's Christmas dinner. The
spirit takes Scrooge to a number of other Christmas gatherings,
including the festivities of an isolated community of miners and a
party aboard a ship. He also takes Scrooge to Fred's Christmas
party, where Scrooge looses himself in the numerous party games
and has a wildly entertaining time, though none of the party guests
can actually see him. As the night unfolds, the ghost grows older.
At last, Scrooge and the ghost come to a vast and desolate expanse.
Here, the ghost shows Scrooge a pair of starving children who
travel with him beneath his robes--their names are Ignorance and
Want. Scrooge inquires if nothing can be done to help them.
Mockingly, the ghost quotes Scrooge's earlier retort, "Are there no
prisons? Are there no workhouses ?" The spirit disappears as the
clock strikes midnight and Scrooge eyes a hooded phantom
coming toward him.

Stave 4 Summary
The phantom, a menacing figure clad in a black hooded robe,
approaches Scrooge. Scrooge involuntarily kneels before him and
asks if he is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The phantom
does not answer, and Scrooge squirms in terror. Still reeling from
the revelatory experiences with the last two spirits, Scrooge pleads
with the ghost to share his lesson, hopeful that he may avoid the
fate of his deceased partner. The ghost takes Scrooge to a series of
strange places: the London Stock Exchange, where a group of
businessmen discuss the death of a rich man; a dingy pawn shop in
a London slum, where a group of vagabonds and shady characters
sell some personal effects stolen from a dead man; the dinner table
of a poor family, where a husband and wife express relief at the
death of an unforgiving man to whom they owed money; and the
Cratchit household, where the family struggles to cope with the
death of Tiny Tim. Scrooge begs to know the identity of the dead
man, exasperated in his attempts to understand the lesson of the
silent ghost. Suddenly, he finds himself in a churchyard where the
spirit points him toward a freshly dug grave. Scrooge approaches
the grave and reads the inscription on the headstone: EBENEZER
SCROOGE. Appalled, Scrooge clutches at the spirit and begs him
to undo the events of his nightmarish vision. He promises to
honour Christmas from deep within his heart and to live by the
moralising lessons of Past, Present, and Future. The spirit's hand
begins to tremble, and, as Scrooge continues to cry out for mercy,
the phantom's robe shrinks and collapses. Scrooge, again, finds
himself returned to the relative safety of his own bed.

Stave 5 Summary

Scrooge, grateful for a second chance at his life, sings the praises
of the spirits and of Jacob Marley. Upon realising he has been
returned to Christmas morning, Scrooge begins shouting "Merry
Christmas!" at the top of his lungs. Genuinely over joyed and
bubbling with excitement, Scrooge barely takes time to dress and
dances while he shaves. In a blur, Scrooge runs into the street and
 offers to pay the first boy he meets a huge sum to deliver a great
Christmas turkey to Bob Cratchit's. He meets one of the portly
gentlemen who earlier sought charity for the poor and apologises
for his previous rudeness, promising to donate huge sums of
money to the poor. He attends Fred's Christmas party and radiates
such heartfelt bliss that the other guests can hardly manage to
swallow their shock at his surprising behaviour. The following
morning, Scrooge arrives at the office early and assumes a very
stern expression when Bob Cratchit enters eighteen and a half
minutes late. Scrooge, feigning disgust, begins to scold Bob,
before suddenly announcing his plans to give Cratchit t a large
raise and assist his troubled family. Bob is stunned, but Scrooge
promises to stay true to his word. As time passes, Scrooge is as
good as his word: He helps the Cratchits and becomes a second
father to Tiny Tim who does not die as predicted in the ghost's
ominous vision. Many people in London are puzzled by Scrooge's
behaviour, but Scrooge merely laughs off their suspicions and
doubts. Scrooge brings a little of the Christmas spirit into every
day, respecting the lessons of Christmas more than any man alive.
The narrator concludes the story by saying that Scrooge's words
and thoughts should be shared by of all of us ... "and so, as Tiny
Tim observed, God bless us, Every one!"

BRIEF ANALYSIS

A Christmas Carol is a fairly straightforward allegory built on an

episodic narrative structure in which each of the main passages has a
fixed, obvious symbolic meaning. The book is divided into five sections
(Dickens labels them Staves in reference to the musical notation staff--a
Christmas carol, after all, is a song), with each of the middle three
Staves revolving around a visitation by one of the three famous spirits.
The three spirit-guides, along with each of their tales, carry out a
thematic function--the Ghost of Christmas Past, with his glowing head,
represents memory; the Ghost of Christmas Present represents charity,
empathy, and the Christmas spirit; and the reaper-like Ghost of
Christmas Yet to Come represents the fear of death. Scrooge, with his
Bah! Humbug! attitude, embodies all that dampens Christmas spirit--
greed, selfishness, indifference, and a lack of consideration for one's
fellow man.
With A Christmas Carol, Dickens hopes to illustrate how self-serving,
insensitive people can be converted into charitable, caring, and socially
conscious members of society through the intercession of moralizing
quasi-religious lessons. Warmth, generosity, and overall goodwill,
overcome Scrooge's bitter apathy as he encounters and learns from his
memory, the ability to empathize, and his fear of death. Memory serves
to remind Scrooge of a time when he still felt emotionally connected to
other people, before he closed himself off in an austere state of
alienation. Empathy enables Scrooge to sympathize with and understand
those less fortunate than himself, people like Tiny Tim and Bob Cratchit.
The fear of death hints at imminent moral reckoning--the promise of
punishment and reward.
With each Ghost's tale functioning as a parable, A Christmas
Carol advances the Christian moral ideals associated with Christmas--
generosity, kindness, and universal love for your community--and of
Victorian England in general. The book also offers a distinctly modern
view of Christmas, less concerned with solemn religious ceremony and
defined by more joyous traditions--the sharing of gifts, festive
celebrations, displays of prosperity. The book also contains a political
edge, most evident in Dickens' development of the bustling, struggling
Cratchit family, who are a compelling, if one-dimensional,
representation of the plight of the poor. Dickens, with every intention of
tugging on your heartstrings, paints the Cratchits as a destitute family
that finds a way to express profound gratitude for its emotional riches.
Dickens carries this sentiment even further with the tragic figure of the
pure-hearted, crippled Cratchit son, Tiny Tim. Scrooge's emotive
connection to Tiny Tim dramatically underscores his revelatory
acceptance of the Christmas ideal. Scrooge begins to break through his
emotional barricade in Stave Three as he expresses pity for Tiny Tim.
The reader, upon hearing the usually uncaring miser inquire into Tim's
fate, begins to believe Scrooge has a chance at salvation. Scrooge's path
to redemption culminates with his figurative "adoption" of Tiny Tim,
acting as "a second father" to the little boy.

PLOT OVERVIEW (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 meager home. He discovers Bob
Cratchit's crippled son, Tiny Tim, a courageous boy whose kindness and
humility warms Scrooge's heart. The specter 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 honor
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 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.
 Answers
Stave One (Marley’s Ghost):
1.
Who was Marley? What was his condition at the beginning of the story?

Jacob Marley was Scrooge’s business partner. He was “dead as a

doornail.”

2.
What is the setting of the story?

The setting is Victorian England (London, England) in 1843 (19th

Century)

3.
One of Scrooge’s relatives visited him at his warehouse. Who was it
and what did he want?
What was Scrooge’s reply?

Fred, Scrooge’s nephew (Scrooge’s sister’ son) visited him. He invites

Scrooge to Christmas dinner with his wife and friends. Scrooge replies,
“Good afternoon!”; “Bah! Humbug!”; “I live in a world of fools.”; What
reason have you to be merry? You’re poor enough.”

4.
What did the other men who came to the warehouse want? What was
Scrooge’s reply to them?

They were looking for a donation for the poor and destitute, who suffer
all year BUT especially at Christmas time. Scrooge replies, “Are there
no prisons? Are there no workhouses?”; “I wish to be left alone.” ; “I
don’t make myself merry at Christmas, and I can’t afford to make idle
people merry.” ; “They should just die then to decrease the surplus
population.”

5.
What did Scrooge say about giving his clerk a day off to celebrate
Christmas?

He said, “It’s not convenient.”; “It’s not fair.” ; “Be here all the earlier
next morning.”

6.
What happened to the door knocker when Scrooge was opening his
door?It looked like/became the FACE of Jacob Marley (Marley died 7
years ago, on Christmas Eve).

7.
Who appeared to Scrooge? What did he tell Scrooge?

The ghost of Jacob Marley appeared to Scrooge. He told Scrooge that

he better change his ways or else he will be doomed to walk the earth
bearing the chains that symbolize the choices he made in life (he valued
money more than people) and your chain was as long as mine 7 years
ago and has been growing longer and heavier ever since. You have a
chance tonight to escape my fate.

8.
The visitor told Scrooge about some other visitors who would be
coming. Who were they? When would they come?

Marley tells Scrooge that three more spirits will visit him and that he
MUST heed their warnings. Marley also tells Scrooge that he CANNOT
change his fate without these visits.
9.
What did Scrooge do after his visitor left?
He fell asleep. BUT before that, he looked out his window and saw the
sky filled with other phantoms, like Marley, wearing chains and looking
miserable.
Stave Two (The First of the Three Spirits)
1.
What did Scrooge notice about the church chimes when he woke up?
What did he think happened?

He heard the chimes strike the hour of twelve and believed that the clock
was wrong because he couldn’t have slept that long (Marley left him at
2 o’clock in the morning and he can’t believe that he slept all night, all
day, and well into the next night). *Keep in mind this is the
supernatural element operating here. Time in the supernatural world is
different than time in the mortal world.

2.
Describe what the spirit looks like.

The first spirit is a strange figure: it looks like a child, yet it also
resembles an old man. It is very small, with childlike facial features, but
has white hair (from age) that hangs down its back.

3.
Who was the first spirit?

The first spirit was the Ghost of Christmas Past.

4.
What is the business that brings the Spirit to Scrooge?

It has come for Scrooge’s “welfare and reclamation.” (Welfare= for

your own good;
Reclamation= return to a former, better person or state)
5.
Describe the first scene to which the spirit brings Scrooge. How does
Scrooge feel about this place?

The Spirit brings Scrooge to the boarding school he attended when he

was a boy. Scrooge is deeply saddened by this scene because he sees his
“poor, forgotten self.” Scrooge is alone and abandoned (on Christmas).
He “sobbed.”

6.
Who was Fan? Describe her importance. How does Scrooge feel about
her? How do you know?

Fan is Scrooge’s little sister. He loved her very much. When the Spirit
said she was “a delicate creature who had a large heart,” Scrooge
replied, “So she had. You’re right.”

7.
Describe the scene at Fezziwig’s. How does Scrooge feel about the
scene? What does the Spirit say about the party? What does Scrooge
reply?

The scene is happy and festive. Fezziwig went above and beyond to
make his family, friends, AND employees feel welcome. The Spirit
criticizes (he doesn’t mean it) Fezziwig for spending money on such a
small matter. Scrooge replies, “The happiness he gives is quite as great
as if it cost a fortune.” This is a stark contrast to Scrooge as an
employer. He sees how Fezziwig treated him and says, “I would like to
say a word or two to my clerk just now.” Scrooge may actually feel
badly about the way he has treated Bob Cratchit all these years-
especially on Christmas.

8.
Describe the scene with Belle. Why is this important?
Belle is Scrooge’s fiancé); they met and fell in love when they were both
poor. She is crying and tells Scrooge that she “releases” him from their
“contract” (engagement). She tells Scrooge that he has changed, and
that all he cares about is money (she is still poor, but Scrooge is building
up his business and trying to gain as much wealth as he can). This is the
turning point in Scrooge’s life because we see the moment where he
literally chooses money over love. Then, the Spirit takes Scrooge to
Belle’s home years later, where she is still poor, but happily married and
with children. Her husband tells her that he saw Scrooge and he looked
“quite alone in the world.”
This was too much (too painful) for Scrooge and he demanded the Spirit
take him away from this vision.

9.
How did Scrooge get rid of the Spirit?

Scrooge pressed the burning light on the top of the Spirit’s head,
extinguishing the light and its power.

Stave Three (The Second of the Three Spirits)

1.
How did Scrooge find the second Spirit?

He followed a bright light coming from the room next door.

2.
Describe the scene when Scrooge found the second Spirit.

It was filled with everything symbolizing the holiday: holly plants,

seasonal fruits, and food as far as the eye can see-a true feast.

3.
Who was the second Spirit. Describe it.

He was a giant. He wore a robe with a fur collar, he had

long, curly brown hair, bare chest and feel, a wreath around his head and
an empty scabbard (sheath). He is supposed to embody and symbolize
the Christmas ideal: generosity, good will, celebration, and sharing.

4.
Describe the first place they went.

They first went to the bakery where all of the poor families warm their
dinner.

5.
What was the second place they visited?

They second place they visited was the Cratchit’s home. They are a
very poor, but very happy family.

6.
Who is Tiny Tim? What did Scrooge ask the Spirit about Tiny Tim?
What was the Spirit’s reply?

Tiny Tim is Bob’s youngest child. He is crippled (he walks with a

crutch). Scrooge asks if Tiny Tim will die and the Spirit says if Scrooge
does not change, then YES. Ultimately, Tiny Tim’s life is
in Scrooge’s hands.

7.
Describe the Cratchit family toast to Scrooge.

Mr. Cratchit wanted toast to Scrooge. He wanted

his boss to have a merry Christmas and for him to be happy. Mrs.
Cratchit, however, did not want to toast to the man who made her
husband’s life (and her family’s) miserable. Reluctantly, she agreed and
they all made a toast to Scrooge, “the founder of the feast.”
*the word “feast” is ironic, because the goose they were eating was far
from big enough to feed a family of 8 (it was very little goose and a
whole lot of potatoes and apple sauce).

8.
What were some of the other places the Spirit took Scrooge? What did
Scrooge find at each place?

The Spirit took Scrooge to hospitals, poor houses, debtor’s prisons, and
foreign lands to show him that in spite of their poor, hard lives, they
were still celebrating with good cheer.

9.
What did Scrooge’s nephew say about him?

He wants to give his uncle a “chance” every year; “I have nothing to say
against him.” ; “I am sorry for him.” ; “I couldn’t be angry with him if I
tried.” ; “He is the only one who suffers from his poor decisions.”

10.
What did Scrooge think about when he heard the harp music?

Scrooge thinks of his sister, Fan, and also feels if he had heard more
music in his life, he would have turned out differently (he would be kind
and compassionate).

11.
What did Scrooge do while his nephew and the others were playing
games?

Scrooge joined in the games.

12.
How did Scrooge feel by the time he and the Spirit left his nephew’s
house?
Scrooge felt loved, happy and joyful.

14.
What happened to the Spirit’s appearance as the night went on?

The Ghost of Christmas Present aged considerably. His hair was gray
and his time with Scrooge was coming to an end. He tells Scrooge, “My
life upon this globe is very brief. It ends tonight.”

15.
Who were the two children the Spirit had under his robe? What did the
Spirit tell Scrooge about them?

The two children were a boy and a girl. They belong to Man. The boy
is Ignorance and the girl is Want (Poverty). The Spirit said to beware
them both, especially the boy because the word “Doom” is written
across his brow. Furthermore, the boy is more dangerous because
ignorance leads to fear which leads to violence. Whereas, want/poverty
can be controlled.*This is Dickens commentary about society; the
children represent society’s abandonment of the poor and destitute and
the consequences of that abandonment.

16.
What was the Spirit’s reply when Scrooge asked, “Have they no refuge
or resource?”

The Spirit throws Scrooge’s own words back in his face. He says, “Are
there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?”

Stave Four (The Last of the Spirits)

1.
How did Scrooge feel about the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?

Scrooge feared the final Spirit, but he knew he had to go with him to
become a better man.

2.
Describe the Spirit.

The last Spirit wore a black cloak; it is covered head to toe; it does not
speak; it only points with its skeletal fingers; it looks like the Grim
Reaper (the symbol of death).

3.
Where did the Spirit and Scrooge go first?

The Spirit takes Scrooge to a street in London.

4.
What were the businessmen talking about?

There were two men talking about someone’s recent death (they never
say Scrooge’s name).
They comment on how cheap this man was in life and how cheap his
funeral will probably be.
They also add that they will only pay their respect at the funeral if lunch
is served.

5.
Where did they go next? What did they see?

Next, the Spirit takes Scrooge to an empty bedroom (his own), where
there is a dead body, covered with a sheet, laying on the bed.
6.
What was Scrooge’s reaction to the scene?
Seeing the body under the sheet frightened Scrooge. The body was
unattended (i.e. no one is there to mourn the loss of this man). Scrooge
still doesn’t realize, however, that HE is the man under the sheet.

7.
What did Scrooge think when he saw the dead man?

When Scrooge saw the dead man he thinks the Spirit is trying to teach
him a lesson. In other words, this man (on the bed) died unloved and
alone and YOU will die the same way if you continue to live the way
you do.

8.
Scrooge asks the Spirit to show him someone who felt emotion
associated with this man’s death. Where did they go and what did they
see?

The Spirit takes Scrooge to the home of a young, poor family. The
husband tells his wife that “he is dead.” They are both happy and
relieved with this news. The husband adds that if they need to find a
new creditor, he will surely be “less merciless than him.” Therefore, the
only emotion associated with the man’s death is pleasure.

9.
Who was kind to Bob Cratchit and what did this person do?

Fred, Scrooge’s nephew, was kind to Bob Cratchit and even offered his
son, Peter, a job.

10.
Who was the dead man? How did Scrooge discover this?
The dead man was Scrooge. He discovered this when the Spirit took
Scrooge to a cemetery and pointed to a headstone with EBENEZER
SCROOGE written on it.
11.
What questions did Scrooge ask the Spirit as they stood among the
graves?

“Am I the man that lay upon the bed”;

“Are these the shadows of things that will be or are they
the shadows of things that may be?”;
“Why show me this if I am past all hope?”

12.
What did Scrooge tell the Spirit he would do?

“I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year. I will
live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. The Spirits of all three shall
strive within me. I will not shut out the lessons that they teach.”

Stave Five (The End of It)

1.
Describe Scrooge’s behavior when he woke up.

Scrooge woke up happy; he was overwhelmed with emotion; he was

laughing and crying, all at the same time. “I am as light as a feather, I
am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as
a drunken man. A Merry Christmas to everybody!”

2.
What day was it when Scrooge woke up?

When Scrooge woke up it was Christmas Day (morning).

3.
What did Scrooge ask the boy under his window to do, and why?

Scrooge asked the boy to go to the poulterer’s and buy the biggest
turkey. He was going to have it delivered to the Cratchit’s house. “I’ll
send it to Bob Cratchit’s. He shan’t know who sends it.”

4.
How did Scrooge act when he went outside?

When Scrooge went outside (after he almost cut his nose off because he
was dancing while he shaved, he “dressed himself all in his best”) he
regarded everyone with a delighted smile. He looked so “irresistibly
pleasant” that people said to him, “Good morning, sir! A
Merry Christmas to you!”

5.
What did Scrooge do when he met the man who had asked for a
donation the day before?

When Scrooge met the man who had asked for a donation the day
before, he said, “I fear I may not be pleasant to you (yesterday). Allow
me to as your pardon. And will you have the goodness...Thankee. I am
much obliged to you. I thank you fifty times. Bless you!”
Scrooge promises to give the man a VERY large donation for the poor
, including “a great many back payments.”

6.
Whom did Scrooge visit? What was the reaction?

Scrooge went to Fred’s house and Fred was thrilled and welcomed his
uncle with open arms.

7.
What happened at the office the next morning?
The next morning, Bob Cratchit was late getting to work and apologized
to Scrooge as soon as he walked in. Scrooge told him, “Yes, I think you
are...I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer. And
therefore...I am about to raise your salary!”Bob was in shock and
began shaking. Scrooge said, “A merry Christmas, Bob! I’ll raise your
salary and endeavor to assist your struggling family...make up the fires
and buy another coal scuttle...”

8.
How did Scrooge spend the rest of his life?

Scrooge was better than his word. He did

it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who
did not die, he was a second father. He became as good a friend, as
good a master, and as good a man as the good old city knew.
He knew how to keep Christmas spirit alive and well every single day
for the rest of his life.

STUDY QUESTIONS

In what way is A Christmas Carol an allegory? What are the

symbolic meanings of the main characters?

A Christmas Carol is an allegory in that it features events and characters

with a clear, fixed symbolic meaning. In the novella, Scrooge represents
all the values that are opposed to the idea of Christmas--greed,
selfishness, and a lack of goodwill toward one's fellow man. The Ghost
of Christmas Past, with his glowing head symbolizing the mind,
represents memory; the Ghost of Christmas Present represents
generosity, empathy, and the Christmas spirit; and the Ghost of
Christmas Yet to Come represents the fear of death and moral
reckoning. The Cratchits represent the poor, whom Dickens portrays
with warmth and sympathy while seeking to draw attention to their
plight.

How does the time scheme of A Christmas Carol function? Why

might Dickens have chosen to structure his book in this way?

Time is very important in A Christmas Carol, which is structurally

centered around distinct elements of Past, Present, and Future. But, the
time scheme of the story itself seems to make little sense. On Christmas
Eve, Jacob Marley's ghost tells Scrooge that he will be visited by three
ghosts on three successive nights. On Christmas morning, Scrooge
awakes, having already been visited by all three ghosts. The three nights
seem to be compressed into a single night. The presence of the spirits
apparently bends the normal flow of time. A view further supported by
the fact that Scrooge goes to bed at two o'clock in the morning after
Marley's visitation and awakes at midnight the same night--two hours
after he fell asleep. Dickens uses the temporal inconsistencies to
emphasize the supernatural powers of the spirits--when they are around,
normal earthly standards, including the flow of time, have no effect.
What role does social criticism play in A Christmas Carol? To what
extent is the story a social commentary?

Social Commentary--particularly those statements directed at the Poor

Laws governing the lower classes during Dickens' time--plays an
important but not a central role in A Christmas Carol. Dickens often
uses Scrooge as a mouthpiece to express the more callous justifications
and excuses used to defend the harsh treatment of the poor. Malthus'
theory that anyone who could not support himself did not have a right to
live is a good example of these outrageous claims. Asked whether he
wishes to support a charity, Scrooge replies that he does support
charities--prisons and workhouses, which are all the charity the poor
need. Dickens harshly criticizes these attitudes and presents a highly
sympathetic view of the poor through his depiction of the Cratchits. On
the whole, however, the numerous messages of A Christmas
Carol expand far beyond this narrow political critique of Victorian
society.

Explain Ignorance and Want, who appear in stave 3 of A Christmas

Carol

Ignorance and Want are perhaps the most blatantly allegorical figures
in A Christmas Carol. Collectively, they represent the conditions of the
poor: wretched, hungry, and unable to pull themselves from their misery.
Scrooge, who has often given the poor little thought beyond general
contempt, is forced to look upon society's most vulnerable when the
Ghost of Christmas Present shows the two children hiding beneath his
robe.

As the Ghost of Christmas Present points out to Scrooge, these two

children are the result of a society that disregards the less fortunate.

In A Christmas Carol, where does Dickens portray poverty? Please

include quotes. 

Poverty is a critical theme embedded across A Christmas Carol, as is

society's blindness towards the suffering of the poor. This blindness is an
attitude that is practically incarnated in the character of Scrooge, as he
appears in the book's beginning. This lack of empathy is expressed as
early as Stave 1, when a pair of solicitors comes to Scrooge, requesting a
donation in the name of charity:
"Are there no prisons?" asked Scrooge.
"Plenty of prisons," said the gentleman, laying down the pen again.
"And the Union workhouses?" demanded Scrooge. "Are they still in
operation?"
"They are. Still," returned the gentleman, "I wish I could say they were
not."
"The Treadmill and the Poor Law are in full vigour, then?" said Scrooge.
"Both very busy, sir."
"Oh! I was afraid, from what you said at first, that something had
occurred to stop them in their useful course," said Scrooge. "I'm very
glad to hear it." (Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Stave 1)

What does Scrooge mean by saying that they should "decrease the
surplus?"

This statement reveals a couple of things about Scrooge. First, it reveals

his cold-heart; he would rather see the poor people die instead of helping
them, and by dying, they would be doing a service to the world by
"decreasing]the surplus population;" You must keep in mind that when
Dickens wrote the Carol, London, England was inundated with people
looking for work; this was due to industrialization where machines were
replacing people who worked on farms, so as they were replaced by
machines, they began to flock to the cities looking for work. Thus the
city was over populated, which caused many problems and became a
huge financial burden.

How does the character of Scrooge change throughout the story?

Scrooge is a rare example of a character who can be considered flat yet

dynamic. He undergoes a complete transformation, finally becoming the
exact opposite of who he was at the beginning of the story, yet he
remains something of a caricature. Here he is at the beginning of A
Christmas Carol:
 Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! a
squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old
sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out
generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster. The
cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose,
shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips
blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice.

Even at this point in the story, Dickens makes a point of saying that
Scrooge's coldness does not thaw even at Christmas. After it has been
gradually thawed during the night by the three ghosts and the visions
they show him, Scrooge wakes...

Stave One: Marley's Ghost Quiz

Stave One: Marley's Ghost Quiz

1 of 5

What does the sign outside of the counting house say?

 Ebenezer Scrooge, Esq.

 Marley and Marley

 Marley Counting House

 Scrooge and Marley

2 of 5

How many years before the story began did Jacob

Marley die?
 Ten
 Seven

 Nine

 Eighteen

3 of 5

Scrooge tells the two portly men that ___ and ___ are
the only charities that he supports.
 Prisons and workhouses

 Hospitals and sanitariums

 Churches and hospitals

 Orphanages and work camps

4 of 5

Where does Scrooge first see Marley's face appear?

 The mirror

 The window

 The door knocker

 His wash basin

5 of 5
 What does Scrooge blame the visions of Marley on?
 Alcohol

 Food poisoning

 Sleep deprivation

 Old age

Stave Two: The First of the Three Spirits Quiz

Stave Two: The First of the Three Spirits Quiz

1 of 5

When does Scrooge go to bed?

 Midnight

 1 AM

 2 AM

 3 AM

2 of 5

What is unusual about the Ghost of Christmas Past's

appearance?
 Glowing head

 Glowing hands

 No face
 No feet

3 of 5

How do the Ghost of Christmas Past and Scrooge

travel?
 By train

 Horse and buggy

 Running

 Flying

4 of 5

Who consents to allow young Ebenezer to come home

from school for Christmas?
 His mother

 His father

 His sister

 His brother

5 of 5
 What does Scrooge do to the Ghost of Christmas Past to
send him away?
 Throws him out

 Kills him

 Closes his eyes

 Pulls down his hat

Stave Three: The Second of the Three Spirits Quiz

Stave Three: The Second of the Three Spirits Quiz

1 of 5

How long does Scrooge wait before signs of the second

ghost appear?
 An hour

 Thirty minutes

 Fifteen minutes

 Five minutes

2 of 5

The Ghost of Christmas Present sits upon a throne

made of ___.
 Gold

 A feast
 Human bones

 Swords

3 of 5

The Ghost of Christmas Present tells Scrooge that he

has ___ brothers.
 Over 2,200

 Over 100

 Over 1,200

 Over 1,800

4 of 5

What is Mrs. Cratchit preparing when Scrooge and The

Ghost of Christmas Present arrive?
 A goose

 A pudding

 Gruel

 A Turkey

5 of 5
 In addition to the Cratchit's and his nephew Fred's,
what other random location does the ghost take Scrooge
to?
 A theatre

 A ship

 A hospital

 A prison

Stave Four: The Last of the Spirits Quiz

Stave Four: The Last of the Spirits Quiz

1 of 5

What does Scrooge do when the Ghost of Christmas Yet

to Come appears?
 Fights the ghost

 Kneels

 Runs away

 Faints

2 of 5

What is the first place the Ghost of Christmas Yet to

Come takes Scrooge?
 A pawn shop
 The Cratchit's

 The stock exchange

 Scrooge's bedroom

3 of 5

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come takes Scrooge to a

pawnshop: what are the vagabonds in the shop doing?
 Selling Scrooge's stolen goods

 Badmouthing Scrooge

 Stealing from the shop

 Celebrating Christmas

4 of 5

What are the Cratchits dealing with when Scrooge visits

their home with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come?
 Bob's unemployment

 Death of Mrs. Cratchit

 Death of Tim

 Everyone has influenza

 5 of 5

What is the last location that the Ghost of Christmas

Yet to Come shows Scrooge?
 The Cratchit's

 The graveyard

 Hell

 Fred's house

Stave Five: The End of It Quiz

Stave Five: The End of It Quiz

1 of 5

What does Scrooge shout at the top of his lungs once he

is back from his final vision?
 "Bah! Humbug!"

 "God bless us, every one!"

 "Happy birthday!"

 "Merry Christmas!"

2 of 5

Who does Scrooge get to buy the Cratchits a turkey?

 Marley
 First boy he sees

 Fred

 The portly gentlemen

3 of 5

Where does Scrooge go after donating money to

charity?
 Fred's house

 The stock exchange

 The Cratchit's

 His office

4 of 5

How late is Bob Cratchit to work the day after

Christmas?
 Over 20 minutes

 Over 17 minutes

 Over 27 minutes

 Over 18 minutes
 5 of 5

What is the first thing Scrooge does when Bob Cratchit

walks into work the day after Christmas?
 Hugs him

 Feigns disgust

 Sings

 Gives him more coal

Full Book Quiz

Full Book Quiz

1. Which of the spirits does not speak to Scrooge?

 The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

 The Ghost of Christmas Past

 The Ghost of Christmas Present

 All the spirits speak to Scrooge.

2. What is Jacob Marley forced to drag about as a result

of his sinful life?
 A huge safe full of lead

 An ox cart piled with gold

 Heavy chains forged from ledgers and lockboxes

 A cross made of gold

3. Why does Scrooge like darkness?

 It helps him sleep.

 It helps him to forget his past.

 It hides the ghosts from his eyes.

 It is cheap.

4. Where does Martha work?

 At a seamstress'

 At a laundress'

 At a blacksmith's

 At a milliner's

5. Who is in the grave in Stave Four?

 Ebenezer Scrooge

 Jacob Marley

 Bob Cratchit

 Tiny Tim

6. In what year was A Christmas Carol written?

 1830
 1837

 1843

 1846

7. Which character is Fred's mother?

 Mrs. Cratchit

 Fan

 Belle

 Fezziwig

8. Why does Belle end her engagement to Scrooge?

 Because she falls in love with Fred

 Because she falls in love with Peter

 Because Scrooge is too poor for her

 Because Scrooge is consumed by greed

9. What is the Ghost of Christmas Present's throne

made of?
 Food

 Gold

 Pine needles
 Fur

10. To whom does Scrooge send the Christmas turkey?

 Fred

 Belle

 The Cratchits

 Jacob Marley

11. Who brings Scrooge home from school?

 Belle

 Fan

 Fezziwig

 The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

12. Which one of the spirits has a glowing head?

 The Ghost of Christmas Present

 Jacob Marley

 The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

 The Ghost of Christmas Past

13. Who appears in Scrooge's door-knocker?

 Jacob Marley's ghost
 Fan's ghost

 Death

 The Ghost of Christmas Past

14. How does Fezziwig die?

 He falls ill with pneumonia.

 He is struck in the head by a horse's hoof.

 Fezziwig does not die in the novel.

 Fezziwig does die in the novel, but the manner of his death
is unspecified.

15. Which spirit takes Scrooge to a ship at sea?

 The Ghost of Christmas Past

 The Ghost of Christmas Present

 The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

16. Who inherits Bob Cratchit's shirt?

 Tiny Tim

 Scrooge

 Fred

 Peter
 17. Who asks Scrooge for a charitable contribution?
 Two merry gentlemen

 Two portly gentlemen

 Two obsequious gentlemen

 Two angry gentlemen

18. What is Scrooge's typical response to "Merry

Christmas"?
 "Bah! Nonsense!"

 "Pah! Life's too short!"

 "Bah! Humbug!"

 "Oh, fiddlesticks!"

19. Which character utters the famous words, "God

bless us, Every one"?
 Tiny Tim

 Bob Cratchit

 Scrooge

 The Ghost of Christmas Present

Summary Quiz
Summary Quiz
 1 of 5

What does Scrooge refuse to spend money on at the

beginning of the story?
 A Christmas goose

 Presents for his nephew

 Decorations

 Coal

2 of 5

As a punishment for his self-serving life, what is Marley

forced to do?
 Wander the earth

 Burn in hell

 Forget who he is

 Repeat his life over

3 of 5

Who was Scrooge an apprentice to when he was

younger?
 Fred
 Fezziwig

 Marley

 Cratchit

4 of 5

What are the names of the children living underneath

the coat of The Ghost of Christmas Present?
 Famine and Neglect

 Greed and Avarice

 Ignorance and Want

 Bob and Susan

5 of 5

What does Scrooge buy for the Cratchits at the end of

the story?
 A turkey

 New crutches for Tim

 A Christmas pudding

 A new home
 Characters Quiz
Characters Quiz

1 of 5

A "counting house" is a 19th-century term for what?

 Bank

 Real estate broker

 Accountant's office

 Law office

2 of 5

What type of character is The Ghost of Christmas Past?

 Elderly female

 Childlike

 Wise old man

 Giddy young woman

3 of 5

After Belle broke off her engagement with Scrooge,

what did she do?
 Married another man

 Became a spinster
 Left for America

 Died

4 of 5

Who is the oldest of the Cratchit children?

 Martha

 Fan

 Peter

 Tim

5 of 5

Where does Martha Cratchit work?

 A law office

 A counting house

 A butcher shop

 A milliner's shop

Full Book Quiz 2

1
How many years ago did Marley die?
14
21
1
7
2
Over how many nights do the ghosts visit Scrooge?
2
3
1
4
3
How is the Ghost of Christmas Past represented?
AS A JOLLY GIANT
AS A SMALL, ELDERLY MAN
AS A SILENT PHANTOM
AS AN INVISIBLE SPECTER
4
How is the Ghost of Christmas Present represented?
AS A SILENT PHANTOM
AS A JOLLY GIANT
AS AN INVISIBLE SPECTER
AS A SMALL, ELDERLY MAN
5
How is the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come represented?
AS AN INVISIBLE SPECTER
AS A JOLLY GIANT
AS A SMALL, ELDERLY MAN
AS A SILENT PHANTOM
6
Who is Scrooge's nephew?
TINY TIM
CRATCHIT
FRED
FEZZIWIG
7
Who is Scrooge's sister?
MRS. CRATCHIT
FAN
BELLE
MRS. FEZZIWIG
8
Who was Scrooge's girlfriend?
BELLE
FAN
MRS. CRATCHIT
MRS. FEZZIWIG
9
Who is Scrooge's employee?
CRATCHIT
FEZZIWIG
FRED
TINY TIM
10
Who is Scrooge's employee's crippled son?
FEZZIWIG
CRATCHIT
FRED
TINY TIM
11
What saying of Tiny Tim's is repeated in the final line of the novella?
"GOD BLESS US, EVERY ONE!"
"CHRIST LIVES WITHIN US"
"I LOVE CHRISTMAS"
"SPARE CHANGE, GUV'NOR?"
12
Which ghost wears a long chain made of cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers,
deeds, and heavy purses?
THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT
THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST
THE GHOST OF CHRISTMAS YET TO COME
MARLEY
13
What are the two children called who crawl out from the under the robes of the
Ghost of Christmas Present?
STUPIDITY AND POVERTY
IGNORANCE AND WANT
RAGE AND INDIGENCE
DUMBNESS AND LACK
14
How many brothers does the Ghost of Christmas Present have?
1800
2
1000
NONE
15
What is the life span of the Ghost of Christmas Present?
ONE MINUTE
ONE DAY
ONE YEAR
ONE HOUR
16
What, according to Marley, was his "business"?
DEBT
MANKIND
MEN
MONEY
17
Who was Scrooge's employer when he was younger?
FEZZIWIG
FAN
BELLE
CRATCHIT'S FATHER
18
What is Scrooge's job?
WRITER
POLITICIAN
LAWYER
CREDITOR
19
What does Scrooge send to Cratchit's house on Christmas Day?
A CHICKEN
A TURKEY
POTATOES
FLOWERS
20
What does Scrooge give Cratchit on Christmas Day?
A PAY-CUT
A RAISE
TWO WEEKS' PAID VACATION
A LASHING
21
Whose party does Scrooge attend on Christmas Day in Stave Five?
FRED'S
CRATCHIT'S
FEZZIWIG'S
FAN'S
22
Who dies or has died in the vision of the future?
TINY TIM
SCROOGE AND TINY TIM
SCROOGE
NO ONE
23
At what time is Scrooge told the ghosts will visit?
ONE O'CLOCK
THREE O'CLOCK
MIDNIGHT
TWO O'CLOCK
24
What is the name of Victorian England's welfare laws?
THE LAWS AGAINST NATURE
THE OUT LAWS
THE WELFARE LAWS
THE POOR LAWS
25
Where are the Victorian poor sent to work?
BRIGHTON
WORKHOUSES
MANCHESTER
PRISONS
 FULL BOOK QUIZ 3
 Question 1
 30 seconds
Q. What does Scrooge learn about the past?
answer choices
You can change it
It cannot change
Forgive and forget
Mistakes happen
 Question 2
 30 seconds
Q. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge what?
answer choices
The reality of the suffering in his town in showing him the two children.
His life as a boy in the boarding school staying there at Christmas alone.
The value of Feziwig as a mentor.
How Bob Cratchit deserves to be treated the way Scrooge has been treating him.  
 Question 3
 30 seconds
Q. Seeing the future showed Scrooge that ___________.
answer choices
Money can take you far in life.
Your friends will always be there for you.
No matter what life will be okay.
Being generous is more important than being wealthy.
 Question 4
 30 seconds
Q. In what city did the play take place?
answer choices
London
New York
Dublin
Paris
 Question 5
 30 seconds
Q. Who was Scrooge's business partner?
answer choices
Jacob Marley
Bob Cratchit
Tiny Tim
Fred
 Question 6
 30 seconds
Q. Why did Scrooge lose interest in his fiancee?
answer choices
He met another woman.
He was more interested in money.
He had to leave the country.
His parents did not approve.
 Question 7
 30 seconds
Q. Fezziwig was...
answer choices
A good boss.
A childhood friend.
A Spirit.
A Bill collector
 Question 8
 30 seconds
Q. On Christmas Day, what does Scrooge send to the Cratchit house?
answer choices
A huge bird.
Money
Fred with a job offer.
Sparsit
 Question 9
 30 seconds
Q. Which ghost resembles a candle?
answer choices
Past
Present
Yet to Come
Marley
 Question 10
 30 seconds
Q. Which ghost is silent and has no face or features?
answer choices
Past
Present
Yet to Come
Marley
 Question 11
 30 seconds
Q. Which ghost frightens Scrooge most?
answer choices
Past
Present
Yet to Come
Marley
 Question 12
 30 seconds
Q. Which ghost visits Scrooge FIRST?
answer choices
Past
Present
Yet to Come
Marley
 Question 13
 30 seconds
Q. Which ghost is weighed down by his greed?
answer choices
Past
Present
Yet to Come
Marley
 Question 14
 30 seconds
Q. Who said this quote?
"Bah humbug!"
answer choices
Scrooge
Cratchit
Fred
Tiny Tim
 Question 15
 30 seconds
Q. Who said this quote?
"These miserable children are Man's."
answer choices
Scrooge
Ghost of Christmas Past
Ghost of Christmas Present
Marley
 Question 16
 30 seconds
Q. "Another idol has displaced me, a golden one, I release you"
Who said this?
answer choices
Young Scrooge
Belle
Christmas Past
Bob Cratchit
 Question 17
 30 seconds
Q. "Are there no prisons? Are there no workhouses?"
Who said this?
answer choices
Tiny Tim
Bob Cratchit
Two Portly Gentlemen
Scrooge
 Question 18
 30 seconds
Q. "I will honor Christmas in my heart and try to keep it all the year."
Who said this?
answer choices
Scrooge
Mrs. Fred's sister
Charwoman
Belinda Cratchit
 Question 19
 30 seconds
Q. Who is the author of "A Christmas Carol?"
answer choices
Hemingway
Mark Twain
Steinbeck
Charles Dickens
 Question 20
 30 seconds
Q. "I forged this chain, link by link."
answer choices
Fred
Belle
Jacob Marley
Tiny Tim
 Question 21
 30 seconds
Q. Who is Cratchit?
answer choices
Scrooge's employee
Scrooge's nephew
Scrooge's dad
Scrooge's friend
 Question 22
 60 seconds
Q. Scrooge is Fred's ...
answer choices
Father
Brother
Uncle
Boss
 Question 23
 30 seconds
Q. How many spirits does Marley say are going to visit Scrooge?
answer choices
1
2
3
4
 Question 24
 30 seconds

Q. Belle leaves Scrooge because

answer choices
he is too poor
he is too lazy
he is too unkind
he is too  greedy
 Question 25
 30 seconds

Q. After Fred left his uncle’s office, two gentlemen came to _______.
answer choices
Pick up some work Scrooge had done for them
Deliver a new desk
Collect money for the poor
Invite Scrooge to a political meeting
 Question 26
 30 seconds

Q. What did Scrooge ask the Ghost of Christmas Present about Tiny Tim?
answer choices
Who could help him
Why he was so cheerful
How he became crippled
If he would live
 Question 27
 30 seconds

Q. What was the old woman Meg doing when Scrooge saw her?
answer choices
Begging in the streets for money to buy food
Standing and weeping besides the grave of an unknown man
Celebrating the death of her wicked landlord
Selling the clothes she had stolen from a dead man’s body
 Question 28
 30 seconds

Q. Whose grave stone did Scrooge see?

answer choices
Tiny Tim
Bob Cratchit 
Scrooge's 
Jacob Marley
 Question 29
 30 seconds

Q. What did Scrooge tell Bob Cratchit the day after Christmas?
answer choices
They would have a party at the shop the next Christmas Eve.
They were going to work shorter days.
He was going to raise Bob’s salary.
Bob should put extra coal on the fire.

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

What impact does Ebenezer Scrooge's generosity have in A Christmas

Carol, Stave 5?
After his transformation, Ebenezer Scrooge gives generously in different
ways. The most obvious way is the raise he gives Bob Cratchit, which
allows him to pay for Tiny Tim's medical needs, thus saving his life.
Scrooge is also generous with his time, not only sharing Christmas with
family and friends (for the first time ever) but with his community as
well: "He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man,
as the good city knew." Further, Scrooge's financial generosity has social
impacts by improving wealth distribution and closing the gap between
rich and poor. His purchase of the giant turkey, for example, financially
benefits the butcher, the errand boy, and the cab driver who delivered it
to the Cratchits.
How does Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation in A Christmas Carol,

Stave 5 promote Dickens's spiritual beliefs?

Charles Dickens was an active member of the Unitarian Church after
leaving the Anglican Church in which he had grown up. He was
particularly drawn to the somewhat socialist Unitarian message of
avoiding materialism, helping those in need, and striving to make the
world a better place for all (not just yourself). These messages are
clearly seen in Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation from a greedy miser
to a generous benefactor. Not only is Scrooge generous with his money
after his transformation, he also looks at the world with greater interest,
noticing small details (like his door knocker) that he would have
otherwise ignored: "I shall love it, as long as I live ... I scarcely ever
looked at it before!" This suggests Scrooge's newfound outlook to
identify small problems and change them.

Why do Ignorance and Want cling to the Ghost of Christmas Present

in A Christmas Carol, Stave 3?

Ignorance and want are two elements of society that have always
existed. Through their presence in A Christmas Carol, however, Dickens
argues that they exist in a new way during Victorian England and the
rise of the Industrial Revolution. For this reason, Ignorance and Want
cling to the Ghost of Christmas Present rather than the ghosts of
Christmas Past or Yet to Come. The fact that they are children, small
and malnourished, suggests hope that they can be properly dealt with
before they become larger problems. This hope comes with the warning
from the spirit to "beware them both, and all of their degree." Clearly,
Dickens believes Ignorance and Want are the two most important social
issues to be dealt with in the present.

In A Christmas Carol, Stave 5 which words are "blithest" on Ebenezer

Scrooge's ears and why?

When Ebenezer Scrooge wakes on Christmas morning and realizes he
has been given a second chance, he rushes to the streets. Everything
about his appearance and presence is so utterly transformed that
passersby greet him with "Good morning, sir! A merry Christmas to
you!" as if they don't recognize him. Of these statements the narrator
says, "And Scrooge said often afterwards, that of all the blithe sounds he
had ever heard, those were the blithest in his ears." The words are so
"blithe" or "happy" because they show Scrooge that just by being
pleasant, he can become part of the community he had bitterly shut out.
He knows he is alive and has been given a second chance to save
himself and Tiny Tim.

How does Dickens use similes to support the themes of A Christmas

Carol?
The strongest simile Dickens uses in A Christmas Carol is Bob
Cratchit's statement that Tiny Tim's behavior was "as good as gold," in
Stave 3. This statement not only helps characterize Tiny Tim but also
strengthens the story's moral message that love and family are more
important than financial wealth (gold). In Stave 1, the story gains gothic
appeal by comparing Jacob Marley to a demonic animal with the
description of his chain: "It was long and wound around him like a tail."
While the opening stave creates images of heaviness and emotional
weight, Stave 5 uses similes like "I'm as light as a feather" and "I am as
happy as an angel" to underscore Ebenezer Scrooge's transformation.

In what ways is Ebenezer Scrooge a Gothic character in A Christmas

Carol?
Gothic characters are typically two-dimensional characters that remain
stagnant and flat throughout the story. They rely heavily on stereotypes
and literary clichés to make them easier for readers to understand. At the
opening of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge's character is a textbook example
of a Gothic villain: he treats people terribly, is selfish, and has no
redeeming qualities. No background information is given to complicate
the character's backstory or garner understanding of his bad behavior.
Scrooge is also an example of a Gothic character because he lives in a
gloomy setting (both the city of London and his dark house), and his fate
is altered by a prophecy (Marley's promise of the three spirits' visits). By
the end of the story, however, Scrooge breaks the Gothic character mold
by undergoing deep transformation and redemption.

How does Ebenezer Scrooge's character transform between Stave 1 and

Stave 2 in A Christmas Carol

In Stave 1, Ebenezer Scrooge is at his miserly peak. He hates everything
in life except money and demands that everything happen on his own
terms. Even giving Bob Cratchit the Christmas Day off means Bob must
come in "all the earlier" the next morning. He is also rude, dismissing
the charity collectors and his nephew with vicious outbursts, and defiant,
defying the presence of Jacob Marley's ghost when it visits him: "I have
but to swallow [this toothpick], and be for the rest of my days persecuted
by a legion of goblins, all of my own creation. Humbug, I tell you—
humbug!" As the hour of the first spirit's arrival approaches, however,
Scrooge begins to transform. He tries to maintain his strong, controlling
persona, but finds himself "scrambling out of bed," "groping his way to
the window," and "trembling." He is as terrified as a child. By the time
he is transported to the first vision, any remnants of his tough façade
have fallen away and he is completely exposed, vulnerable, and crying.

What is significant about the goose at the Cratchit family Christmas

dinner in Stave 3 of A Christmas Carol?

The goose in Stave 3 creates a meager feast, but the family is elated to
share it: "And now two smaller Cratchits, boy and girl, came tearing in,
screaming that outside the baker's they had smelt the goose, and known
it for their own; and basking in luxurious thoughts of sage and onion."
The family has scrimped and saved for their tiny Christmas feast, and
even though it's barely enough to feed everyone, they exclaim that "there
never was such a goose ... Its tenderness and flavour, size and cheapness,
were the themes of universal admiration." Their joy over this meal
highlights how scanty their regular fare must be, and yet the family
chooses to be happy with their lot rather than be envious of those who
have more. Through their revelry of the goose they teach Ebenezer
Scrooge that it is more important to be appreciative than to be rich.

How does the Industrial Revolution create a backdrop for A Christmas

Carol?
A Christmas Carol is set in the mid-19th century at the peak of the
Industrial Revolution. The increase of factories in London created a
dense fog, which is clearly seen in Stave 1 in the "cold, bleak, biting
weather: foggy withal" and the people "wheezing up and down" the
streets, breathing the polluted air. The streets are "crowded" and filled
with beggars, as hundreds of thousands of people poured into big cities
in the hopes of finding factory jobs. Those lucky enough to find jobs,
however, were forced into long hours in unregulated conditions. Pay was
minimal, which created a wide gap between the "haves" and "have nots"
in society, a prominent theme in the story. Although Bob Cratchit isn't
working a factory job, he is forced to work long hours in the freezing
cold for very little pay.

How is Belle "rich" in Stave 2 of A Christmas Carol?

As a young woman, Belle chooses to end her engagement to Ebenezer
Scrooge and marry a man who makes her happy, even if that marriage
meant poverty. She makes clear that money is not nearly as important to
her as love. Her definition of being "rich" is clearly different than
Scrooge's. As a grown woman, Belle lives in a house that is "not very
large or handsome, but full of comfort." She spends her Christmas
surrounded by so many gleeful children that "the noise in [the] room was
perfectly tumultuous, for there were more children there, than Scrooge
in his agitated state of mind could count." Her husband comes home like
Santa Claus, arms filled with presents as happy children tumble around
him. The sight is so devastating to Scrooge that he leaps upon the spirit
to extinguish its light, realizing he invested in the wrong type of
"riches."

How does Dickens use weather in A Christmas Carol to create mood?
When the story opens, the narrator describes gloomy, foggy weather: "it
was cold, bleak, biting weather: foggy withal." This dark atmosphere
mirrors Ebenezer Scrooge's mood. Just a few sentences before, Scrooge
is described as a carrying "his own low temperature always about with
him; he iced his office in the dog-days; and didn't thaw it one degree at
Christmas." While Scrooge "humbugs" his way through the holidays, the
weather is equally dour. After Scrooge's transformation, descriptions of
the weather change alongside descriptions of Scrooge's soul. When
Scrooge is happy, or "light as a feather," the weather is described as "no
fog, no mist; clear, bright, jovial, stirring ... piping for the blood to dance
to." Now that Scrooge is excited and engaged in the world around him,
the weather follows suit.

What is the tone of A Christmas Carol?

The overall tone of A Christmas Carol is hopeful, yet it changes slightly
with the visits of the spirits. When Ebenezer Scrooge remembers his
childhood pain and broken engagement, for example, the tone becomes
sorrowful. Yet hope remains: Scrooge is happy to remember Fezziwig,
and his verbalized regrets suggest that his character is changing: "I
should like to be able to say a word or two to my clerk just now."
Sorrow returns with the second spirit, when Scrooge realizes that Tiny
Tim could die. Within that sorrow, Scrooge is still able to enjoy Fred's
party and vows to help the Cratchit family survive. Sorrow returns a
final time when Scrooge realizes his imminent death, but hope prevails
as he is transported back to his bedroom with the realization of a second
chance.
How is A Christmas Carol an anti-Malthusian story?
Thomas Malthus was a British philosopher who was a proponent for
zero population growth. This meant he supported the idea that those who
couldn't financially support themselves should die off, reducing
population, to keep the economy strong. At the opening of the story,
Ebenezer Scrooge's mentality directly reflects this philosophy: "If they
would rather die they had better do it, and decrease the surplus
population." The reality of the philosophy is that good, kind,
hardworking people like the Cratchits (and Tiny Tim in particular)
would be the unfortunate victims. When Scrooge realizes that
actual human lives are at stake, he sees the devastating result of
Malthus's cruel philosophy. The moral of the story—that generosity and
goodwill can overcome anything—is a direct critique of Malthus's
views.

What role does Martha Cratchit play in Stave 3 of A Christmas Carol?
Martha Cratchit, the eldest daughter in the family, has a small but
significant role in the story. She returns home from work on Christmas
Day to surprise her family. This shows the unity and dedication of the
family, sacrificing their sparse vacation time to be together, while
showing the deep bond between father and daughter. When Martha sees
Bob Cratchit, she runs into his arms, and Bob hugs "his daughter to his
heart's content." It's a heartwarming scene that makes the reader
sympathetic while driving home one of Dickens's social critiques: such a
lovely greeting should never have happened, because Martha is a school-
aged girl who should be studying but is forced into the workplace to help
support her family. As a result, part of her innocence and childhood are
lost.

What is significant about the structure of A Christmas Carol?

A Christmas Carol is broken into five staves. In music, staves are the
five horizontal lines on a composition notation sheet on which notes are
placed. This obviously references the story's musical title and nods to the
"joyful song" the story sings about Christmas. Each of the five staves
functions almost as a stand-alone story, because each has a unique
purpose. The heart of the story is Staves 2, 3, and 4, in which Scrooge is
visited by the three ghosts. Stave 1 serves to introduce the characters and
conflict, while Stave 5 serves to wrap up the story and provide closure.

How does Ebenezer Scrooge's job support the themes in A Christmas

Carol?
Ebenezer Scrooge works as a moneylender, which means he is directly
involved in the process of putting people in debt. In Victorian England,
debtors were put in horrific prisons if they couldn't pay back their loans.
While in prison, debtors were unable to support their families, which
compounded their debts and wreaked havoc on family stability, a theme
Dickens explored more thoroughly in his 1857 novel Little Dorrit. This
served to widen the gap between rich and poor, as men like Scrooge
profited off the misfortunes of others. In this way, Scrooge builds his
fortune on the backs of poor men, yet refuses to help those in need. His
singular focus on making money at the expense of humanity results in
his customers practically celebrating when he dies because "it would be
very bad fortune indeed to find so merciless a creditor in his successor."

How did A Christmas Carol help shape Christmas traditions?

Charles Dickens is often referred to as "The Father of Christmas" for the
influence his stories, including A Christmas Carol, have had on holiday
traditions. At the time of the story's publication, Christmas was a quiet,
religious holiday. For many people, it passed without notice or
celebration. In Victorian England, many families were simply too poor
to afford the lavish feasts popularized in the Middle Ages. The story
reminded readers that one needn't spend a fortune to celebrate in style.
The most important elements were generosity, togetherness, and hope.
The story, which was wildly popular upon publication, celebrates
traditions of family feasts, hot drinks like "smoking bishop," and falling
snow. Interestingly, snow at Christmastime wasn't common in Victorian
London, but after the story's publication, people were nevertheless
disappointed when it failed to fall on Christmas Day.

How would you characterize the narrator of A Christmas Carol?

The narrator of A Christmas Carol is a humorous, omniscient narrator
with a conversational style. Because the story was written in the old
tradition of Christmas ghost stories, it was important that the narrator
appear to be speaking directly to the audience, even though the story is
being read. As such, the narrator occasionally inserts comments or
personal views: "I don't mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge,
what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been
included, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of
ironmongery in the trade." The narrator occasionally loses himself in
thought, giving the story an oral rather than written feel: "The mention
of Marley's funeral brings me back to the point I started from," and lures
readers into the story by making them feel part of it: "[Scrooge] found
himself face to face with the unearthly visitor who drew [the curtains]:
as close to it as I am now to you, and I am standing in the spirit at your
elbows." In this way, the narrator forms an essential connection between
readers and the story. Dickens himself frequently performed sections
from A Christmas Carol during his popular reading tours.

What foreshadowing can be found in Stave 1 of A Christmas Carol?

Examples of foreshadowing can be found throughout A Christmas
Carol, but they are particularly strong in the first stave. The first line of
the story, "Marley was dead: to begin with" foreshadows Jacob Marley's
ghostly return. The narrator goes on for paragraphs describing just how
dead Marley is, and how certain Ebenezer Scrooge is of the death. This
insistence clearly signals Marley's eventual return. Other examples of
foreshadowing can be found in both Fred's invitation to dine and
Scrooge's "Are there no prisons?" questions; these foreshadow the
moments in Stave 3 when Scrooge visits Fred's party with the Ghost of
Christmas Present and sees Ignorance and Want. To show Scrooge the
error of his words and of his choices, the spirit causes Scrooge to
confront the consequences of his actions from only that afternoon.
Why does Dickens introduce humor into A Christmas Carol?
There are many examples of humorous language and situations
throughout A Christmas Carol. Descriptions of Ebenezer Scrooge as a
shut-up oyster, or an imaginative child, or a trembling man afraid of the
dark, might not be laugh-out-loud funny, but they provide an emotional
levity important to the story. Because it's a ghost story, Dickens wanted
to ensure readers wouldn't be too scared. He also wanted to let readers
know that the story is "safe": even though readers will be concerned
about Scrooge's experience, the mood assures them everything will be
all right in the end. While the story has a strong moral message, Dickens
wrote A Christmas Carol primarily to entertain. Injecting humor into the
story also prevents audiences from feeling preached to.

What is significant about the appearance of the first spirit in Stave 2 of A

Christmas Carol?
The first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past, is described as looking "like
a child: yet not so like a child as like an old man." He is a literal
embodiment of the past as viewed through the eyes of an old man,
"giving him the appearance of having receded from the view, and being
diminished to a child's proportions." He represents memory, particularly
the importance of childhood memories remembered in old age. This is
reinforced by the contradiction of its accessories: "a branch of fresh
green holly in its hand [and] its dress trimmed with summer flowers"—it
carries both summer and winter plants, suggesting that the spirit is not
constrained by time.

How do the characters of Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit compare

and contrast in A Christmas Carol?

Both Ebenezer Scrooge and Bob Cratchit work in the financial sector of
Victorian London. They work in the same office, but have very different
experiences there. Scrooge, a miserly cheapskate, is solely focused on
making money. At the opening of the novel, he has no time for humanity
or holidays. Bob, on the other hand, is abysmally poor, yet he
symbolizes the optimistic ability to rise above suffering to celebrate life.
While Scrooge represents the powerful elite, he is miserable and cruel.
Scrooge is the obstacle of suffering that men like Cratchit must
overcome. Although the wealth gap is wide between the two characters,
the emotional gap is even wider.

How does Dickens present wealth in A Christmas Carol?

When the reader first meets Ebenezer Scrooge, he is obsessed with
money. In the first pages, he is described as a "squeezing, wrenching,
grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner," primarily because of
his greed. Scrooge ignores the suffering of those around him—even
those very close to him—because he is single-mindedly focused on his
wealth. As a result, he becomes a greedy miser, "secret, and self-
contained, and solitary as an oyster." Even though wealth is the root of
Scrooge's evil, it is not solely destructive. At the end of the novel,
Scrooge is able to use his wealth to improve the lives of Tiny Tim and
his family. Dickens's message isn't that the poor are "good" and the rich
are "bad," but that the wealthy should use their fortunes to help
humanity. Generosity, Dickens proposes, can overcome anything.

In what ways does A Christmas Carol promote socialism or capitalism?

At the beginning of the story, Ebenezer Scrooge cares about the pursuit
of money over all else. He is a successful businessman who enjoys
limited government regulation on how his money should be spent (taxes
to fund institutions for the poor, for example). As a result, he becomes
mercilessly cruel, sacrificing familial and community relationships to
acquire money. The same could be said about unregulated capitalistic
pursuits—such as sweatshops or factory farms—which value profit over
human or animal lives. When Scrooge becomes altruistic at the end of
the story, his actions seem to promote socialism—sharing equally in
society—but Scrooge could never have become a benefactor had he not
made a fortune through capitalist gains. Scrooge doesn't try to "save" the
entire poor neighborhood. He chooses one charity and one family to
support and keeps the rest of his money for himself. For this reason, A
Christmas Carol promotes capitalism while also promoting generosity
and good will.

What role do each of the three spirits have in helping Ebenezer Scrooge

become a better person in A Christmas Carol?

During his visits with each of the three spirits, Ebenezer Scrooge learns
a specific lesson, which helps him become the "infinitely" better man he
is transformed into at the end of the story. At the beginning of the story,
Scrooge is selfish, greedy, and cruel. Through his visit with the Ghost of
Christmas Past, he looks carefully at his childhood and early adulthood
to understand what events caused him to withdraw from society. He
learns that many things, including family, are more valuable than
money. During his visit with the Ghost of Christmas Present, Scrooge is
forced to look directly at those he has injured, including Bob Cratchit
and Fred. Scrooge learns the unexpected consequences of his cruel
actions. Finally, during his visit with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to
Come, Scrooge learns the meaninglessness of his life's work. With no
one to share his happiness with, and no one to mourn him when he's
gone, his life and wealth are worthless.

Why is Tiny Tim's disability important in Stave 3 of A Christmas Carol?

In A Christmas Carol, Tiny Tim is disabled and walks with a crutch.
Primarily, the disability makes Tiny Tim a more sympathetic character,
giving readers (and Ebenezer Scrooge) more reason to want to help him.
However, the disability also sheds light on Scrooge's isolation from his
sole employee. He had no idea Bob Cratchit had a disabled son. When
he discovers this and learns that Tiny Tim will likely die, Scrooge has a
new motivation to transform. He is not only working against the clock to
redeem himself but also to save the boy. Tiny Tim's disability also helps
symbolize him as suffering under Victorian rule. His character
represents the struggles of vulnerable people—particularly children and
the disabled—under a government that offers few social supports, while
a wealthy upper class callously ignores their plight.

How does A Christmas Carol portray women?

A Christmas Carol portrays women primarily as essential animators of
the home. For example, the reader learns about Fan that when she comes
to pick Scrooge up from boarding school, she represents to him all the
delights of home. Similarly, Fred's wife and Mrs. Fezziwig are important
guarantors of the success of the parties at their houses. Belle likewise is,
when the reader sees her in Stave 3, seated in the center of her children,
and while nothing explicit is stated about her role in the current
festivities, the reader must deduce from the scene that she is enjoying the
fruits of many years of forming her home into a place of family life. And
of course there is Mrs. Cratchit, whose hard work is indispensable in
ensuring that the Christmas celebration in her house is joyful and
heartwarming for her family. The reader also gets a glimpse of women
as workers in characters such as Martha Cratchit and the laundress Mrs.
Dilber, although Dickens portrays this work as necessary for survival
rather than a choice.

Why is it significant that Ignorance and Want are children in Stave 3

of A Christmas Carol?

Ignorance and Want, the two emaciated, filthy creatures hiding under the
robe of the Ghost of Christmas Present, are children. They represent the
abysmal poverty or "want" of vulnerable people in Victorian England.
While many upper-class English "ignorantly" believed the poor were
responsible for their condition, children were sometimes treated with
sympathy. While children were still expected to work, wealthy
benefactors sometimes funded education, food, or clothing. By casting
the society's lowliest as children, Dickens knew he would garner more
sympathy and effect more social change than if Ignorance and Want had
been adults. Ignorance and Want represent how greed and selfishness
breed "ignorance" and "want," devastating communities.
How do Ebenezer Scrooge's relationships with Bob Cratchit and Fred in

Staves 1 and 5 influence his character change in A Christmas Carol?

Ebenezer Scrooge has no time, energy, or love for either his employee or
his nephew at the start of the story. He finds both to be foolhardy,
ridiculous, and annoying. Both make terrible decisions with their money
("What reason have you to be merry? You're poor enough!" he
reproaches Fred) and deserve their struggling fate ("I don't make merry
myself at Christmas, and I can't afford to make idle people merry.") As
Scrooge's character transforms, he sees the men differently: Bob Cratchit
represents the suffering poor (whom Scrooge now desires to help), while
Fred represents all that is good about the holidays (which Scrooge
wishes to partake in).

What is the meaning of the line "Joe Miller never made such a joke as

sending it to Bob's will be!" in A Christmas Carol, Stave 5?

Joe Miller was a popular stage actor in the early 1700s. He performed
primarily in Shakespearean plays and was said to particularly love
comedies. After Miller died in 1738, author John Motley published a
joke book with a few jokes aimed at Miller. The rest of the jokes, silly
puns and off-color one-liners, had nothing to do with Miller but
nevertheless became known as "Millerisms." The narrator's reference to
Miller during the scene in which Ebenezer Scrooge sends the turkey to
Bob Cratchit's home on Christmas Day suggests the immense joy (and
laughter) Scrooge felt through the kind gesture. Scrooge has transformed
so fully that he goes from shouting "humbug!" to engaging in pop-
culture references to famous comedians.