A CHRISTMAS

CAROL

CHARLES DICKENS
• SOCIAL AND HISTORICAL TEXT
Dickens wrote this story in 1843. At the time there was a tradition for reading ghost stories at Christmas, hence
the numerous spirits that Scrooge encounters. The themes of wealth and injustice are clear comments on the
inequalities of wealth distribution in Victorian England
A Christmas Carol - Plot summary
A Christmas Carol is a novella by Charles Dickens about Ebenezer Scrooge, an old man, who
is well-known for his miserly ways.
On Christmas Eve, Scrooge is visited by a series of ghosts, starting with his old business
partner, Jacob Marley. The three spirits which follow, the Ghosts of Christmas Past,
Christmas Present and Christmas Yet to Come, show Scrooge how his mean behaviour has
affected those around him. At the end of the story he is relieved to discover that there is
still time for him to change and we see him transformed into a generous and kind-hearted
human being.

A Christmas Carol is a moral tale about the spirit of giving and being kind to one
another.
1.On Christmas Eve, Scrooge makes his clerk, Bob Cratchit,
work in the cold.
2.He refuses an invitation to his nephew Fred's Christmas party
and will not give money to the charity collectors.
3.At home he is visited by the ghost of his old business partner,
Marley.
4.The Ghost of Christmas Past wakes Scrooge and shows him
moments from his childhood, his apprenticeship and his failed
engagement.
5.The Ghost of Christmas Present takes him to the Cratchit's
home, where he is saddened by the ill, but kind, Tiny Tim. He is
also shown how Fred celebrates Christmas with friends and
how others celebrate Christmas together.
6.The final ghost is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come who
terrifies Scrooge with visions of his death.
7.Scrooge awakes on Christmas Day and is delighted to find he
has the chance to repent of his miserly ways. He buys a turkey
for the Cratchits and attends his nephew's party.
8.Scrooge becomes like a second father to Tiny Tim and gains a
reputation for knowing how to celebrate Christmas.
Scrooge makes his clerk work in the cold.
The novella begins on Christmas Eve with Scrooge, a mean and miserly man working in his counting-house. His clerk,
Bob Cratchit, is working hard and trying to warm himself over a candle as Scrooge refuses to give him more coal.
He refuses Fred's invitation.
Scrooge's cheerful nephew, Fred, arrives to wish him a Merry Christmas and to invite his uncle to a Christmas dinner.
Scrooge responds with a grumpy 'Bah!' followed by 'Humbug!'

Scrooge dismisses the charity collectors.

Two gentlemen enter the office as Scrooge's nephew leaves. They are collecting for the poor and homeless. Scrooge
refuses to give them a donation, claiming that the prisons and workhouses should provide for such people. He
declares that if they cannot go to prison or the workhouses the poor should die 'and decrease the surplus population'.

Scrooge is visited by Marley.

Back at home, Scrooge has strange visions of the door knocker and tiles bearing the face of his old business partner,
Jacob Marley. He refuses to believe his eyes, but then Marley's ghost appears and frightens Scrooge by rattling his
chains. He tells Scrooge he will be haunted by three spirits.
The Ghost of Christmas Past
As promised by Marley's ghost, Scrooge is visited as the bell tolls one o'clock by the first of three spirits: the
Ghost of Christmas Past. The apparition is 'a strange figure' seeming to be both an old man and child. The ghost
shows Scrooge scenes from his childhood and a lively scene with his cheerful old boss, Fezziwig. Next he takes
Scrooge to a time where his younger self is with his fiancée, Belle. She is telling the younger Scrooge how she
must leave him because he has changed and seems to love money more than her. Then they see the girl become
a woman, with her happy family. Scrooge is upset and the ghost returns him to his bed
The Ghost of Christmas Present
The second spirit is the Ghost of Christmas Present who takes Scrooge to the Cratchit family where he sees the
humility with which the family tolerates its poverty. The sight of Tiny Tim, who is sick and weak, saddens him.
Next the spirit shows Scrooge his nephew and friends as they celebrate and joke about how Scrooge is a
'ridiculous fellow’. Lastly, the ghost shows Scrooge two poor children, Ignorance and Want. The ghost
disappears and a dark hooded phantom comes towards Scrooge.
The final spirit
The final spirit is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come who leads Scrooge through scenes relating to a man's
death. He shows him the Cratchits whose son, Tiny Tim, has also died. Finally the ghost shows Scrooge the
gravestone of the man the people have been talking about. It bears the name: Ebenezer Scrooge.
Scrooge awakes on Christmas Day
Scrooge wakes up full of a zest for life. He presses the bed to check it is real and then laughing, proclaims
himself as 'giddy as a drunken man'. He calls out of the window to a boy who tells him it is Christmas Day and
Scrooge is delighted to find the spirits have done all their work in one night.
He gives the boy half a crown to buy the prize turkey from the butchers and have it delivered to the Cratchits.
Then he dresses and goes out into the street where he meets one of the charity collectors from the previous
day. Scrooge whispers his donation to the man, who is very grateful. Then Scrooge goes to church and at last
to his nephew Fred's for Christmas dinner.

Scrooge knows how to celebrate Christmas

The next day, Scrooge offers Bob Cratchit a pay-rise and promises to help look after his family. He learns how
to laugh at himself and eventually becomes known as a man who knows how to celebrate Christmas.

• A Christmas Carol is the story of a miser who is visited by a number of spirits at Christmas and is
encouraged to change his ways for the better.
 NOTES
I. New Words
1. miser
2. aloof
3. astonished
4. frightened
5. realise
6. wreath
7. dawn
8. vanishes
9. amends
10. spirit
11. nephew
12. honour
II. Word meanings
1. miser : a person who loves money and hates spending it
2. dearer : more important or valuable
3. aloof : stays by oneself and away from people
4. amends : to change oneself in order to correct a mistake
5. honour : do something that shows great respect to someone or something
Questions and Answers:
1. Who visits Ebenezer Scrooge the night before Christmas?
2. Describe briefly the encounter of Ebenezer Scrooge with the three ghosts.
3. How do we know Scrooge is a changed man at the end?

Reference to the context:

“Christmas! Christmas! It’s still Christmas! I’m saved! I’ve been given another chance. Thank you spirits!”
a) Who said these lines?
b) Why does he say “It’s still Christmas! I’m saved!”
c) What does the word ‘spirit’ mean here?

HOTS
Q. What message is Dickens sending about ‘greed’ in the lesson? Do you think this message is still relevant
to the modern society?