why is the ghost of christmas presents life so short

Ghostly Symbolism

A Christmas Carol A Ghost Story of Christmas

Nov. 23 – dec. 20.

By Charles Dickens Adapted and originally directed by Michael Wilson Directed by Rachel Alderman

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By Education @ Hartford Stage

While contemporary audiences most often associate ghosts with Halloween, the cold and dark of winter was an ominous time full of mystery for the Victorians. The chilling winds and freezing temperatures were incredibly dangerous for the many impoverished people who lacked proper clothes and shelter. With cures for many common illnesses inaccessible or simply not yet discovered, winter was frequently accompanied by death. While efforts at holiday cheer brought some degree of warmth and festivity, the gray landscape and quiet nights dominated the Victorian imagination. When he wrote A Christmas Carol , Dickens capitalized on this by using ghosts as impactful symbols to communicate his message and provoke changes in his characters and audiences alike. The resulting tale is a powerful “ghost story of Christmas,” the original text of which Dickens prefaced in December 1843: “I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.”

MARLEY’S CHAIN

The chain carried by the ghost of Jacob Marley is one of the most conspicuous symbols in the play. “I wear the chain I forged in life,” Marley tells Scrooge in Act 1, Scene 3. “I made it link by link, and yard by yard.” When he was alive, Marley spent his time in the pursuit of wealth rather than doing good for his fellow human beings. His actions forged an invisible chain meant to bind his soul to the earth, and the greedier he became, the longer and heavier the chain grew. Now dead for seven years, Marley warns Scrooge that a similar fate (and a longer, heavier chain) awaits him if he does not change his ways. “Is [this chain’s] pattern strange to you? Or would you know the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? It was as heavy and as long as this seven Christmas Eves ago. You have labored in it since. It is a ponderous chain” (1.3).

THE THREE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS

The Ghost of Christmas Past represents memory. She shows Scrooge events from his past in hopes of shedding light on how Scrooge became bitter and miserly and to remind him that he was not always that way. If the Ghost can help Scrooge remember who he once was, there may still be hope for him.

The Ghost of Christmas Present represents generosity and good will. He shows Scrooge scenes of people sharing what they have with each other, even if they have very little. This Ghost seeks to show Scrooge that the true meaning of the holiday is found in the joy that comes from giving to others and celebrating together. If Scrooge is to change his life, there is no better time to start than Christmas.

The Ghost of Christmas Future represents fear of death. This Ghost intends to show Scrooge that if he continues in his current fashion, there is a reckoning that awaits him. In death, Jacob Marley paid for his actions on Earth. If he does not change, Scrooge will suffer the same fate. The affection the Cratchits hold for one another in the wake of Tiny Tim’s death stands in stark contrast to the predictions for Scrooge’s future, and pushes Scrooge to make a choice.

The article is reprinted from the Education @ Hartford Stage study guide for A Christmas Carol.

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The Ghost of Christmas Present

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The Ghost of Christmas Present with Ebenezer Scrooge.

The Ghost of Christmas Present is a character from A Christmas Carol , one of the best-known works of the English novelist Charles Dickens . He closely resembles Father Christmas from local folklore.

Role in the story [ ]

The Ghost of Christmas Present is the second of the three spirits (after the visitation by Jacob Marley ) that haunted the miser Ebenezer Scrooge in order to prompt him to repent. According to Dickens' novel, the spirit appears to Scrooge as "a jolly giant" with dark brown curls. He wears a fur-lined green robe and on his head a holly wreath set with shining icicles. He carries a large torch, made to resemble a cornucopia, and appears accompanied by a great feast. He states that he has had "more than eighteen hundred" brothers (in fact eighteen hundred and forty two) and later reveals the ability to change his size to fit into any space. He also has a scabbard with no sword in it, a representation of peace on Earth.

The spirit transports Scrooge around the city, showing him scenes of festivity and also deprivation that were happening as they watched, sprinkling a little warmth from his torch as he travels. Amongst the visits are Scrooge's nephew, Fred and the family of his clerk, Bob Cratchit . The spirit also shares a vision of Tiny Tim 's crutch, carefully preserved by the fireplace. Scrooge asks if Tim will die. The spirit first states that "If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die" (i.e., Tim's illness is not inherently fatal, but the Cratchits lack the funds for Tim to receive proper treatment, courtesy of Scrooge's miserliness), then – quick to use Scrooge's past unkind comments toward two charitable solicitors against him – suggests he "had better do it, and decrease the surplus population." Scrooge is disgusted at his own words and is concerned for Tiny Tim and his family.

The spirit finally reveals to Scrooge two emaciated children, subhuman in appearance and loathsome to behold, clinging to his robes, and names the boy as Ignorance and the girl as Want. The spirit warns Scrooge, "Beware them both, and all of their degree, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom, unless the writing be erased.", underscoring the book's social message. The spirit once again quotes Scrooge, who asks if the grotesque children have "no refuge, no resource," and the spirit retorts with Scrooge's same words, "Are there no prisons, no workhouses?", filling Scrooge with self-loathing.

The spirit, having already aged, reveals that he will only exist on Earth for a single year's Christmas holiday. (As the nature of the present is to only exist in the now, this is why this ghost can only exist for one Christmas, and why he has 1842 brothers. Given the year that the story was published, this would make him the 1843rd Ghost of Christmas Present.) He finally disappears at the stroke of midnight on Twelfth Night, leaving Scrooge to face the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come .

Portrayals [ ]

• 1 Misfit Toys
• 2 Yukon Cornelius
• 3 The Twelve Days of Christmas (song)