In Dickens’ novella A Christmas Carol, Scrooge is fearful of the ghosts and of the absence of time in
purgatory. Dickens explores how the future that inevitably awaits Scrooge drives his redemption into
becoming a benevolent member of society. This is to emphasize the need for society to change to
benefit the poor members of society.
In this extract Dickens shows Scrooge “fears you more than any spectre” which is important as the
ghost is said to resemble the Grim Reaper, who takes souls to the afterlife. After hearing Marley’s
state in purgatory his fear of death grows and therefore his fear ultimately drives his redemption. In
purgatory, Marley “wears the chains (he) forged in life” because he has been judged and has to
repent his sins before going to heaven. The chains are a physical reminder to Scrooge of the results
of his actions and the inevitable future should he not change. This would have also scared many of
the upper-class readers of the novella as Scrooge represents the selfish upper-class. Additionally,
when Scrooge meets the spectre he says that he is “prepared to bear you company and do it with a
thankful heart” which illustrates the he is willing to repent his sins and redeem himself.
Additionally, Scrooge is fearful of the absence of time in purgatory. Time is a motif in the novella and
is represented by the bells announcing the hour. We are constantly reminded of the importance of
time through the ghosts representing the past present and future. When Marley’s ghost introduces
the ghosts to Scrooge, he says that they will visit on three separate nights however in reality, they all
visit Scrooge on one night. This could emphasize that time stops for the ghosts and therefore
signifies that there is always time for redemption. It could also emphasize the power of the
supernatural in attempt to scare the readers as the novella was a ghost story.
purgatory. Dickens explores how the future that inevitably awaits Scrooge drives his redemption into
becoming a benevolent member of society. This is to emphasize the need for society to change to
benefit the poor members of society.
In this extract Dickens shows Scrooge “fears you more than any spectre” which is important as the
ghost is said to resemble the Grim Reaper, who takes souls to the afterlife. After hearing Marley’s
state in purgatory his fear of death grows and therefore his fear ultimately drives his redemption. In
purgatory, Marley “wears the chains (he) forged in life” because he has been judged and has to
repent his sins before going to heaven. The chains are a physical reminder to Scrooge of the results
of his actions and the inevitable future should he not change. This would have also scared many of
the upper-class readers of the novella as Scrooge represents the selfish upper-class. Additionally,
when Scrooge meets the spectre he says that he is “prepared to bear you company and do it with a
thankful heart” which illustrates the he is willing to repent his sins and redeem himself.
Additionally, Scrooge is fearful of the absence of time in purgatory. Time is a motif in the novella and
is represented by the bells announcing the hour. We are constantly reminded of the importance of
time through the ghosts representing the past present and future. When Marley’s ghost introduces
the ghosts to Scrooge, he says that they will visit on three separate nights however in reality, they all
visit Scrooge on one night. This could emphasize that time stops for the ghosts and therefore
signifies that there is always time for redemption. It could also emphasize the power of the
supernatural in attempt to scare the readers as the novella was a ghost story.
