Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. What has ever got your precious father then? said Mrs. Cratchit. The Grocers! I dont think I have, said Scrooge. The spirit warns that unless his life changes and he has better conditions, he will die. He believed it too!. Sctooge does not give the Cratchit family enough to live on. This idea taking full possession of his mind, he got up softly and shuffled in his slippers to the door. Heres Martha, mother! cried the two young Cratchits. At every fresh question that was put to him, this nephew burst into a fresh roar of laughter; and was so inexpressibly tickled, that he was obliged to get up off the sofa and stamp. Have they no refuge or resource? cried Scrooge. Oh, no, kind Spirit! oh the Grocers! Id give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope hed have a good appetite for it. Mrs. Cratchit voices her dislikes, and refers to Scrooge as an "odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man." The family feels this way toward Scrooge because Mr. Cratchit works hard as his employee but is paid little and treated poorly. His active little crutch was heard upon the floor, and back came Tiny Tim before another word was spoken, escorted by his brother and sister to his stool before the fire; and while Bob, turning up his cuffsas if, poor fellow, they were capable of being made more shabbycompounded some hot mixture in a jug with gin and lemons, and stirred it round and round and put it on the hob to simmer; Master Peter, and the two ubiquitous young Cratchits went to fetch the goose, with which they soon returned in high procession. Do go on, Fred, said Scrooges niece, clapping her hands. The Daughters of the Late Colonel: X, 185. But, they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the time; and when they faded, and looked happier yet in the bright sprinklings of the Spirits torch at parting, Scrooge had his eye upon them, and especially on Tiny Tim, until the last. More shame for him, Fred! said Scrooges niece, indignantly. Again the Ghost sped on, above the black and heaving seaon, onuntil, being far away, as he told Scrooge, from any shore, they lighted on a ship. Taken from the following passage inStave 3 (The Second Of The Three Spirits) ofA Christmas Carol: Mr. But it had undergone a surprising transformation. Down in the west the setting sun had left a streak of fiery red, which glared upon the desolation for an instant, like a sullen eye, and frowning lower, lower, lower yet, was lost in the thick gloom of darkest night. The Barnacles were a very high family, and a very large family. 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. The Importance of Being Earnest: Act I, 61. And your brother, Tiny Tim! The narrator states that there was no doubt about Marley 's death. Again the Ghost sped on, above the black and heaving sea on, onuntil, being far away, as he told Scrooge, from any shore, they lighted on a ship. Altogether she was what you would have called provoking, you know; but satisfactory, too. I wish I had him here. Look, look, down here! exclaimed the Ghost. Ill give you Mr. Scrooge, the Founder of the Feast! I was only going to say, said Scrooges nephew, that the consequence of his taking a dislike to us, and not making merry with us, is, as I think, that he loses some pleasant moments, which could do him no harm. But they know me. Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief. It would have been flat heresy to do so. The Ghost of Christmas Present, the second of the three spirits that haunt the miser Ebenezer Scrooge, in order to prompt him to repent his selfish ways, has taken Scrooge to see the family of his clerk, Bob Cratchit. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as . You know he is, Robert. The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove; from every part of which, bright gleaming berries glistened. If it only puts him in the vein to leave his poor clerk fifty pounds, thats something; and I think I shook him yesterday.. Prior to this visit, Scrooge had declared that if poor people would rather die than go to the workhouse or poorhouse, then they should just do it and decrease the surplus population. He did not care about their lives, and he does not seem to have cared about anything other than money. It was succeeded by a breathless pause, as Mrs Cratchit, looking slowly all along the carving-knife, prepared to plunge it in the breast; but when she did, and when the long expected gush of stuffing issued forth, one murmur of delight arose all round the board, and even Tiny Tim, excited by the two young Cratchits, beat on the table with the handle of his knife, and feebly cried Hurrah! Forgive me if I am not justified in what I ask, said Scrooge, looking intently at the Spirits robe, but I see something strange, and not belonging to yourself, protruding from your skirts. It was a remarkable quality of the Ghost (which Scrooge had observed at the bakers), that notwithstanding his gigantic size, he could accommodate himself to any place with ease; and that he stood beneath a low roof quite as gracefully and like a supernatural creature, as it was possible he could have done in any lofty hall. He particularly resents having to pay him for the day off at Christmas, seeing it as a swindle. But they didnt devote the whole evening to music. He believed it too!. And every man on board, waking or sleeping, good or bad, had had a kinder word for another on that day than on any day in the year; and had shared to some extent in its festivities; and had remembered those he cared for at a distance, and had known that they delighted to remember him. To Scrooges horror, looking back, he saw the last of the land, a frightful range of rocks, behind them; and his ears were deafened by the thundering of water, as it rolled and roared, and raged among the dreadful caverns it had worn, and fiercely tried to undermine the earth. God love it, so it was! Introduce him to me, and Ill cultivate his acquaintance. But when at last, he caught her; when, in spite of all her silken rustlings, and her rapid flutterings past him, he got her into a corner whence there was no escape; then his conduct was the most execrable. For, he wished to challenge the Spirit on the moment of its appearance, and did not wish to be taken by surprise, and made nervous. ", Thus chastised, Scrooge, "bent before the Ghost's rebuke," lifts his head as he hears his name. We are currently converting the 3,000+ pages within our WordPress site to make them more mobile friendly. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. I know what it is, Fred! This boy is Ignorance. The sky was gloomy, and the shortest streets were choked up with a dingy mist, half thawed, half frozen, whose heavier particles descended in a shower of sooty atoms, as if all the chimneys in Great Britain had, by one consent, caught fire, and were blazing away to their dear hearts content. Look upon me!. He is such a ridiculous fellow!. Yet every one had had enough, and the youngest Cratchits in particular, were steeped in sage and onion to the eyebrows! There were great, round, pot-bellied baskets of chestnuts, shaped like the waistcoats of jolly old gentlemen, lolling at the doors, and tumbling out into the street in their apoplectic opulence. asked Mrs Cratchit, when she had rallied Bob on his credulity, and Bob had hugged his daughter to his hearts content. How is the theme of isolation presented in A Christmas Carol? I am afraid I have not. This girl is Want. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die., No, no, said Scrooge. Come in! Here is a glass of mulled wine ready to our hand at the moment; and I say, Uncle Scrooge! , A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the old man, whatever he is! said Scrooges nephew. The sky was gloomy, and the shortest streets were choked up with a dingy mist, half thawed, half frozen, whose heavier particles descended in shower of sooty atoms, as if all the chimneys in Great Britain had, by one consent, caught fire, and were blazing away to their dear hearts content. The Song of the Shirt: Mrs Biddell and an early victory in the Victorian court of public opinion. Ha, ha! laughed Scrooges nephew. It was their turn to laugh now at the notion of his shaking Scrooge. Hell be very merry and very happy, I have no doubt!. Likewise at the game of How, When, and Where, she was very great, and to the secret joy of Scrooges nephew, beat her sisters hollow: though they were sharp girls too, as could have told you. Remember that, and charge their doings on themselves, not us.. Describe the two children who emerge from the second spirit's robe in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. But even here, two men who watched the light had made a fire, that through the loophole in the thick stone wall shed out a ray of brightness on the awful sea. I mean to give him the same chance every year, whether he likes it or not, for I pity him. I wish I had him here. The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party, which was not dispelled for full five minutes. With this in mind, Scrooge asks the Spirit what will become of Tiny Tim in the future. Tiny Tim drank it last of all, but he didnt care twopence for it. Here is a glass of mulled wine ready to our hand at the moment; and I say,Uncle Scrooge! , A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to the old man, whatever he is. said Scrooges nephew. At last, however, he began to thinkas you or I would have thought at first; for it is always the person not in the predicament who knows what ought to have been done in it, and would unquestionably have done it tooat last, I say, he began to think that the source and secret of this ghostly light might be in the adjoining room, from whence, on further tracing it, it seemed to shine. Bob held his withered little hand in his, as if he loved the child, and wished to keep him by his side, and dreaded that he might be taken from him. Suppose somebody should have got over the wall of the back-yard, and stolen it, while they were merry with the goosea supposition at which the two young Cratchits became livid! Explicit reference to poverty in the Cratchit family, Scrooge is concerned about the fate of Tiny Tim, Metaphor, Scrooge is essentially the opposite the family, he begged like a boy to be allowed to stay, Scrooge rediscovers his inner child and has enthusiasm again, two children, wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable, List of postmodifying adjectives, vivid image of the horrid children, "This boy is Ignorance. The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party, which was not dispelled for full five minutes. Mrs Cratchitdressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap, and make a goodly show for sixpence. Then up rose Mrs Cratchit, Cratchits wife, dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown[8], but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make a goodly show for sixpence; and she laid the cloth, assisted by Belinda Cratchit, second of her daughters, also brave in ribbons; while Master Peter Cratchit plunged a fork into the saucepan of potatoes, and getting the corners of his monstrous shirt collar (Bobs private property, conferred upon his son and heir in honour of the day) into his mouth, rejoiced to find himself so gallantly attired, and yearned to show his linen in the fashionable Parks. It was a great surprise to Scrooge, while listening to the moaning of the wind, and thinking what a solemn thing it was to move on through the lonely darkness over an unknown abyss, whose depths were secrets as profound as Death: it was a great surprise to Scrooge, while thus engaged, to hear a hearty laugh. The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party, which was not dispelled for full five minutes. The house fronts looked black enough, and the windows blacker, contrasting with the smooth white sheet of snow upon the roofs, and with the dirtier snow upon the ground; which last deposit had been ploughed up in deep furrows by the heavy wheels of carts and waggons; furrows that crossed and re-crossed each other hundreds of times where the great streets branched off; and made intricate channels, hard to trace in the thick yellow mud and icy water. But he raised them speedily, on hearing his own name. Stop! After it had passed away, they were ten times merrier than before, from the mere relief of Scrooge the Baleful being done with. Now the ghost throws those harsh words back into Scrooges own face, compelling him to hang his head in shame and feel overcome with penitence and grief. Without seeing the family of his employee Bob Cratchit, it seems unlikely that Scrooge would have experienced such a change of heart in his thoughts about and treatment of the poor. The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party, which was not dispelled for full five minutes with a rating and help us compile the very best Charles Dickens quotations. But, finding that he turned uncomfortably cold when he began to wonder which of his curtains this new spectre would draw back, he put them every one aside with his own hands, and lying down again, established a sharp look-out all round the bed. He always knew where the plump sister was. Ghost of Xmas Past "A solitary child, neglected by his friends, is left there still - Scrooge sobbed." And abide the end!. So surely as they raised their voices, the old man got quite blithe and loud; and so surely as they stopped, his vigour sank again. He felt that he was restored to consciousness in the right nick of time, for the especial purpose of holding a conference with the second messenger despatched to him through Jacob Marleys intervention. In almshouse, hospital, and jail, in miserys every refuge, where vain man in his little brief authority[12]had not made fast the door, and barred the Spirit out, he left his blessing, and taught Scrooge his precepts. Is there a peculiar flavour in what you sprinkle from your torch? asked Scrooge. Whats the consequence? The mention of his name cast a dark shadow on the party, which was not dispelled for full five minutes. Tiny Tim drank it last of all, but he didnt care twopence for it. At last the dishes were set on, and grace was said. It is the Ghost of Christmas present who takes Scrooge to view how the Crachit family celebrates Christmas. It was the first of their proceedings which had no heartiness. Learn how BCcampus supports open education and how you can access Pressbooks. For they said, it was a shame to quarrel upon Christmas Day. Likewise at the game of How, When, and Where, she was very great, and to the secret joy of Scrooges nephew, beat her sisters hollow: though they were sharp girls too, as Topper could have told you. But when at last, he caught her; when, in spite of all her silken rustlings, and her rapid flutterings past him, he got her into a corner whence there was no escape; then his conduct was the most execrable. The time is drawing near.. Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. ', When Scrooge protests against this future, the Spirit mocks him by retorting with Scrooge's cruel remark about the need for the poor to die, anyway, as they will "decrease the surplus population." Scrooge started back, appalled. And I no more believe Topper was really blind than I believe he had eyes in his boots. Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish; but prostrate, too, in their humility. A merry Christmas and a happy new year!hell be very merry and very happy, I have no doubt!. The narrator calls Scrooge the ogre of the family. But even here, two men who watched the light had made a fire, that through the loophole in the thick stone wall shed out a ray of brightness on the awful sea. At last the dishes were set on, and grace was said. Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 136. "Are there no prisons?" As the last stroke ceased to vibrate, he remembered the prediction of old Jacob Marley, and lifting up his eyes, beheld a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards him. I have no patience with him, observed Scrooges niece. For his pretending not to know her; his pretending that it was necessary to touch her head-dress, and further to assure himself of her identity by pressing a certain ring upon her finger, and a certain chain about her neck; was vile, monstrous! Altogether she was what you would have called provoking, you know; but satisfactory, too. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycooks next door to each other, with a laundresss next door to that! But now, the plates being changed by Miss Belinda, Mrs Cratchit left the room alonetoo nervous to bear witnessesto take the pudding up and bring it in. English Literature: Victorians and Moderns, Self-ignition. Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 166. From the foldings of its robe, it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable. Then up rose Mrs. Cratchit, Cratchits wife, dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons, which are cheap and make a goodly show for sixpence; and she laid the cloth, assisted by Belinda Cratchit, second of her daughters, also brave in ribbons; while Master Peter Cratchit plunged a fork into the saucepan of potatoes, and getting the corners of his monstrous shirt collar (Bobs private property, conferred upon his son and heir in honour of the day) into his mouth, rejoiced to find himself so gallantly attired, and yearned to show his linen in the fashionable Parks. God bless us!. And they cling to me, appealing from their fathers. And their assembled friends being not a bit behindhand, roared out lustily. Suppose somebody should have got over the wall of the back-yard, and stolen it, while they were merry with the goosea supposition at which the two young Cratchits became livid! The ghost replies by saying that if things go on as they are, then the poor boy will die. The Spirit did not tarry here, but bade Scrooge hold his robe, and passing on above the moor, spedwhither? There were ruddy, brown-faced, broad-girthed Spanish Friars, and winking from their shelves in wanton slyness at the girls as they went by, and glanced demurely at the hung-up mistletoe. That was the cloth. Any Cratchit would have blushed to hint at such a thing. But soon the steeples called good people all, to church and chapel, and away they came, flocking through the streets in their best clothes, and with their gayest faces. Have never walked forth with the younger members of my family; meaning (for I am very young) my elder brothers born in these later years? pursued the Phantom. It is only afterwards that the general cheer resumed. God bless us!. Scrooge was the ogre of the family. Two tumblers, and a custard-cup without a handle. Two tumblers, and a custard-cup without a handle. A piece of lace or the like worn around or within the top of the bodice. Here, again, were shadows on the window-blind of guests assembling; and there a group of handsome girls, all hooded and fur-booted, and all chattering at once, tripped lightly off to some near neighbours house; where, woe upon the single man who saw them enter-artful witches, well they knew it - in a glow! Hay and coal can self-ignite, but Dickens claimed that human bodies could do so as well. He works Bob Cratchit very hard . Alas for Tiny Tim, he bore a little crutch, and had his limbs supported by an iron frame! This toasting is "the first of the proceedings which had no heartiness" since no one else feels anything but resentment toward Scrooge. Design changes: Please bear with us if you come across anything that may look a little disjointed. As they move on with the spirit of Christmas future, the image of the Crachits and Tiny Tim remain with Scrooge who continues to be distressed by what he has seen of Tim's illness. . He dont lose much of a dinner.. Hes a comical old fellow, said Scrooges nephew, thats the truth: and not so pleasant as he might be. said the Spirit, turning on him for the last time with his own words. Whats the consequence? So Martha hid herself, and in came little Bob, the father, with at least three feet of comforter exclusive of the fringe, hanging down before him; and his threadbare clothes darned up and brushed, to look seasonable; and Tiny Tim upon his shoulder. Long life to him! Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 146. Instructor: Lauren Boivin. I am the Ghost of Christmas Present, said the Spirit. This garment hung so loosely on the figure, that its capacious breast was bare, as if disdaining to be warded or concealed by any artifice. The very lamplighter, who ran on before, dotting the dusky street with specks of light, and who was dressed to spend the evening somewhere, laughed out loudly as the Spirit passed, though little kenned the lamplighter that he had any company but Christmas. If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die. Girded round its middle was an antique scabbard; but no sword was in it, and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust. Scrooge reverently did so. Suppose it should not be done enough! One half hour, Spirit, only one!. The two young Cratchits laughed tremendously at the idea of Peters being a man of business; and Peter himself looked thoughtfully at the fire from between his collars, as if he were deliberating what particular investments he should favour when he came into the receipt of that bewildering income. How does Dickens present Scrooge's character in stave 1? Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? The walls and ceiling were so hung with living green, that it looked a perfect grove; from every part of which, bright gleaming berries glistened. Analysis. But soon the steeples called good people all, to church and chapel, and away they came, flocking through the streets in their best clothes, and with their gayest faces. They are generous and loving, happy despite their poverty. To Scrooges horror, looking back, he saw the last of the land, a frightful range of rocks, behind them; and his ears were deafened by the thundering of water, as it rolled and roared, and raged among the dreadful caverns it had worn, and fiercely tried to undermine the earth. His active little crutch was heard upon the floor, and back came Tiny Tim before another word was spoken, escorted by his brother and sister to his stool before the fire; and while Bob, turning up his cuffsas if, poor fellow, they were capable of being made more shabbycompounded some hot mixture in a jug with gin and lemons, and stirred it round and round and put it on the hob to simmer; Master Peter, and the two ubiquitous young Cratchits went to fetch the goose, with which they soon returned in high procession. 10 May 1851. After finally allowing him to leave for the night, Scrooge heads home. Pop Goes The Weasel. Although they don't have two brass ha'pennies to rub togetherlargely thanks to Scrooge's incorrigible stinginessthey still somehow manage to maintain a household full of love, warmth, and happiness. To a poor one most., Spirit? said Scrooge, after a moments thought, I wonder you, of all the beings in the many worlds about us, should desire to cramp these peoples opportunities of innocent enjoyment., You would deprive them of their means of dining every seventh day[6], often the only day on which they can be said to dine at all, said Scrooge. Hurrah! I wish I had him here. I am sorry for him; I couldnt be angry with him if I tried. These held the hot stuff from the jug, however, as well as golden goblets would have done; and Bob served it out with beaming looks, while the chestnuts on the fire sputtered and cracked noisily. Theres such a goose, Martha!. Forgive me if I am wrong. Knocking down the fire-irons, tumbling over the chairs, bumping against the piano, smothering himself among the curtains, wherever she went, there went he! You have never seen the like of me before! exclaimed the Spirit. For, the people who were shovelling away on the housetops were jovial and full of glee; calling out to one another from the parapets, and now and then exchanging a facetious snowballbetter-natured missile far than many a wordy jest laughing heartily if it went right and not less heartily if it went wrong. 7. It was the first of their proceedings which had no heartiness. Scrooge's eyes are well and truly opened by the sight of the Cratchits' homelife. Why, wheres our Martha? cried Bob Cratchit, looking round. Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 175. Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 60. A tremendous family to provide for, muttered Scrooge. Nor was it that the figs were moist and pulpy, or that the French plums blushed in modest tartness from their highly-decorated boxes, or that everything was good to eat and in its Christmas dress; but the customers were all so hurried and so eager in the hopeful promise of the day, that they tumbled up against each other at the door, crashing their wicker baskets wildly, and left their purchases upon the counter, and came running back to fetch them, and committed hundreds of the like mistakes, in the best humour possible; while the Grocer and his people were so frank and fresh that the polished hearts with which they fastened their aprons behind might have been their own, worn outside for general inspection, and for Christmas daws[4]to peck at if they chose. Id give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope hed have a good appetite for it. The way he went after that plump sister in the lace tucker, was an outrage on the credulity of human nature. And how did little Tim behave? eNotes Editorial, 20 Feb. 2021, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/how-is-scrooge-affected-by-seeing-the-cratchits-71891. He begins to care about them, especially poor Tiny Tim, who can't get medical treatments because of how little Scrooge pays his father. Having them shown to him in this way, he tried to say they were fine children, but the words choked themselves, rather than be parties to a lie of such enormous magnitude. And it was a very uncommon kind of torch, for once or twice when there were angry words between some dinner-carriers who had jostled each other, he shed a few drops of water on them from it, and their good humour was restored directly. Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked, and glared out menacing. Sit ye down before the fire, my dear, and have a warm, Lord bless ye!, No, no! Study Questions, Activities, and Resources, 58. It was his own room. Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne, were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum-puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth-cakes, and seething bowls of punch, that made the chamber dim with their delicious steam. The Importance of Being Earnest: Act II, 62. He has given us plenty of merriment, I am sure, said Fred, and it would be ungrateful not to drink his health. Bob Cratchit told them how he had a situation in his eye for Master Peter, which would bring in, if obtained, full five-and-sixpence weekly. They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being water-proof; their clothes were scanty; and Peter might have known, and very likely did, the inside of a pawnbrokers. Discover more quotations from A Christmas Carol. Wed a deal of work to finish up last night, replied the girl, and had to clear away this morning, mother., Well! He looked down on every human being who did not share his own values. Uncle Scrooge had imperceptibly become so gay and light of heart, that he would have pledged the unconscious company in return, and thanked them in an inaudible speech, if the Ghost had given him time. There was no doubt about that.