(2) ghost of christmas present

• keywords:

  • Abundance (a very large quantity), jovial (cheerful and friendly), God-like, plentiful, anti-Malthusian views, jolly, provides moral enlightenment.
• The triple adjective:

  • "kind, generous, hearty nature"

  could be seen to have biblical allusions to the holy trinity in which there is three parts of God: the father, the son and the holy spirit.

  • The three adjectives could be an allusion to how the ghost is there to bring Scrooge back to his religious moral foundations and guide him away from sin.
• Biblically, "ivy" symbolises "God's gift", thus as there was ivy surrounding the ghost it compounds his God-like portrayal.

  • He could be seen as a recipient of God's message as he is trying to enlighten Scrooge morally, spiritually and religiously.
• The ghost is presented in a jovial (happy and cheerful) way, akin to the idea of father Christmas:

  • He is a "jolly Giant" who wears a "green robe" which was "bordered with fur".

  As Father Christmas is a symbol of festivity and giving - this is poignant as the ghost's function is to show Scrooge how there is enough of everything in abundance and giving is an important attribute to have in society.
• The motif of light is similarly explored with the ghost of Christmas present:

  • "ivy reflected back the light"
  • "sparkling eye"

  Light symbolises hope throughout the novella, thus the ghost is offering Scrooge another opportunity of hope and promise for the future.
• "glowing torch, in shape not unlike Plenty's horn"

  • Plenty's horn in Latin is known as 'cornucopia', symbolic of nourishment and abundance.
• As the ghost holds the emblem (symbol) of the torch, reinforcing the motif of light once again.

  • It highlights how he is showing Scrooge that there is an abundance of resources to be shared - no malnourishment or neglection should commence in a society that has plenty.

  This is a direct criticism of Malthusian views which has no regard for the poor and destitute.
• The ghost rejects Scrooge's accusation that spirits created sabbath closures (closing of key essential shops such as bakeries etc on Sundays because of religion).

  • He claims that "and who do their deeds of passion, pride, ill-will, hatred, envy, bigotry, and selfishness in our name".
• The ghost highlights that mankind commits injurious (cause damage or harm) and immoral acts yet tries justifying it through religion - the ghost is scathing of this due to the asyndetic list (list connecting with a comma) of sins:

  • "passion, pride, ill-will..."

  This makes the list seem ongoing, reinforcing how there is an ongoing abuse of religion from humans:

  • Individuals claim to uphold religious values but do not practice them.
• The exchange between Scrooge and the ghost about Sabbatarians (keeping with the 10 commandments) highlights the idea of Victorian hypocrisy.

  • A central idea later in Victorian literature, particularly focusing on how this hypocrisy has a detrimental (bad) impact on the poor.
• Dickens constructs the ghost to be sitting on a plethora (large/excessive amount) of enticing foods such as "turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn" which formed "a kind of throne".

  • Dickens directly uses the vast amounts of food as a criticism of the Malthusian idea that supplies are scarce, and the poor are those who are draining these resources.
• The ghost of Christmas present is a pivotal tool in Dicken's social commentary as the ghost, an extension of Dickens, is didactic (teaching a moral lesson) to Scrooge about his contribution to social ills and the mistreatment of the vulnerable.
• Dickens said:

  • "Everything that happens shows that you can't shut out the world; that you are in it"

  He encapsulates this with the ghost as the ghost shows Scrooge that his actions are inextricably linked to consequences, such as his impact on the Cratchits, and he must accept in the present that he is "in it" and has to change.
• Through the ghost emulating Scrooge's heartless Malthusian views,

  • "If he be like to die, he had better do it and decrease the surplus population,"

  He is allowing the readership to reflect on the words that Scrooge had previously said and the detrimental impact this has had on others.
• As Scrooge is a microcosm (one small person representing a larger group) for the Victorian upper class, Dickens ensures his readership is reflective of their contribution to social ills and if they enable the mistreatment of the poor to commence.

  • Most significantly the victimisation of children.
• Scrooge appears submissive to the ghost, open and welcoming the idea of his moral and spiritual awakening.

  • He, for the first time, shows remorse and obedience to his teachings:

  "Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this spirit"
• This is a clear turning point for Scrooge as he is displaying genuine emotions of remorse, compassion, and empathy.

  • His emotional change is clear with his use of imperatives "Tell me if Tiny Tim will live."

  This is juxtaposing to his earlier use of impolite imperatives; he is now commanding to know about the well-being of others as he is developing benevolence and solicitude (care and concern).