Ghost of Christmas Future

• role in novella

  • to show Scrooge his future
  • symbolize fear and uncertainty
• Scrooge's reaction

  • 'Scrooge bent down upon his knee' -

  'bent down' - puts himself in a vulnerable position

  'knee' - put himself below the ghost - Scrooge knows the ghost is above him and has more power

  • 'Scrooge feared... his legs trembled beneath him'

  'feared' - adjective - he is scared - like how people are scared of the future

  'trembled' - unwillingly shows how scared he is - the ghost induces so much fear Scrooge can't hide how scared he is
• 'behold a solemn phantom, draped and hooded'

  • 'solemn' - adjective - shows the ghost seems serious
  • 'phantom' - a ghost - experiences something unreal
  • 'draped and hooded' - covered, concealed, can't see face - makes it seem more threatening, can't read its emotions, can't see what its staring at
• 'coming like mist... towards him'

  • simile
  • 'mist' - anonymous, smooth, suffocating, blinding
  • 'him' - only going towards Scrooge, no one else, threatening
• 'slowly, gravely, slightly approached'

  • list of adverbs
  • 'slowly' - builds tension, Scrooge is left anticipating what will happen
  • 'gravely' - grave - connotates with death - makes Scrooge panic
• 'shrouded in deep black garments'

  • 'shrouded' - verb - keep hidden, wrapping for burial
  • 'deep black' - emphasises how there is no light - the future isn't hopeful for Scrooge - future has no emotions regarding you or your past - black connotates to mourning which could foreshadow Scrooge seeing his grave
• 'concealed its head, its face, its form'

  • 'concealed' - not allowed to see, can't see - no one knows what the future looks like
  • 'its' - repeated - dehumanises not a person its an 'it' - no personality, feelings,
  • covers itself, no identity - makes more threatening
• doesn't speak

  future doesn't speak - it just happens

  'Spirit inclined its head... only answer he received'

  'inclined its head' - uses body language to portray thoughts - actions speak louder then words

  doesn't speak as Scrooge must make his own decisions on what to do - no one can help him