Marley

• Who is the first Ghost to appear to Scrooge?

  Jacob Marley
• What does Dickens establish about Marley in the opening line?

  Marley is dead
• How does the phrase ‘Marley was dead: to begin with’ affect the reader?

  It shocks the reader
• What theme does ‘A Christmas Carol’ primarily explore?

  Time-travel
• How does Dickens manage the structure of time travel in the story?

  Through Marley’s visit
• What does Marley explain to Scrooge during his visit?

  There will be three more Spirits
• How does the reader's knowledge of Marley’s death affect the story's structure?

  It makes the structure easier to follow
• What literary device does Dickens use to emphasize Marley’s death?

  Repetition
• What simile does Dickens use to describe Marley’s death?

  ‘Marley was as dead as a door-nail’
• Who was the ‘sole mourner’ at Marley’s funeral?


  Scrooge
• What does Marley’s ghostly appearance foreshadow?

  The arrival of Marley’s Ghost later
• What items does Marley’s Ghost wear as chains?

  Cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, purses
• What do the items in Marley’s chains symbolize?

  His greed during life
• What warning does Marley’s appearance serve to Scrooge?

  He could be punished for his greed
• What does Marley mean by ‘I wear the chain I forged in life’?


  He is suffering due to his past actions
• What religious concept does Dickens reference through Marley’s punishment?

  Purgatory
• What does the verb ‘doomed’ imply about Marley’s fate?

  He has been judged and condemned
• How does the alliteration in ‘wander’ and ‘world’ affect the sentence?

  It emphasizes the eternal length of punishment
• What does Marley regret about his life?

  His focus on profit over people
• What pun does Marley use to convey his message to Scrooge?

  ‘Mankind was my business’
• How does Dickens describe Scrooge’s relationship with Marley?

  As Marley’s ‘sole friend’
• What does the repetition of ‘sole’ emphasize about Scrooge and Marley?

  The solitary nature of their work
• How does the imagery of the ‘solitary as an oyster’ simile relate to Scrooge?

  It highlights his loneliness
• What lesson does Dickens convey through Marley and Scrooge's characters?

  Don’t focus purely on self-gain
• What does Dickens suggest is the Christian duty of his readers?

  To help others
• What is the main message of ‘The Life of Our Lord’ by Dickens?

  • Do good always, even to those who do evil
  • Love your neighbor as yourself
  • Be gentle, merciful, and forgiving
  • Show love for God through actions