Stave 3

• "he got up softly and shuffled in his slippers to the door"

  Scrooge is actively seeking out the ghost to see what he has to say but before, he was in a reluctant state to talk to the ghost.
• "Heaped up on the floor, to form a kind of throne were turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great."

  • symbolises a class divide because people from the lower class that can't afford all this food have to be treated with generosity
  • asyndetic list - to show the abundance of food - ghost is a symbol of abundance - didactic message.
  • ironic because Scrooge can afford this but he chooses not to so he can save money. - direct contrast to "little of saucepan of gruel" (Stave 1)
• "bordered with white fur"

  • Santa claus-like figure - someone who gives away to everyone
  • "white" symbolic of innocence and purity
• "Girded round its middle was an antique scabbard; but no sword was in it, and the ancient sheath was eaten up with rust."

  • Scabbard hasn't been used so this ghost doesn't need violence - a peaceful presence
• "More than eighteen hundred"

  • Novel was written in the 1800's (1834)
  • Refers to all the Christmases since the birth of Christ.
  • brothers = all the Christmases
• "'Spirit,' said Scrooge submissively,"

  • "submissively" - adverb - Scrooge is willing to learn from the ghost.
• "let me profit by it"

  • "profit" - used to describe money but here, Scrooge is using it to talk about wanting to learn something from the ghosts - impact that ghost of Christmas present has on Scrooge.
• " half thawed, half frozen"

  • At the beginning of the novella, Scrooge was a very cold person - "half frozen" but now this coldness is being melted away, he's growing warmer - "half thawed"
  • Scrooge's character development
• "carrying their dinners to the bakers' shops."

  In the Victorina times, not everyone had the means to cook food properly so they took their food to the bakers so it could be made for them - emphasises the class divide.
• "sprinkled incense on their dinners from his torch."

  • torch - symbol of Christmas spirit
  • The ghost is shaking the Christmas spirit on their dinner when they're arguing and suddenly they stop arguing.
• "You seek to close these places on the Seventh Day?"

  • In the Bible, we are meant to keep the Sabbath day by resting on the last day to keep the day holy so places are meant to shut down.
• "Because it needs it most" - Ghost

  • Didactic message
  • Giving to the poor spreading Christmas spirit to those who are vulnerable
• "he could accommodate himself to any place with ease."

  • Christmas spirit is everywhere and it can squeeze itself in the smallest rooms - blind to class divide.
• "dressed out but poorly in a twice-turned gown, but brave in ribbons."

  • "twice turned" - turning it inside out twice
  • Mrs Cratchit is trying to make the most out of what she has because she can't afford a new one.
  • During the Victorian era, their dress would be twice turned to hide the stain
  • She isn't allowing poverty dominate her life.
• "the corners of his monstrous shirt collar"

  Peter Cratchit (Bob Cratchit's son) wearing Bob Cratchit's hand me downs - it is very big on Peter.
• "Tiny Tim upon his shoulder"

  • The positioning of Tiny Time suggests that he can't physically walk but his dad helps him.
  • He's above his dad so gives Tiny Tim a sense of power in the family as everyone respects him.
  • His dad is showing him heaven - angelic.
• "Alas for Tiny Tim he ore a little crutch"

  • Tiny Tim is deeply unwell and the family need money - Cratchits are quite poor.
  • Tiny Tim is disabled so as a reader, we feel sorry for him.
  • Scrooge also mistreats Bob Cratchit - main source of income in the Cratchit family.
• "as good as old" - Tiny Tim's behaviour

  • Tiny Tim's family prioritise happiness and family over money but Scrooge is the complete opposite.
  • Scrooge considers gold as a material but the Cratchits think that gold can be used to describe someone's behaviour and how to treat others.
• "Bob's voice was tremulous... when he said that Tiny Tim was growing strong."

  • "tremulous" and "strong" - juxtaposition
  • Repetition of the idea that Bob kept trembling- he's trying to convince himself that Tiny Tim will get better.
  • Bob knows that Tiny Tim won't get better so he's quite nervouse about Tiny Tim.
• "Mrs Cratchit made the gravy....Master Peter mashed the potatoes... Miss Belinda sweetened up the apple-sauce"

  • list - the family is working together on Christmas Day to make the most out of Christmas dinner - the family understands that you need to work together to get more work done.
  • In direct contrast to Scrooge becau8se he isolates himself from everybody and makes people work for him.
• "It was a sufficient dinner for the whole family"

  • This is the bare minimum - abundance in happiness - they are grateful even thought they don't have much
  • They still bless the food even though it isn't a lot.
  • Joy from family
  • "sufficient dinner" juxtaposes the ghost's food.
• "nobody said or thought it was at all a small pudding for a large family"

  • Challenges Malthusian Economics because here, it shows that they are grateful for what they have even though they are a big family.
  • Malthusian economics argues that when the populations increases, food availability decreases.
• "God bless us every one" - Tiny Tim

  • Even though Tiny Tim is disabled, he is still quite happy and cares for everyone around him.
  • He still has the Christmas Spirit in him.
• "If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, none other of my race."

  • Tiny Tim will be dead by the next Christmas.
• "Oh God! to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust."

  • Metaphor - Scrooge is the Insect and poor people are the hungry brothers.
  • Scrooge has the opportunity to help the poor out and he choose not to but at the end of the day they're all insects.
  • Just because some insects are privileged, we can't turn our backs on the people in need.
  • Insects can easily be squashed - a subtle threat - Scrooge isn't as powerful as he thinks he is.
• "bleak and desert moor"

  • deserts are isolated like Scrooge - overwhelmingly dark, uninviting setting.
• "A light shone from the window of a hut"

  • Hope for Scrooge to see how Christmas spirit brings to joy to families.
  • People can make the most out of what they have - celebrating as a collective.
  • Light at the end of the tunnel - may be hope for Scrooge in these dark settings.
• "An old, old man and woman, with their children and their children's children."

  • Repetition of "children" - age doesn't matter when it comes to Christmas as everyone can celebrate it at any age.
  • Emphasises how many people are celebrating together but Scrooge still has none to celebrate with.
  • It's an isolated, uninviting setting but people still try to lighten up the mood.
• "solitary lighthouse"


  This place is isolated but people are still able to make each other happy.
• "There was first a game of blind-man's buff."

  • A game where on person is blindfolded and has to try find other people.
  • This game speaks metaphorically to Scrooge as he needs to find his family or even friends that he can talk to.
  • He's the blind man in this game, trying to find the companionships that he's been lacking for a long time.
• "Well! Uncle Scrooge!" - Fred's friends

  • They believe in Scrooge and have the ability to understand Scrooge's feelings
  • The Cratchit Family and Fred's friends still toast to Scrooge, which shows that there's a chance for redemption and they forgive his sins.
• “it was a great surprise to Scrooge, while this engaged , to hear a hearty laugh”

  • Dickens is using laughter to characterise Fred to appeal to Scrooge.
  • Laughter is contagious - enlightening the gloomy room.
  • Scrooge is a foil character to Fred - We hear Fred before we see him.
• “protruding from your skirts”

  • symbolic of being hidden by society
  • they’re forgotten and neglected
  • society try to hide the problems that they’ve created.
• “from the foldings of its robe, it brought two children”

  • children are meant to be innocent but these children are scared because of what has happened to them. the reader and scrooge feel more more sympathetic.
  • when children grow, more problems are caused so the issues they represent will get worse over time.
  • these children contrast to other children in the novella who are very optimistic like Tiny Tim.
• “Yellow, meagre, ragged, scowling, wolfish”

  • asyndetic list, the list goes on and gets progressively worse. ends with the adjective “wolfish”
  • this dehumanises the children, giving them animalistic and wild qualities
  • people can loose basically human decency.