Marley

• Marley was dead: to begin with
• Marley is Scrooge's dead business partner
• Dickens establishes that Marley is dead from the opening line of the novella
• Marley's Ghost promises a supernatural treat and creates anticipation
• 'A Christmas Carol' is a story of time-travel
• Marley explains that there will be three more Spirits for Scrooge to learn from
• Dickens uses repetition to emphasise that Marley has passed away
• Marley's Ghost appears on Scrooge's door knocker, foreshadowing his later appearance
• Marley's Ghost wears a chain made of 'cash-boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds, and heavy purses'
• These items symbolise Marley's greed during his life
• Marley's appearance warns Scrooge about the consequences of greed and lack of social responsibility
• Marley is suffering in the afterlife due to his uncaring, money-grabbing behavior while alive
• Marley's punishment references the Catholic belief in Purgatory
• Marley is 'doomed to wander through the world'
• The alliteration with 'wander' and 'world' emphasises the eternal length of his punishment
• Marley regrets his focus on profit over people when he was alive
• Marley uses the pun 'Mankind was my business' to emphasize the importance of looking after one another
• Scrooge was Marley's 'sole friend' and 'sole mourner'
• The repetition of 'sole' highlights their solitary nature and focus on profits over relationships
• Dickens uses Marley to emphasize the importance of social responsibility and caring for others
• By using the concept of Purgatory, Dickens suggests the Christian duty to help others
• Dickens emphasizes the importance of doing good, loving our neighbors, and being gentle, merciful, and forgiving