It is also interesting to note that Dickens describes the Ghost using contradictions, detailing that it looked "like a child" but also "like an old man". He continues with juxtaposing ideas - the Ghost holds "fresh green holy", a symbol of winter, but has a dress trimmed with "summer flowers". These paradoxical descriptions illustrate the impossibility of the Spirits existence, emphasising the supernatural theme. Alternatively, it could be argued that the Spirit encompasses all of Scrooge's past, from his youth to his old age, and so this is reflected in its appearance.