ghost of christmas past

• symbol of hope - “white tunic”

  • Despite its uncanny presentation, it is depicted as having an ethereal quality
  • “wore a tunic of the purest white”.
  • Creates celestial image of heaven and purity from sin.
  • Tunic of this colour reflects aim to resurface Scrooge’s repressed memories in order to purify him from his avariciousness.
  • Allows a chance of redemption.
• symbol of hope - “dress trimmed with summer flowers”


  • Antithesis to Scrooge
  • “contradiction of that winter emblem, had in its dress trimmed with summer flowers”.
  • Wintry emblem is metaphorical for Scrooge as the winter conceit used in act one — inner cold miser.
  • Ghost wears summer flowers — connotes beauty and growth.
  • Reinforces ghost is there to ignite the spiritual growth and awakening of Scrooge — eradicating “wintery” persona.
• symbol of hope - motif of light

  • Motif of light
  • “bright clear jet of light” / “could not hide the light”.
  • Image of hope and brightness
  • symbolises ghost’s function is to brighten Scrooge’s life with moral awakening.
  • Show Scrooge how hopeful and joyous he could be if he embarks on a pathway of redemption.
  • Scrooge “could not hide the light” — foreshadows inescapable redemption.
  • Ghost will aid moral and spiritual awakening — cannot “hide”.
• childhood and youth context

  • victorian literature often angelically presents youth
  • dickens incorporates this trope
  • ghosts explore how all people when misanthropic individuals have this untainted angelic youth deeply repressed
• childhood and youth topic sentence

  ghost is a be child to carry the message that the repression of a myriad of emotions is detrimental and how all individuals regardless of class need to recognise that everyone has this innocent child within them that needs nuturing
• childhood - “it was a strange figure“

  • the ghost is presented as paradoxical and conflicting by not conforming to physical ideas
  • “it was a strange figure - like a child yet not so like a child as like a old man”
  • juxtaposition of “like a child” simultaneously with “old man” is metaphorical of scrooge
  • physically old and branded “old sinner”
  • yet is vulnerable akin to how he was a ”child”
  • youth and age are inextricably linked
  • draws a parallel to how childhood memories directly impact adulthood
  • by showing scrooges childhood ghosts aims to catalyse a regression in scrooge
  • regress into former compassionate self
  • negative connotations of ”regression” are outweighed in scrooges case
  • former self was more desirable
• aiding redemption 


  • exchanges most dialogue
  • shows scrooge his childhood he is “gently” speaking and guiding scrooges inner repressed childhood emotions and trauma
  • troubled psyche explored
  • could be seen as physical representation of his anxiety
  • reflects childhood vulnerability
  • supernatural incarnation of scrooge “one arm, now with one leg, now 20 legs, now a pair of legs”
  • metamorphism and transformation
  • symbolic of how scrooges transmogrification is imminent