Marleys ghost

• Marley's Ghost

  • He is the first apparition who appears to Scrooge
  • He warns Scrooge that if he does not change his ways he too will experience the damning consequences of his sinful behaviour in the afterlife
• Dickens establishes the friendship between Scrooge and Marley

  From the opening of the novella
• Scrooge "answered to both names"
• Marley's characterisation

  Reflects onto Scrooge
• Marley's isolation and suffering

  Inform the reader about Scrooge's fate if he doesn't take action and repent
• Marley's character

  • He outlines the structure of the novella
  • He warns Scrooge that he will be "haunted...by Three Spirits"
  • He tells Scrooge to "Expect the first to-morrow, when the bell tolls One"
• This establishes a timeline of events which adds a sense of structure to the chaotic supernatural events that Scrooge experiences
• This could be interpreted as a dramatic technique, as readers expect and anticipate upcoming events which increases the tension
• Marley's Ghost

  A physical representation of the Christian belief system of heaven and hell and the importance of repentance and redemption
• Purgatory

  A state of limbo in between death and heaven where the souls of sinners go until they have repented their sins and can go to heaven
• Marley is shown to be in purgatory, a place of immense suffering and "incessant torture"
• The suffering Marley is facing

  A direct consequence of his attitude towards people during his life
• Marley's Ghost is described as having chains "made of cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds", all items connected with his job
• Dickens clarifies that these are the "chains (he) forged in life" reinforcing the idea that he is suffering due to his own actions
• The fact Marley has clearly caused his own suffering would perhaps cause the reader to view his character unsympathetically
• This lack of sympathy is furthered by the animalistic imagery used by Dickens to describe the chain which is "long, and wound about him like a tail"
• Purpose of Marley's Ghost

  • Introduce the reader to religious and supernatural themes
  • Establish the concept of religious justice and accountability
• Marley's Ghost

  • Acts as a deterrent and warning to Scrooge of the repercussions he will face if he fails to change
  • Catalyst for Scrooge's change by instilling feelings of fear in him
• Scrooge and Marley's relationship

  • They were close, with Scrooge seeing Marley as an "excellent man of business"
  • Marley was completely dependent on Scrooge, who was his "sole" everything
• Dickens may be trying to portray the idea that even miserly old men like Scrooge need companionship in life
• Despite the fact that their relationship may be perceived as dysfunctional, Scrooge was never completely alone until after Marley's death
• It is possible that Dickens intended to show the reader that relationships are crucial
• The lack of companionship in the lives of Scrooge and Marley caused their bitter attitudes