Ghost of the Christmas Present

• Ghost Present [S3] - "a jolly Giant, glorious to see:, who bore a glowing torch" | "Come in, and know me better, man" | "Simple green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur. This garment hung so loosely on the figure, that its capacious breast was breast was bare."

  • Solid big and joyful spirit. He welcomes Scrooge as he wants him to experience Christmas filled with delight {the cratchets} opposed to his isolation.
  • White fur represents wealth but the fact its hanging so loosely implies Christmas is about spreading wealth and not being "tight-fisted". Its a time to be giving with "open hand"
• Ghost of the CP [S3] "it brought two children; wretched, abject, frightful, hideous, miserable." | "Yellow, ragged, scowling, wolfish" | "Where angels might have sat enthroned, devils lurked"

  • Both relate to scrooge, particularly Ignorance
  • 1st sematic field/asyndetic list shows how much poverty has affected them - children are no longer beautiful. They're innocence has been ripped from them.
  • 2nd semantic field is a zoomorphism- they have become animalistic
  • Religious contrast between angels and devils shows how sinful they have been forced to be.
• Ghost of the CP [S3] "This boy is ignorance. This girl is want." "On his brow i see that written which is doom, unless the writing be erased."

  • Names of the children are metaphorical for society. Dickens is highlighting the main factor of poverty - if people drive towards greed because of their selfish nature. 'Doom' connotes darkness +shows that if Scrooge carries on in the same manner his future will have no success and it must be 'erased' - he will suffer same fate as marley.
  • Dickens message lies more closely with ignorance because that is the bigger problem. 'most of all beware this boy.'
• Ghost of the CP [S3] - "Are there no prisons?" | "Are there no workhouses?"

  • Ghost repeats these questions in a malicious tone to give Scrooge a flashback of how he was like in stave 1. They were disregarded and said as 'idle'.
  • Dickens himself suffered from poverty when his parents were sent to prison.