He hugged his daughter to his hearts content the emphasis put on the hug shows the importance on the love shown. Can you link this to harmony?). Course Hero Literature Instructor Russell Jaffe provides an in-depth summary and analysis of Stave 3: The Second of the Three Spirits of Charles Dickens's novella A Christmas Carol. Look upon me. Scrooge reverently did so. Did you enjoy this article? It was succeeded by a breathless pause, as Mrs Cratchit, looking slowly all along the carving-knife, prepared to plunge it in the breast; but when she did, and when the long expected gush of stuffing issued forth, one murmur of delight arose all round the board, and even Tiny Tim, excited by the two young Cratchits, beat on the table with the handle of his knife, and feebly cried Hurrah. It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor mans child. But they were happy, greatful, pleased with one another". As Scrooge and the spirit travel across the country, traveling farther and farther away from civilization, they are able to find the Christmas spirit everywhere: in a mining village, in a lighthouse, even on a ship in the middle of the ocean. And your brother, Tiny Tim. The ghost talks about the brothers and sisters and how they love Christmas. Evidenced here "No. Christmas Day. It should be Christmas Day, I am sure, said she, on which one drinks the health of such an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man as Mr Scrooge. It was clothed in one simple green robe, or mantle, bordered with white fur. Page 68-69, A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens, Christmastime is a time of joy, of love, of happiness, for all people. The spirit finally pulls Scrooge away from the party, traveling past sick beds, foreign lands, "an almshouse, hospital, and jail" where every man celebrates Christmas is some small way, despite his poverty or misery. Then Bob proposed: A Merry Christmas to us all, my dears. nearly closed, with perhaps two shutters down, or one; but through those gaps such glimpses. We hope you enjoyed our collection of 2 free pictures with Charles Dickens quote. The Ghost of Christmas Present even warns Scroogeas they watch the poor take their holiday meals to bake shops to be cooked, a practice which some Victorians wished to ban on Sundaysnot to heed those who pretended to hear the spirit for their own ends. At last, however, he began to think as you or I would have thought at first; for it is always the person not in the predicament who knows what ought to have been done in it, and would unquestionably have done it too at last, I say, he began to think that the source and secret of this ghostly light might be in the adjoining room, from whence, on further tracing it, it seemed to shine. "They were not a handsome family, but they were happy" - showing us that you don't need to be rich to have a happy family. Dickens describes them: They were not a handsome family; they were not well dress; their shoes were far from being water-proof;But, they were happy, grateful, pleased. Following this bitter blow, the Ghost of Christmas Present leads Scrooge on a tour of two more families: that of his nephew and of his clerk. What is important about this example is not just that it shows the compassion Scrooge once felt but also that Scrooge is not truly crooked and horrible to the core establishing the uplifting and inspiring feeling to readers. The spirit says he likes to sprinkle his incense on the poor because they need it most. You know he is, Robert. Five minutes, ten minutes, a quarter of an hour went by, yet nothing came. This girl is Want. Suppose somebody should have got over the wall of the back-yard, and stolen it, while they were merry with the goose a supposition at which the two young Cratchits became livid. THF was formed in 1993 by husband-and-wife Brett (vocals, guitar, keyboards) and Rennie Sparks (bass, banjo, vocals) along with drummer Mike Werner. Not coming, said Mrs Cratchit. The spirit disappears as the clock strikes midnight; trembling, Scrooge sees the third spirit approaching him. While shoppers are eager to fill their baskets and bellies, at the end of the stave, the spirit warns Scrooge (and readers) not to ignore Ignorance and Want, created by man through their selfish and conspicuous consumption. But, they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another" . The city streets are dark when Scrooge and the spirit return to them, yet they are bustling with people rushing to and from parties. And at the same time there emerged from scores of bye- streets, lanes, and nameless turnings, innumerable people, carrying their dinners to the baker shops. Heres Martha, mother. cried the two young Cratchits. For, the people who were shovelling away on the housetops were jovial and full of glee; calling out to one another from the parapets, and now and then exchanging a facetious snowball better-natured missile far than many a wordy jest laughing heartily if it went right and not less heartily if it went wrong. They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being water-proof; their clothes were scanty; and Peter might have known, and very likely did, the inside of a pawnbroker's. October 27, 2016. S1 Bob: tiny fireplace - representing the lack of warmth when with Scrooge + his lack of care for Bob's warmth: so very much, S1 Bob: warm despite being cold / kind compared to Scrooge: the clerk, who, S3 Bob: loyal / grateful to Scrooge: I'll give you, S3 Mrs Cratchit (regarding Bob): love for her husband: your, S3 Cratchits: grateful / poor but still happy: They were not a, handsome family [] But, they were happy, grateful, S3 Tiny Tim: religious (thinking of Jesus) / thoughtful / wisdom which contrasts to Scrooge's arrogance: He hoped the people saw him, in the church, because he was a cripple, and [] remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, S4 Bob: grief over Tiny Tim's death / change of mood in the Cratchits' house: He broke, down all at once [] 'My little, little child!' A Merry Christmas and a happy New Year!he'll be very merry and very happy I have no doubt!". If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population. Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief. Although Bob is serious, his family scoffs at the toast. You seek to close these places on the Seventh Day. said Scrooge. Before Scrooge knows it, they are back on the London streets, standing outside Fred's apartment, where the room is filled with laughter. Spirit, said Scrooge, after a moments thought, I wonder you, of all the beings in the many worlds about us, should desire to cramp these peoples opportunities of innocent enjoyment. I. cried the Spirit. For Scrooge, the less fortunate man is his clerk, Bob Cratchit. Even though they are abysmally poor, their home is warm and merry, a sharp contrast to wealthy Scrooge's bleak home. Although the spirit appears friendly, Scrooge is too intimidated to look him in the eye. S3 Mrs Cratchit (regarding Bob): love for her husband: your. The reality is that most transformation and change takes years of hard work. Course Hero is not sponsored or endorsed by any college or university. 1. (x2), S5 Bob: worry that Scrooge will punish him for being late: 'it's only, S5 Bob: shock at a 'raised salary' / thinking Scrooge has gone mad: calling to the people in, the court for help and a strait-waistcoat, The Cratchits - 'A Christmas Carol' Quotes, Bob Crachit and the Cratchit Family Quotes, A Christmas Carol - Ghost of Christmas Present, Unseen Poetry - Conventions / Links to love /, Drama - Acting / Staging / Lighting notes, myPerspectives: English Language Arts, Grade 7, Harold Levine, Norman Levine, Robert T. Levine, Vocabulary for Achievement: Fourth Course. Only Scrooge, it seems, ignores the holiday altogether. Unlike the night before, he spends little time trying to understand it. Scrooge watches the family with curiosity, struggling to understand their happiness: "They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes . The love of money can make mankind greedy and hateful, but wealth can also be used for thoughtful and generous purposes. There were pears and apples, clustered high in blooming pyramids; there were bunches of grapes, made, in the shopkeepers benevolence to dangle from conspicuous hooks, that peoples mouths might water gratis as they passed; there were piles of filberts, mossy and brown, recalling, in their fragrance, ancient walks among the woods, and pleasant shufflings ankle deep through withered leaves; there were Norfolk Biffins, squab and swarthy, setting off the yellow of the oranges and lemons, and, in the great compactness of their juicy persons, urgently entreating and beseeching to be carried home in paper bags and eaten after dinner. And how did little Tim behave. The sky was gloomy, and the shortest streets were choked up with a dingy mist, half thawed, half frozen, whose heavier particles descended in shower of sooty atoms, as if all the chimneys in Great Britain had, by one consent, caught fire, and were blazing away to their dear hearts content. As he and spirit leave, Scrooge finds himself unable to look away from poor Tiny Tim smiling by the fire. But, finding that he turned uncomfortably cold when he began to wonder which of his curtains this new spectre would draw back, he put them every one aside with his own hands, and lying down again, established a sharp look-out all round the bed. Z, Terms of use Hurrah. It was a remarkable quality of the Ghost (which Scrooge had observed at the bakers), that notwithstanding his gigantic size, he could accommodate himself to any place with ease; and that he stood beneath a low roof quite as gracefully and like a supernatural creature, as it was possible he could have done in any lofty hall. A South Carolina jury has found once-prominent attorney Alex Murdaugh guilty on all counts in the deaths of his wife and son. Why, wheres our Martha. cried Bob Cratchit, looking round. He became as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man, as the good old city knew Discuss Scrooges transformation in A Christmas Carol. S In regards to the notion that "Ebenezer Scrooge is difficult to like, but easy to understand" this is generally true if an individual has had a fair amount of life experience. Through Dickens's sympathetic portrayal of the Cratchit family, he is able to explore political themes close to his heart, most notably, the loss of childhood. He goes on to say that while Scrooge misses a fine dinner and a nice party, he himself loses nothing in extending the invitation: "I mean to give him the same chance every year, whether he likes it or not, for I pity him." Dickens presents the poor, hard working Cratchit family in a very positive light. All sorts of horrors were supposed. Come in, and know me better, man. Scrooge entered timidly, and hung his head before this Spirit. Money is power, freedom, a cushion, the root of all evil, the sum of blessings, said Carl Sandburg. Bob held his withered little hand in his, as if he loved the child, and wished to keep him by his side, and dreaded that he might be taken from him. they were not a handsome family analysis He is cruel to his clerk, feared by almost all, and repulses the friendly advances of his nephew. Next we discussed links and key quotes throughout the novel that may link to love and family. Then all the Cratchit family drew round the hearth, in what Bob Cratchit called a circle, meaning half a one; and at Bob Cratchits elbow stood the family display of glass. The compound in the jug being tasted, and considered perfect, apples and oranges were put upon the table, and a shovel-full of chestnuts on the fire. Instead consider, this would have appeal to Dickens Victorian readers sense of). I wish I had him here. Perhaps this is because he sees, for the first time, that he would be welcome. Remember, short, precise quotations are best. 225 Madison Avenue at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016. Fred's insistent invitation highlights the hollowness of Scrooge's wealth. 2023. The Handsome Family (hence THF) is a band from Albuquerque, New Mexico (originally from Chicago, Illinois), see website. Soon the Ghost of Christmas Present deliquesces and disappears. Specialties: Located in West Nashville, TN, Slate Apartment Homes offer newly renovated one, two, and three-bedroom apartment homes. Retrieved March 4, 2023, from https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Christmas-Carol/. The spirit sits at the head of a giant table overflowing with a feast of "turkeys, geese, game, poultry, brawn, great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, long wreaths of sausages, mince-pies, plum puddings, barrels of oysters, red-hot chestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicy oranges, luscious pears, immense twelfth cakes, and seething bowls of punch.". I am the Ghost of Christmas Present, said the Spirit. Not coming upon Christmas Day. Martha didnt like to see him disappointed, if it were only in joke; so she came out prematurely from behind the closet door, and ran into his arms, while the two young Cratchits hustled Tiny Tim, and bore him off into the wash-house, that he might hear the pudding singing in the copper. Brett is regularly troubled by severe bouts of depression, while Rennie went through a particularly bad time a few years ago, when . Mrs. Cratchit claims Martha had to work late, but to everyone's delight, Martha bursts from a hiding spot and leaps into her father's arms. Course Hero, "A Christmas Carol Study Guide," October 27, 2016, accessed March 4, 2023, https://www.coursehero.com/lit/A-Christmas-Carol/. There was nothing very cheerful in the climate or the town, and yet was there an air of cheerfulness abroad that the clearest summer air and brightest summer sun might have endeavoured to diffuse in vain. He felt that he was restored to consciousness in the right nick of time, for the especial purpose of holding a conference with the second messenger despatched to him through Jacob Marleys intervention. The nephew, in explaining to his family why he faithfully invited Scrooge to the celebration, said, I mean to give him the same chance every. Later, the guests play party games like Blindman's Bluff and a guessing game called How, When, and Where. The moment Scrooges hand was on the lock, a strange voice called him by his name, and bade him enter. F A merry Christmas and a happy new year. In half a minute Mrs Cratchit entered flushed, but smiling proudly with the pudding, like a speckled cannon-ball, so hard and firm, blazing in half of half-a-quartern of ignited brandy, and bedight with Christmas holly stuck into the top. Even Tiny Tim, weak and disabled, has a pure heart, wishing everyoneeven cold Mr. Scroogea happy and blessed Christmas. Through use of language, the reader is positioned to view him adversely, but during the journey of morality lessons shown by three spirits, Scrooge recovers his sense of joy by undergoing a significant transformation. Scrooge finds himself whistling along to the Christmas songs he remembers from his time in boarding school. Long life to him. The sight of these poor revellers appeared to interest the Spirit very much, for he stood with Scrooge beside him in a bakers doorway, and taking off the covers as their bearers passed, sprinkled incense on their dinners from his torch. X They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being waterproof; their clothes were scanty; and Peter might have known, and very likely did, the inside of a pawnbroker's. But, they were happy, grateful, pleased with one another, and contented with the time." Charles Dickens Charles Dickens Quotes They were not a handsome family; they were not well dressed; their shoes were far from being water-proof; their clothes were scanty; and Peter might have known, and very likely did, the inside of a pawnbrokers. Never, Scrooge made answer to it. A network of business & tech podcasts designed to accelerate learning. There is. Bob arrives home soon after, carrying his youngest son, Tiny Tim, on his shoulder. Dickens wants to highlight family and love in the novel and he does this cleverly through the Cratchits. Scrooge's neighbors are already out shoveling snow from the streets and bustling to and from shops in preparation for the celebrations. He got greedy and turned to money, however, we know that this could all have been solved if his family was there for him in the first place. With the whole family together, everyone begins working in unison to move their feast to the dinner table, which everyone compliments and admires as they eat. The meaning of the paragraph is to figure out what you have and be thankful for it, and to not take anything for granted, not to have a desire for unnecessary means. There were great, round, round, pot-bellied baskets of chestnuts, shaped like the waistcoats of jolly old gentlemen, lolling at the doors, and tumbling out into the street in their apoplectic opulence. Id give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and I hope hed have a good appetite for it. My dear, said Bob, the children. Cratchit family on Christmas Day. Scrooge is horrified and heartbroken, yet the spirit reminds Scrooge of his own cruel words: "If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the population." The spirit orders Scrooge to "touch [his] robe," and instantly they leave the decorated room and are standing in the middle of the street on Christmas morning. He didn't understand what Christmas meant, and how people could enjoy the holiday season without any money. Theres such a goose, Martha. Why, bless your heart alive, my dear, how late you are. said Mrs Cratchit, kissing her a dozen times, and taking off her shawl and bonnet for her with officious zeal. In reaction to this, Scrooge had closed himself off and become cold and impenetrable by any kindness. He told me, coming home, that he hoped the people saw him in the church, because he was a cripple, and it might be pleasant to them to remember upon Christmas Day, who made lame beggars walk, and blind men see. Bobs voice was tremulous when he told them this, and trembled more when he said that Tiny Tim was growing strong and hearty. oh the Grocers. A smell like an eating-house and a pastrycooks next door to each other, with a laundresss next door to that. But now, the plates being changed by Miss Belinda, Mrs Cratchit left the room alone too nervous to bear witnesses to take the pudding up and bring it in.