Ghosts/ The Supernatural - FINISH GHOST PRESENT Flashcards
Thesis Statement
In Dickens’ novella, ‘A Christmas Carol’, the supernatural is metaphorical for the social issues prevalent in Victorian society that people, specifically the rich, as represented by Scrooge, tended to ignore and dismiss as distant, or even strange or unfamiliar, something beyond their responsibility, like that of the supernatural, despite their real-world consequences. Each of Scrooge’s visitations catalyse his redemption, perhaps alluding to the Victorian Christian Theology of Redemption wherein the Three Spirits are divine messengers, guiding Scrooge towards salvation.
linked quote: “it was still very _______ and extremely ____”
foggy - cold
The motif of fog is employed by Dickens throughout the novella and symbolises Scrooge’s inability to see the truth, which is obscured by his greed and misery, as well as the presence of corruption and evil within society.
Where Scrooge is representative of the business classes in Victorian England, his redemption by the end of the novella underscores Dickens’ message that society is dynamic and can always change for the better.
This sets the stage for the ghosts who are positioned as morally superior and divine beings that challenge Scrooge and the reader’s and in turn, metaphorically, society’s morality, and catalyse change.
GHOST 1 - past: “________ figure”
strange
Perhaps this hints that to begin with Scrooge cannot make sense of his past - as symbolised by the Ghost - and chooses to live detached from it rather than understand it.
SCROOGE’s FEAR - of the past
linked quote to “strange figure” - “Darkness was ______ and Scrooge _________ it”
cheap - liked
We are informed that Scrooge leaves his past in darkness because it costs him less emotionally. However, with the arrival of the Ghost, he will be brought out of the dark, and be forced to understand his past so that he can escape the darkness in his present life.
GHOST 1 - past: “not so like a __ as like an ___ _______”
child - old man
Alternatively, the Ghosts can be interpreted as manifestations of Scrooge’s fears which in this case is the fear of his guilt and neglect that he associates with his past.
Dickens ellucidates that the effects of childhood poverty, both material and emotional, can haunt individuals as adults.
This is emphasised by the Ghost’s liminal physicality as it exists in two forms.
While Scrooge is presented as a misanthropic miserly old man, perhaps he has evolved that way due to his childhood spent isolated - Although he is a calloused man, he is frightened of abandonment like a small child.
linked quote to “not so like a child as like an old man”: “solitary child”
Scrooge had a “long, bare and melancholy” childhood - transferred epithet
Perhaps this alluded to the metaphor used in Scrooge’s initial description: “solitary as an oyster”. Suggests that Scrooge has developed his hard, enclosed exterior in order to protect the vulnerable child within him.
GHOST 1 - past: “very long and _______”
muscular
Subtly hints at the power of the past -> Through exposing Scrooge to his memories, the Ghost pushes him to break the pattern of attachment; previously Scrooge continued to treat those around him as he had been treated himself by his abusive father and neglectful community, but this is contrasted to his change in heart as he wishes “to have given (the boy carolling at his door) something”.
This dramatic change in Scrooge’s outlook underscores the power of the past.
GHOST 1 - past: “bound by a ________ ________, the sheen of which was _______”
lustrous belt - beautiful
Dickens employs the motif of belts alongside each ghost in the novella.
Not only does this represent the spirit’s ethereal nature, but also the notion that one cannot escape the past - Scrooge can continue to dwell and feel trapped by his past, or learn to live better with it.
The novella teaches that while we are entrapped by the consequences of our past-self’s actions, we can utilise this to our advantage, as Scrooge eventually learns to do, and use memories as a guide for self-reflection.
The past is beautiful, the past is hopeful - it’s lustrous connoting value and wealth.
GHOST 1 - past: “from the crown of it’s head there ______ a ______ clear ____ of _________”
sprung - bright - jet - light
The motif of light underscores the Ghost’s role in catalysing Scrooge’s redemption as it sheds light on the Past, and in turn the path from darkness to morality, acting as a guide for Scrooge. Perhaps Dickens’ intention was the amplify that while one may find it difficult to confront past experiences, it does not have to be a negative thing: there is hope in learning from past mistakes.
The Ghost ultimately leaves the choice up to Scrooge, as it is only Scrooge who can use the “extinguisher” to put out the light.
Brings him out of mental darkness so that his path to redemption is clearer.
GHOST 1 - past: from a religious perspective
Scrooge is initially desperate to extinguish the light of the Ghost of Christmas Past.
Christian readers may see this as a symbol of Christ as the light of the world, similar to the infamous painting by Holoman Hund. Scrooge is not yet ready for Christ’s redeeming light to enter his world.
chiaroscuro meaning:
light in an image
anagnorsis meaning:
the point in a play, novel, etc., in which a principal character recognizes or discovers another character’s true identity or the true nature of their own circumstances.
Scrooge is “powerless to make out what the (light) meant”
Suggests that once a person lives in the dark, in loneliness and corruption for so long, the beauty of community and in the novella’s case religion, is obscured to them.
- “dim with their ________ _________”
delicious steam
The second of the three spirits also serves to convey Dickens’ anti-capitalist and anti-Poor Law message.
The room filled with luxurious food and perhaps “steam” and “dim” are subtle uses of the motif of fog, insinuating that the rich have forgotten the true meaning of Christmas, and turn to materialism instead.
Despite their moral corruption, they construct the facade of a happy, Christian family, with an obscured understanding of Christianity.
Also symbolises the way in which holidays like Christmas lose their initial purpose and are twisted into capitalist shows of wealth, hence the elaborate display of food.
What fear does the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come represent?
Srooge’s fear of mortality and the fluidity of the future, with its form being dependent on the consequences of the actions of society.
- “The Phantom slowly, ____, _______, approached”
gravely, silently
Kinesthetic imagery is employed by Dickens to elucidate the mysterious and subtly threatening nature of the future.
Context - Gothic literature and fear of death
The “spirit” highlights the supernatural’s ability to evoke fear - a fear deeply rooted in Victorian culture and literature. In an era where death was prevalent due to disease and poverty, and a boom in the popularity of Gothic fiction, Dickens uses the ghost’s ominous appearence to reflect Scrooge’s fear of the consequences of his actions, which ultimately leads to his change. Through his novella, and warnings like “Doom” and the vignette with an “unwept and uncared” for dead Scrooge, Dickens sought to evoke this same fear from his audience.
- “answered _______”/ “great _____ of black”
not - heap
Contrasting the earlier, more interactive Spirits, the Ghost is silent and the use of dark imagery suggests that Scrooge is now having to face his fate alone. He is not going to be guided but is going to look inside himself to find the light and use what he learned from the previous ghosts to move forwards.
Conclusion
- The supernatural element with its eerie portrayal serves no only to haunt Scrooge, but to remind the audience of the harsh realities and moral repercussions of a life lived without compassion.
The supernatural in a Christmas Carol is a reflection of Victorian societal values and fears as well as a powerful vehicle for both social and personal critique. Through the Ghosts, Dickens emphasises the consequences of a life devoid of compassion and the moral lessons found in spirituality and the path to redemption.
MARLEY’s GHOST: “clasped about ____ _______. It was long, and _______ around him like a ________”
his middle - wound - tail
The motif of belts is used again to highlight the suffocation of Marley experiences in purgatory, bound eternally by his bad deeds and guilt.
Victorians were extremely afraid of the after life and this works to evoke fear - you cannot escape your wrongdoings and simply forget about them - you will be held accountable, through guilt and fear or through spiritual torment.
Metaphorical for evil as the tail was reminiscent of the devil- Marley’s sins have corrupted him.
Marley’s ghost: “cash boxes, keys, padlocks, ledgers, deeds and heavy purses”
The chain is a powerful symbol of the consequences of Marley’s actions - he made the chain that he his bound by himself, link by link, suggesting that by continuing in his misanthropic, miserly ways, Scrooge will entrap himself.
The chain represents Marley’s obsession with materialism - he’s figuratively bound by it.
He’s spiritually imprisoned due to his lack of morality when he was alive.
“steel” - reminiscent of the industrial revolution + could be suggesting that due to the industrial revolution, people have become completely consumed with business and capitalism, they have spiritually trapped themselves, and lost their sense of humanity.
Marley: “his body was _________”
transparent
He’s no longer physical and neither is his money + could be showing how material hings are transcient and die with us No matter how wealthy we are, we die and all that remains is our soul.
Marley: “I wear the chain I _________ in _______”
forged - life
Allusion to a common dispute among Victorian Christian theology regarding the extent of “free will” we have - each day with who we choose to be, we add to our very on chain - idea of legacy.
Money does not equate to freedom.
Marley: “________ was by business”
Mankind - it is only after death that Marley realises “mankind” is more important than any financial dealings - it is too late for Marley, be Scrooge can be saved.
