A Christmas Carol: Stave Four Summary and Analysis

Stave Four The Last of the Spirits

The Quiz 1. 2. Where does Scrooge first hear his death discussed? What nickname is used of him by men in whose esteem he strove to stand well ? Name the four people who pick over his clothes and possessions. What is the name of the young wife who is relieved at the news of his death? Why is she relieved? Why are Mrs Cratchit s eyes hurting? What will take place on Sunday? What does Fred give to Bob Cratchit? What offer comes with it? What is the name upon the grave? 10. What does the Spirit transform into? 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Symbolism Symbol Signifies The Spirit s absence of features other than the hand The Spirit does not speak The Merchants The Rag and Bone Shop

Symbolism Symbol Signifies The Spirit s absence of features other than the hand The future cannot be seen The Spirit does not speak Scrooge must articulate what he learns himself The Merchants Callous men of business; cold materialism The Rag and Bone Shop The lowest form of human life, profiting from others misfortune

Characterisation Scrooge Humble now, the change in him is visible. He is characterised through the reactions of other men to his death; the first group are concerned only about whether there might be a free lunch; the second treat his passing as no more significant than the weather. He is horrified by what he sees but does not recognise the story as his own until he reads his own name upon his grave. The Spirit Unseen and concealed like the future; does not speak, only gestures. Forces Scrooge to work everything out for himself. The final stage of teaching is that the student has to be able to think for themselves and work out what they must do. The Merchants - Callous and materialistic, no compassion, only interested in a free lunch and who might inherit his wealth

Characterisation Continued The Rag and Bone Shop Characters criminal, callous, greedy and malicious. Unrepentant of their sins they feel Scrooge deserved no better. They function to prompt us to feel sympathy for Scrooge. It is awful for any person to end their life this way no matter who they are or how they lived. The Young Couple Relieved that their debt will not be called in yet; they are representatives of all the suffering families that Scrooge has profited from The Cratchits Loving and close to each other, united in their response to the death of Tiny Tim. Supportive and caring. As at all other point where they appear, they are uncomplaining and draw support from their love for each other.

Structure Dramatic irony is created as Scrooge hears himself being talked about. The reader knows it is Scrooge s death that is being discussed, but he himself does not. In fact, he is made to appear quite dramatically stupid, as another man stood in his accustomed corner at his usual time of day for being there . The reader is thus placed at an advantage over him and is fascinated to see how he finds out that he has in fact died. Only at the very end of the Stave does he read his own name upon the gravestone and know it has been his own death all along. The final moments of the Stave are extremely tense because Scrooge and the reader are desperate to know that all can still be saved.

Key Quotations It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form Its mysterious presence filled him with a solemn dread I know your purpose is to do me good, and I hope to live to be another man from what I was I only know he s dead It s likely to be a very cheap funeral for upon my life I don t know of anybody to go to it. Old Scratch An obscure part of town...the people half-naked, drunken, slipshod, ugly Alleys like cesspools, disgorged their offences of smell, and dirt, and life, upon the straggling streets

Key Quotations continued Secrets that few would like to scrutinise were bred and hidden in mountains of unseemly rags, masses of corrupted fat, and sepulchres of bones. flaunting ; bold defiance a wicked old screw why wasn t he natural in his lifetime? lying gasping out his last there, alone by himself he viewed them with a detestation and disgust plundered and bereft, unwatched, unwept, uncared for, was the body of this man Avarice, hard-dealing, griping cares? They have brought him to a rich end, truly! We may sleep tonight with light hearts! I think he has walked a little slower than he used, these last few evenings

Key Quotations continued It would have done you good to see how green a place it is It wasn t...for the sake of anything he might be able to do for us, so much as for his kind way Spirit of Tiny Tim, thy childish essence was from God! Choked up with too much burying; fat with repleted appetite Assure me that I yet may change these shadows you have shown me, by an altered life I will not shut out the lessons that they teach

Exam Practice A Christmas Carol You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this question. You should use the extract below and your knowledge of the whole novel to answer this question. Write about how tension is created at different points in the novel. In your response you should: refer to the extract and the novel as a whole; show your understanding of characters and events in the novel; refer to the contexts of the novel. [40]

Scrooge hastened to the window of his office, and looked in. It was an office still, but not his. The furniture was not the same, and the figure in the chair was not himself. The Phantom pointed as before. He joined it once again, and wondering why and whither he had gone, accompanied it until they reached an iron gate. He paused to look round before entering. A churchyard. Here, then; the wretched man whose name he had now to learn, lay underneath the ground. It was a worthy place. Walled in by houses; overrun by grass and weeds, the growth of vegetation s death, not life; choked up with too much burying; fat with repleted appetite. A worthy place! The Spirit stood among the graves, and pointed down to One. He advanced towards it trembling. The Phantom was exactly as it had been, but he dreaded that he saw new meaning in its solemn shape. Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point, saidScrooge, answer me one question. Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only? Still the Ghost pointed downward to the grave by which it stood. Men s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead, said Scrooge. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me! The Spirit was immovable as ever. Scrooge crept towards it, trembling as he went; and following the finger, read upon the stone of the neglected grave his own name, Ebenezer Scrooge. Am I that man who lay upon the bed? he cried, upon his knees. The finger pointed from the grave to him, and back again. No, Spirit! Oh no, no!

Scrooge hastened to the window of his office, and looked in. It was an office still, but not his. The furniture was not the same, and the figure in the chair was not himself. The Phantom pointed as before. He joined it once again, and wondering why and whither he had gone, accompanied it until they reached an iron gate. He paused to look round before entering. A churchyard. Here, then; the wretched man whose name he had now to learn, lay underneath the ground. It was a worthy place. Walled in by houses; overrun by grass and weeds, the growth of vegetation s death, not life; choked up with too much burying; fat with repleted appetite. A worthy place! The Spirit stood among the graves, and pointed down to One. He advanced towards it trembling. The Phantom was exactly as it had been, but he dreaded that he saw new meaning in its solemn shape. Before I draw nearer to that stone to which you point, said Scrooge, answer me one question. Are these the shadows of the things that Will be, or are they shadows of things that May be, only? Still the Ghost pointed downward to the grave by which it stood. Men s courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead, said Scrooge. But if the courses be departed from, the ends will change. Say it is thus with what you show me! The Spirit was immovable as ever. Scrooge crept towards it, trembling as he went; and following the finger, read upon the stone of the neglected grave his own name, Ebenezer Scrooge. Am I that man who lay upon the bed? he cried, upon his knees. The finger pointed from the grave to him, and back again. No, Spirit! Oh no, no!

Beyond the extract How does the structure of the novel enable Dickens to create tension? Consider Stave Five and the relief experienced by Scrooge and the reader. Its dramatic impact depends on the tension created at the end of Stave Four Think about How unpleasant Scrooge is at the start, and what the reader wants to happen to him Marley s message, the effect it has on Scrooge and the reader The fascination of watching Scrooge s transformation. What key moments would you mention? How does your reaction to Stave Five confirm that tension was successfully created?

Context The contrast of the wealth of Change with the obscure part of the town illustrates the two nations of Dickens London arrogant, callous wealth and abject, starving poverty. It is a harsh picture of the social realities of the 1840s. Victorian attitudes to death feature prominently in this Stave; Scrooge dies alone and unmourned; his grave is uncared for. This contrasts dramatically with Tiny Tim, much loved by his family, who is cared for in death as he was in life. His body lies in a room decorated for Christmas; he grave has been carefully selected and will be frequently visited. The worth of a person s life is reflected in the way that they are mourned, buried and remembered.