By Charles Dickens 1843
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) was an English writer and critic of unjust social and economic conditions. Despite having to leave school and work in a factory when his father was put in a debtors' prison, Dickens created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is often regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. In this excerpt from his novella A Christmas Carol, a greedy old miser is visited in the night by an old friend, who warns him to change his ways before it is too late.
[1] Marley was dead: to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge’s name was good upon ’Change,1 for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.[2] Mind! I don’t mean to say that I know, of my own knowledge, what there is particularly dead about a door-nail. I might have been inclined, myself, to regard a coffin-nail as the deadest piece of ironmongery in the trade. But the wisdom of our ancestors is in the simile; and my unhallowed hands shall not disturb it, or the Country’s done for. You will therefore permit me to repeat, emphatically, that Marley was as dead as a door-nail.
[3] Scrooge knew he was dead? Of course he did. How could it be otherwise? Scrooge and he were partners for I don’t know how many years. Scrooge was his sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner. And even Scrooge was not so dreadfully cut up by the sad event, but that he was an excellent man of business on the very day of the funeral and solemnized it with an undoubted bargain. [80] As Scrooge looked fixedly at this phenomenon, it was a knocker again. [81] To say that he was not startled, or that his blood was not conscious of a terrible sensation to which it had been a stranger from infancy, would be untrue. But he put his hand upon the key he had relinquished, turned it sturdily, walked in, and lighted his candle. [82] He did pause, with a moment’s irresolution, before he shut the door; and he did look cautiously behind it first, as if he half expected to be terrified with the sight of Marley’s pigtail sticking out into the hall. But there was nothing on the back of the door, except the screws and nuts that held the knocker on, so he said “Pooh, pooh!” and closed it with a bang. [83] The sound resounded through the house like thunder. Every room above, and every cask in the wine-merchant’s cellars below, appeared to have a separate peal of echoes of its own. Scrooge was not a man to be frightened by echoes. He fastened the door, and walked across the hall, and up the stairs, slowly too: trimming his candle as he went. [84] You may talk vaguely about driving a coach-and-six up a good old flight of stairs, or through a bad young Act of Parliament; but I mean to say you might have got a hearse up that staircase, and taken it broadwise, with the splinter-bar towards the wall and the door towards the balustrades: and done it easy. There was plenty of width for that, and room to spare, which is perhaps the reason why Scrooge thought he saw a locomotive hearse going on before him in the gloom. Half-a-dozen gas-lamps out of the street wouldn’t have lighted the entry too well, so you may suppose that it was pretty dark with Scrooge’s dip. [85] Up Scrooge went, not caring a button for that: darkness is cheap, and Scrooge liked it. But before he shut his heavy door, he walked through his rooms to see that all was right. He had just enough recollection of the face to desire to do that. [96] Scrooge had often heard it said that Marley had no bowels, but he had never believed it until now. [97] No, nor did he believe it even now. Though he looked the phantom through and through, and saw it standing before him; though he felt the chilling influence of its death-cold eyes; and marked the very texture of the folded kerchief bound about its head and chin, which wrapper he had not observed before; he was still incredulous, and fought against his senses.
[98] “How now!” said Scrooge, caustic and cold as ever. “What do you want with me?” [99] “Much!” – Marley’s voice, no doubt about it. [100] “Who are you?” [101] “Ask me who I was.” [102] “Who were you then.” said Scrooge, raising his voice. “You’re particular, for a shade.” He was going to say “to a shade,” but substituted this, as more appropriate. [103] “In life I was your partner, Jacob Marley.” [104] “Can you – can you sit down?” asked Scrooge, looking doubtfully at him.[105] “I can.”[106] “Do it, then.” [107] Scrooge asked the question, because he didn’t know whether a ghost so transparent might find himself in a condition to take a chair; and felt that in the event of its being impossible, it might involve the necessity of an embarrassing explanation. But the ghost sat down on the opposite side of the fireplace, as if he were quite used to it.
[108] “You don’t believe in me,” observed the Ghost.
[109] “I don’t,” said Scrooge.
[110] “What evidence would you have of my reality beyond that of your senses?”
[111] “I don’t know,” said Scrooge.
[112] “Why do you doubt your senses?”
[113] “Because,” said Scrooge, “a little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”
[114] Scrooge was not much in the habit of cracking jokes, nor did he feel, in his heart, by any means waggish then. The truth is, that he tried to be smart, as a means of distracting his own attention, and keeping down his terror; for the spectre’s voice disturbed the very marrow in his bones.
[115] To sit, staring at those fixed, glazed eyes, in silence for a moment, would play, Scrooge felt, the very deuce with him. There was something very awful, too, in the spectre’s being provided with an infernal atmosphere of its own. Scrooge could not feel it himself, but this was clearly the case; for though the Ghost sat perfectly motionless, its hair, and skirts, and tassels, were still agitated as by the hot vapour from an oven.
7 answers
Certainly! The excerpt from A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens captures the eerie and unsettling visit of Marley’s ghost to Ebenezer Scrooge.
In the beginning, Dickens emphasizes the certainty of Marley’s death, describing it in vivid detail to dispel any doubt. The phrase “Marley was dead: to begin with” serves as a definitive assertion, establishing the ghostly nature of what follows. This assertion not only sets the tone for the supernatural elements of the story but also highlights the importance of Marley’s past relationship with Scrooge.
As Scrooge encounters the ghost, Dickens masterfully conveys Scrooge's incredulity and reluctance to accept the reality of the apparition. Scrooge's attempt to rationalize what he is experiencing—suggesting that the ghost could merely be an “undigested bit of beef”—reveals his deep-seated skepticism and discomfort with the supernatural. This moment illustrates Scrooge’s character: a man entrenched in logic and dismissive of the emotional and ethereal aspects of life.
The interaction between Scrooge and Marley’s ghost is laden with tension, a mix of dark humor and genuine fright. Scrooge's caustic remarks reflect his defensive nature, attempting to mask his fear with sarcasm and wit. Yet, the atmosphere created by Marley’s presence is undeniably chilling, as indicated by the phantom’s “death-cold eyes” and “the very texture of the folded kerchief” around its head—details that serve to heighten the sense of dread.
Overall, this excerpt encapsulates key themes of the novella, including the consequences of a miserly life, the confrontation between past and future, and the struggle between reason and the supernatural. It sets the stage for Scrooge’s transformation as he begins to grapple with his own beliefs and the realities of his life choices. The eerie visit from Marley serves as a catalyst for Scrooge’s eventual redemption, showcasing Dickens’s critique of social and moral indifference while also engaging readers with a compelling narrative.
What do you think best describes de mood in this passage?
1. Confusion and curiosity, as Scrooge tries to make sense of it.
2. Fear and unease, as Scrooge is confronted with something terrifying and struggles to maintain control.
3. Humor and disbelief, as Scrooge tries to make light of the situation.
While all three options reflect elements present in the passage, the mood that best describes it is:
2. Fear and unease, as Scrooge is confronted with something terrifying and struggles to maintain control.
Throughout the excerpt, Scrooge experiences a palpable sense of dread and discomfort as he confronts Marley’s ghost. The chilling descriptions of the ghost, Scrooge’s physical reactions, and the eerie atmosphere underscore his fear. Although Scrooge attempts to mask his terror with humor and skepticism (as seen in his witty remarks), the underlying mood is dominated by a sense of unease as he wrestles with the reality of the supernatural encounter.
[114] Scrooge was not much in the habit of cracking jokes, nor did he feel, in his heart, by any means waggish then. The truth is, that he tried to be smart, as a means of distracting his own attention, and keeping down his terror; for the spectre’s voice disturbed the very marrow in his bones. What does the word "waggish" means in this paragraph? 1. heartfelt 2. humorous, 3. intelligent 4. fearful
In this context, the word "waggish" means 2. humorous.
Scrooge is described as not feeling "waggish," indicating that he was not feeling in a humorous or playful mood despite his attempts to make jokes. The passage highlights that he is actually experiencing fear, and his use of humor is a way to distract himself from that terror.
thanks a lot!
You're welcome! If you have any more questions or need further assistance, feel free to ask. Enjoy your reading!
5 answers