A Christmas Carol
Ebenezer Scrooge, a bitter and miserly old moneylender, holds everything that embodies the joys and spirit of Christmas in contempt, keeping to himself and being nasty to people. Scrooge's buisness partner Jacob Marley has died and Scrooge is paying a man for his coffin. He pays him a very small amount and leaves. He walks throughout Victorian England, and as he passes people by everyone becomes quiet and frightend. He walks into his place of buisness and slams the door shut.
Seven Christmas Eve's later, he is still as bitter as he was before. He has an employee named Cratchit who is very poor and can barley afford food for his family. Scrooges nephew walks into the shop and asks to join him for dinner at his house, scrooge gives him an unfriendly christmas hum-bug and tells him to leave. Closing time comes and Cratchit leaves. Scrooge closes up shop and goes home.
That night, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Jacob Marley, who is now forced to spend his afterlife carrying heavy chains forged from his own greedy ways. Scrooge looks out the window and sees many more ghosts suffering the same fate. Marley warns Scrooge that he will suffer an even worse fate if he doesn't repent, and foretells that he will be haunted by three spirits that will help guide him.
The first spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Past, a small ghost made of fire, shows Scrooge visions of his own past that take place on or around the Christmas season, reminding him of how he ended up the greedy man he is now. He had spent much of his childhood neglected by his father over the holidays at boarding school until he was finally brought home by his loving sister Fan, who died prematurely after giving birth to his nephew Fred. Scrooge later began a successful career in business and moneylending and became engaged to a woman named Belle, though she later called off the engagement when he began to grow obsessed with accumulating his own wealth. Unable to bear having to witness these events again, Scrooge extinguishes the spirit. (The spirit sends scrooge soaring over london and he crashes through his ceiling into his bed)
Scrooge walks into a room, and finds it is covered in christmas decorations. The ghost of christmas present is in there waiting for him.
The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge the happiness of his fellow men on Christmas day. Among them are his nephew Fred, who playfully makes jokes with his family at Scrooge's expense, and Bob Cratchit and his family, who are just barely able to make do with what little pay Scrooge gives Cratchit. The Cratchits also tend to a sickly young son, Tiny Tim, whose commitment to the spirit of Christmas touches Scrooge, who is dismayed to learn from the spirit that he may not have much longer to live. Before the spirit vanishes, it warns Scrooge about the evils of Ignorance and Want, showing them as terrifying, uncivilized children doomed to grow into savage, despicable individuals. The ghost then withers away into dust.
The third and final spirit, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, shows Scrooge the final consequences of his greed. Tiny Tim has died, leaving the Cratchits to mourn him on Christmas. Scrooge has also died, though there is more comfort than grief in the wake of his funeral. In addition, Fred finds benefit from inheriting his wealth, and Scrooge is even robbed by his former maid. Unwilling to let this grim future come to pass, Scrooge begs to be given a second chance as the spirit forces him into his deep and empty grave leading all the way to Hell.
Scrooge awakens to find himself in his bed on Christmas morning, the three spirits having guided him over the course of one night, and immediately sets out to atone for his sins, making donations to the poor, attending Fred's dinner party, and giving Cratchit a raise to care for his family, allowing Tiny Tim to live. Scrooge spends the remainder of his life a new man embodying the spirit of Christmas itself.
[ jshelleh196 ]
