Ghostly Symbolism

By Education @ Hartford Stage

While contemporary audiences most often associate ghosts with Halloween, the cold and dark of winter was an ominous time full of mystery for the Victorians. The chilling winds and freezing temperatures were incredibly dangerous for the many impoverished people who lacked proper clothes and shelter. With cures for many common illnesses inaccessible or simply not yet discovered, winter was frequently accompanied by death. While efforts at holiday cheer brought some degree of warmth and festivity, the gray landscape and quiet nights dominated the Victorian imagination. When he wrote A Christmas Carol, Dickens capitalized on this by using ghosts as impactful symbols to communicate his message and provoke changes in his characters and audiences alike. The resulting tale is a powerful “ghost story of Christmas,” the original text of which Dickens prefaced in December 1843: “I have endeavored in this Ghostly little book, to raise the Ghost of an Idea, which shall not put my readers out of humour with themselves, with each other, with the season, or with me. May it haunt their houses pleasantly, and no one wish to lay it.”

MARLEY’S CHAIN

The chain carried by the ghost of Jacob Marley is one of the most conspicuous symbols in the play. “I wear the chain I forged in life,” Marley tells Scrooge in Act 1, Scene 3. “I made it link by link, and yard by yard.” When he was alive, Marley spent his time in the pursuit of wealth rather than doing good for his fellow human beings. His actions forged an invisible chain meant to bind his soul to the earth, and the greedier he became, the longer and heavier the chain grew. Now dead for seven years, Marley warns Scrooge that a similar fate (and a longer, heavier chain) awaits him if he does not change his ways. “Is [this chain’s] pattern strange to you? Or would you know the weight and length of the strong coil you bear yourself? It was as heavy and as long as this seven Christmas Eves ago. You have labored in it since. It is a ponderous chain” (1.3).

THE THREE GHOSTS OF CHRISTMAS

 

The Ghost of Christmas Past represents memory. She shows Scrooge events from his past in hopes of shedding light on how Scrooge became bitter and miserly and to remind him that he was not always that way. If the Ghost can help Scrooge remember who he once was, there may still be hope for him.

The Ghost of Christmas Present represents generosity and good will. He shows Scrooge scenes of people sharing what they have with each other, even if they have very little. This Ghost seeks to show Scrooge that the true meaning of the holiday is found in the joy that comes from giving to others and celebrating together. If Scrooge is to change his life, there is no better time to start than Christmas.

The Ghost of Christmas Future represents fear of death. This Ghost intends to show Scrooge that if he continues in his current fashion, there is a reckoning that awaits him. In death, Jacob Marley paid for his actions on Earth. If he does not change, Scrooge will suffer the same fate. The affection the Cratchits hold for one another in the wake of Tiny Tim’s death stands in stark contrast to the predictions for Scrooge’s future, and pushes Scrooge to make a choice.

The article is reprinted from the Education @ Hartford Stage study guide for A Christmas Carol.