A Christmas Carolby Charles Dickens

Presentation to the

American Miser Association

Budget Inn, Newburgh, NY

December 25, 2008

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Jacob Marley

Dead

as door-nail

7 years ago

this very night

Partner in Scrooge & Marley

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Ebenezer Scrooge

Tight-fisted hand at thegrindstone

squeezing

wrenching

grasping

scraping

clutching

Covetous old sinner

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Christmas Eve

Scrooge in counting-house

Visit from nephew

“A merry Christmas, uncle”

Bah

humbug

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Scrooge & Marley—

No. of Employees

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Scrooge & Marley—

Employees at Christmas

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Scrooge & Marley

Employee Profile

Bob Cratchit

sits in dismal little cell

has only small fire

warm by candle?

boasted no greatcoat

long white comforter (scarf)

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Scrooge at Home

Wears dressing-gown

Eats gruel

Sees apparitions of Marley’s facedoorknocker, etc.

Is visited by Marley’s ghostwearing chains

forged in life

Doesn’t believe in ghostdisorders of stomach affect senses

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Likely Explanations of

Marley’s Ghost

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Marley’s Ghost:

Grave vs. Gravy

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Marley’s “Business”

Common welfarecharity

mercy

forbearance

benevolence

Dealings of tradeare but drop of water incomprehensive ocean

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Action Items

Marley: Warn Scrooge

chance to escape fate

Scrooge: Schedule on-site

visits

three spirits

three successive nights at 1 a.m.

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Ghost of Christmas Past

Long past?

“your past”

Like child

yet not so much like child

Takes Scrooge through wall

to market-town in country

are but shadows of things that

have been

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Ghost of Christmas Past

Scrooge’s younger selves

sister Fan

died, with one son—nephew

Fezziwig

old employer

office Christmas party

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Ghost of Christmas Present

Scrooge’s living quartershung with living green

crisp leaves: holly, mistletoe, ivy

heaped upon the floor to form kindof throne

turkey, goose, game, poultry, brawn,great joints of meat, sucking-pigs, longwreaths of sausages, mince pies, plumpuddings, barrels of oysters, red-hotchestnuts, cherry-cheeked apples, juicyoranges, luscious pears, immensetwelfth-cakes, seething bowls of punch

on the couch, a jolly Giant

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Ghost of Christmas Present

Bob Cratchit’s house

Mrs. Cratchit

Belinda; daughter

Peter; son

two young Cratchits

Tiny Tim

lame; sickly

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Tiny Tim: “God Bless Us...”

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Ghost of Christmas Present

Christmas at the Cratchits

Toast to Mr. Scrooge

“Founder of the Feast”

Mrs. Cratchit: “I’d give him a

piece of my mind to feast upon”

“Ogre of the Family”

mention of his name cast darkshadow on party

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Ghost of Christmas Present

Scrooge’s nephew Fredparty with nieces and sundry

thinks his uncle missed a gooddinner

all start to singScrooge recognizes tunes

all play gamesScrooge plays along

game of “Yes and No” (~20 questions)

“thinking of an animal, a live animal, arather disagreeable animal”

“your Uncle Scrooge”

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Ghost of Christmas Present

Pulls two children from robe

boy: Ignorance

girl: Want

Beware them both

especially the boy

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Ghost of Christmas

Yet to Come

Shrouded in deep, blackgarment

concealed its face

neither moved nor spoke

Very air scattered gloom andmystery

Scrooge: “I fear you more thanany Spectre I have seen”

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Ghost of Christmas

Yet to Come

Into the City

Someone has died

“I thought he’d never die”

“It’s likely to be a very cheap funeral.”

“Old Scratch has got his own at last.”

laundress and housekeeper divide up

deceased’s possessions

takes good shirt off body

“They’d have wasted it if it weren’t for me”

Scrooge doesn’t get it

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Ghost of Christmas

Yet to Come

Leads Scrooge to the Cratchits’

“I am sure we shall none of us forgetpoor Tiny Tim”

“Never, father”

Spirit of Tiny Tim, thy childish essence was

from God!

Leads Scrooge to a churchyard

points to grave...

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Ghost of Christmas

Yet to Come

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The End of It

Scrooge:

“I will honour Christmas in myheart, and try to keep it all theyear.”

“will live in the Past, Present,and Future”

“spirits of all three shall strive

within me”

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The End of It

Boy in street

intelligent boy, remarkable boy

tells Scrooge it is “Christmas

Day”

spirits have done it all in one night

performed above expectations

sent to buy prize turkey

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Comparison of Size of

Prize Turkey (in feet)

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The End of It

Scrooge sends turkey to theCratchits’

Has dinner with nephew

Next morning at the office

raises Bob Cratchit’s salary

becomes second father to Tiny Tim

“God bless us”

every one