The Three Spirits Character Analysis (Edexcel GCSE English Literature)

The three ghosts who visit Scrooge on Christmas Eve each represent a different idea or aspect of humanity to help show Scrooge the errors of his ways and shape his journey to redemption.

The Ghost of Christmas Past character summary

The Ghost of Christmas Present character summary

The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come character summary

Why are the Three Spirits important?

Dickens uses each of the ghosts as a guiding force behind Scrooge’s eventual transformation and redemption. In a literal sense, they represent Scrooge’s past, present and future. However, Dickens also uses them to convey key messages:

• The Ghost of Christmas Past represents memory, truth and hope:

  • It shows Scrooge images from his past to remind him that he was not always miserly and bitter

  • This ghost offers the hope for change, and that the past is a truth that cannot be extinguished

  • By showing Scrooge images of celebration, Dickens suggests that it is not immoral to enjoy yourself, but essential to promote community and kindness

• The Ghost of Christmas Present represents generosity and goodwill:

  • Dickens conveys the message that a religious occasion should not be marked with self-denial; rather, it is a time to share whatever one has

  • This reflects the central idea in the novella of a shared social responsibility to lessen the divisions between rich and poor, and refutes one Victorian way of thinking that any man unable to sustain himself had no right to live

  • By showing Scrooge the metaphorical children Ignorance and Want after scenes of abundance, Dickens illustrates the idea that there is enough for everyone if it is shared equally

• The Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come represents the fear of death:

  • Scrooge is especially fearful of what would await him in the afterlife given his attitudes and behaviour so far in his life

  • This spirit is symbolic of moral reckoning, prompting Scrooge to alter his ways in order to avoid the same fate as Jacob Marley

  • By drawing on gothic and supernatural symbolism, Dickens ensures that his message of the unfair consequences of a capitalist society is heard by Victorian readers who would have been familiar with this narrative device

The Ghost of Christmas Past language analysis

The Ghost of Christmas Past speaks briefly, but its style of speech includes:

• Imperatives: the ghost uses commands, such as “rise” and “walk”, to show that it is in control and to emphasise the importance of its message.

• Short and simple sentences: the ghost conveys only what is necessary in a very straightforward way. This highlights the significance of what it does say to Scrooge.

The Ghost of Christmas Past key quotes

The Ghost of Christmas Present language analysis

The language used by the Ghost of Christmas Present is characterised by: 

• An intimate tone: the ghost uses welcoming and generous language, and invites Scrooge to “know him better” since it wants Scrooge to learn and change.

• Repetition of Scrooge’s language: the ghost uses Scrooge’s previous words against him (for example his negative attitudes towards the poor) to hold a mirror up to Scrooge and his behaviour.

• Prophetic language: the ghost predicts that, unless things change, Tiny Tim will die. This prophecy extends to all mankind; that everyone will suffer unless the lessons of generosity, benevolence and tolerance are learned.

The Ghost of Christmas Present key quotes

The Three Spirits: character symbolism

The Ghost of Christmas Past symbolism

Dickens borrows from traditions and mythology in his descriptions of the ghosts’ appearances. The Ghost of Christmas Past is a mix of a strange child and old man of ambiguous gender, giving it an other-worldly appearance. This reflects the nature of memory, which can be unreliable and difficult to solidify. The light symbolism reflects both enlightenment and hope, and the fact that it wears a tunic of “purest white” emphasises its moral superiority, again reflecting the religious context of the novella. 

The Ghost of Christmas Present symbolism

The larger than life and jovial Ghost of Christmas Present draws on traditional ideas of Father Christmas as a representation of the Christmas spirit, and the details of his appearance are heavily symbolic. For example, it holds “Plenty’s horn”, a symbol of abundance in Greek and Roman mythology, and its “antique scabbard” had “no sword in it”, showing the reader that there is no place for conflict during the festive season. 

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come symbolism

Reflecting the Victorian interest in the supernatural and the gothic, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come borrows heavily from the images of death, especially the Grim Reaper, who collects human souls. As a personification of death, it is silent but terrifying, reminding Scrooge that while his death is inevitable, what happens to him after death is a result of the choices he makes in life.