A Christmas Carol: Plot Summary (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Literature)
Revision Note
Plot Summary
One of the most vital and helpful things you can do in preparation for the exam is to ‘know’ the plot of A Christmas Carol thoroughly. Once you know the text well, you should be comfortable and familiar with key events that you can then link to larger ideas. Having an in-depth knowledge and understanding of the text will help you to gain confidence to find the most relevant references to support your response.
Overview
A Christmas Carol is a novella composed of five staves and is set in mid-19th Century England, in the city of London.
The novella opens with a declaration that a man called Jacob Marley is dead. It is Christmas Eve and Ebeneezer Scrooge, a money-lender, is at work. Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, arrives and invites his uncle to Christmas dinner but the invitation is declined. Scrooge also refuses a request to donate to a charity.
Scrooge is visited by the ghost of his former business partner, Marley. He warns Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits over the next three nights. Marley disappears into the night and Scrooge falls into a deep sleep. Scrooge awakens and is confronted by the Ghost of Christmas Past. The spirit accompanies Scrooge into the past, where Scrooge is forced to witness several events. Failing to extinguish the light of the spirit, he returns to his bedroom and falls into a deep sleep.
Scrooge is next visited by the Ghost of Christmas Present. The spirit takes Scrooge to the house of Bob Cratchit. Bob arrives with their youngest son, Tiny Tim, who is in poor health. The spirit states that Tiny Tim will die if nothing occurs to alter his future. Upon Bob’s insistence, the family drinks a toast to Scrooge. They both depart and the spirit takes Scrooge to several places where people are revelling in the festive season. They arrive at Fred’s house where the guests are playing a game; after which they all raise a toast to Scrooge. Scrooge and the spirit depart and they visit homes, hospitals and jails. Two starving children emerge from under the spirit’s cloak. When the clock strikes midnight, the spirit disappears.
Scrooge is confronted by another spirit: the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. The spirit takes Scrooge through various scenes associated with the death of an unnamed man. They both journey to the Cratchit’s house, where Tiny Tim has died. Scrooge is taken to a graveyard where he is shown a tomb with his name written upon it. Scrooge pleads with the spirit for a chance to alter his future. The spirit disappears.
Elated that he has been given a chance to redeem himself, Scrooge promises to change for the better. Upon realising it is Christmas Day, he sends a turkey to the Cratchits, gives money to charity and attends Fred’s Christmas dinner. The next morning, Scrooge informs Bob that he will assist his family. Scrooge has been transformed into a good man and the novella ends with Tiny Tim’s call for God to bless everyone.
Stave I
The opening lines declare that a man called Jacob Marley is dead
Marley had been a former business partner and only friend of Ebenezer Scrooge
The scene shifts to Scrooge in his counting house on Christmas Eve
Scrooge refuses to spend money to sufficiently heat the building and his clerk, Bob Cratchit, shivers in an adjacent room
Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, arrives and invites his uncle to Christmas dinner but the invitation is declined
Disappointed, Fred departs and two gentlemen arrive seeking a contribution to their charity
Scrooge refuses and declares that the poor can seek shelter in the workhouse or prison
Later that evening, Scrooge is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley
Marley informs Scrooge that he has been condemned to wander the Earth, weighed down by heavy chains, due to his selfish deeds
He warns Scrooge that he will be visited by three spirits over the next three nights
Marley disappears into the night and Scrooge falls into a deep sleep
Stave II
Scrooge awakens in the darkness and a clock chimes
A spirit appears (the Ghost of Christmas Past) described as a strange childlike phantom with a brightly glowing head
The spirit takes Scrooge’s hand and they fly through the air
The spirit shows several visions from Scrooge’s past:
His school days as a child
His going home for Christmas with his sister, Fan
His apprenticeship with an employer called Fezziwig
His engagement to a young woman called Belle
Scrooge becomes distraught by the visions and implores the spirit to take him home
The spirit brings Scrooge to Belle’s home where her husband informs her that Marley is dying and Scrooge will be alone in the world
Incensed by these visions, Scrooge attempts to extinguish the spirit’s light but fails
He returns to his bed and falls into a deep sleep
Stave III
Scrooge awakens, the clock chimes and a voice beckons him into the next room
He is confronted by another spirit in a green robe: it is the Ghost of Christmas Present
The spirit brings Scrooge into the London streets and to the house of Bob Cratchit, where Bob’s wife and several of their children are preparing Christmas dinner
Bob arrives with their youngest son, Tiny Tim, who is evidently in poor health
Perturbed by Tiny Tim’s appearance, Scrooge inquires if the boy will live
The spirit responds that Tiny Tim will die if nothing occurs to alter his future
Upon Bob’s insistence, the rest of the family reluctantly drinks a toast to Scrooge
The spirit brings Scrooge to numerous places where people are revelling in the festive season
They arrive at Fred’s house where the guests are playing a game and they raise a toast to Scrooge
Scrooge and the spirit depart and visit other homes, hospitals and jails
As Scrooge observes the spirit beginning to age, two starving children emerge from under its cloak
When the clock strikes midnight, the spirit disappears and a solemn figure moves toward him
Stave IV
Scrooge is confronted by another spirit: the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
Despite some trepidation , Scrooge agrees to follow the spirit
The spirit shows Scrooge various scenes related to the death of an unnamed man:
He hears city merchants conversing , unpleasantly, about the man
He witnesses the man’s belongings being sent to a rag-and-bone shop
He sees the corpse of the man lying on a bed under a sheet
Scrooge demands that the spirit show him someone who has feelings about the man’s death
They journey to a house where a couple is rejoicing about the man’s death, as they owed him a debt
Scrooge demands that the spirit shows him an example of people displaying sensitivity towards someone else’s death
He is taken to the Cratchit’s house, who are grieving the death of Tiny Tim
Scrooge demands to know the identity of the dead man and is taken to a graveyard, where he sees a tomb with his name written upon it
Scrooge pleads with the spirit for an opportunity to change his future but the spirit vanishes
Stave V
Scrooge is elated as he realises he has been given the chance of redemption
Upon finding out it is Christmas Day, he orders an enormous turkey and sends it to the Cratchits’ house
He dresses in all of his fineries and walks amongst the streets, acknowledging everyone with a smile and a Christmas wish
He sees the gentleman who had previously requested a charitable donation from him and gives him a large amount of money
Scrooge visits Fred’s house for Christmas dinner and he has a joyous evening
The next morning, Scrooge returns to his counting-house and offers to raise Bob’s salary and to help his struggling family
Scrooge changes his ways and becomes a second father to Tiny Tim, who does not die
The novella ends with Tiny Tim’s expression for God to bless everyone.
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