Christmas Carol Plot
Louis Provis
Teacher

Staves One & Two
Stave One: Marley’s Ghost – The Warning
The novella opens with the statement:
"Marley was dead: to begin with."
Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s former business partner, has been dead for seven years. Ebenezer Scrooge is a cold-hearted, miserly man who despises Christmas. He refuses to donate to charity, dismissing the poor as "idle people", and begrudgingly allows his clerk, Bob Cratchit, a day off for Christmas.
That evening, Scrooge is visited by Marley’s ghost, who is wrapped in chains forged from his lifetime of greed. Marley warns:
"I wear the chain I forged in life."
He tells Scrooge that unless he changes his ways, he will suffer a similar fate. He announces that three spirits will visit Scrooge that night to show him the consequences of his actions.
Stave Two: The First of the Three Spirits – The Ghost of Christmas Past
The Ghost of Christmas Past is an ethereal figure, glowing like a candle. It takes Scrooge on a journey through his own childhood and early adulthood.
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Scrooge as a lonely boy – He sees himself abandoned at school during Christmas, which evokes his first sign of emotion.
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His beloved sister, Fan – She rescues him from school, but we learn she died young, leaving behind her son, Fred (Scrooge’s cheerful nephew).
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Fezziwig’s Christmas party – Scrooge remembers the joy of working for Fezziwig, a generous employer who treated his apprentices with kindness.
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Belle, his former fiancée – She breaks off their engagement because Scrooge’s love of money has replaced his love for her.
Scrooge is deeply affected, regretting the path his life has taken.
Practice question videos
Staves Three & Four
Stave Three: The Second of the Three Spirits – The Ghost of Christmas Present
The Ghost of Christmas Present is a jolly giant surrounded by festive food. He takes Scrooge to see how others celebrate Christmas:
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The Cratchit family – Despite their poverty, they share a humble but joyful Christmas dinner. Tiny Tim, Bob’s sickly son, warms Scrooge’s heart with his innocence. The Ghost warns that unless circumstances change, Tiny Tim will die:
"If these shadows remain unaltered by the Future, the child will die." -
Fred’s Christmas gathering – Fred and his friends laugh about Scrooge’s miserly ways, yet Fred insists that he will continue to invite his uncle every year.
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The allegorical children: Ignorance and Want – The Ghost reveals two wretched children beneath his robe, symbolising society’s neglect of the poor. The Ghost warns:
"Beware them both, but most of all beware this boy, for on his brow I see that written which is Doom."
Scrooge begins to feel genuine concern for others.
Stave Four: The Last of the Spirits – The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come
The final spirit, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, is a hooded, silent figure who shows Scrooge disturbing visions of the future.
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A dead man’s possessions are stolen and sold – Thieves mock the deceased man, stripping his corpse of anything valuable.
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Businessmen casually discuss his death – Scrooge sees how his own passing is met with indifference and greed.
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The Cratchits in mourning – Tiny Tim has died, and the Cratchits are heartbroken.
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Scrooge’s own neglected grave – The Ghost reveals Scrooge’s own gravestone, confirming that he is the despised dead man.
In terror, Scrooge begs:
"I am not the man I was. I will not be the man I must have been!"
Scrooge desperately pleads for a second chance, promising to change his ways.
Stave Five
Stave 5: The End of It – Scrooge’s Redemption
Scrooge awakens on Christmas morning, overwhelmed with joy that he has been given a second chance. He laughs for the first time in years and shouts:
"I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy!"
He immediately begins his redemption by:
✔ Buying a prize turkey for the Cratchits.
✔ Donating generously to charity.
✔ Joining Fred’s Christmas celebration.
✔ Raising Bob Cratchit’s salary and promising to care for Tiny Tim.
The novella ends with Scrooge embracing the true spirit of Christmas, and Dickens notes:
"And it was always said of him, that he knew how to keep Christmas well, if any man alive possessed the knowledge."
Plot Explainer Video