| Ghost of Christmas Present | |
|---|---|
| A Christmas Carol character | |
 The Ghost of Christmas Present and Ebenezer Scrooge - illustration by John Leech (1843). | |
| Created by | Charles Dickens |
| Alias |
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| Gender | Male[a] |
| Occupation | Spirit of Christmas |
| Relatives |
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The Ghost of Christmas Present is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1843 novella A Christmas Carol. The Ghost is one of three spirits that appear to miser Ebenezer Scrooge to offer him a chance of redemption.
Following a visit from the ghost of his deceased business partner, Jacob Marley, Scrooge receives nocturnal visits from three Ghosts of Christmas, each representing a different period in Scrooge's life. The Ghost of Christmas Present is concerned with Scrooge's current life and the present Christmas Day.[1]
The Ghost of Christmas Present is presented as a personification of the Christmas spirit,[2][3] and in the novella's first edition hand-coloured drawing by John Leech resembles early-Victorian images of Father Christmas. The spirit first appears to Scrooge on a throne made of traditional Christmas foodstuffs that would have been familiar to Dickens's more prosperous readers.[4][5]
The spirit becomes the mouthpiece for Dickens's view on social reform and Christian charity:[2][6] generosity and goodwill to all men – especially to the poor – and celebration of Christmas Day.[7]
Cite error: There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or {{efn}} templates on this page, but the references will not show without a {{reflist|group=lower-alpha}} template or {{notelist}} template (see the help page).
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
BritLibwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ a b Hind-Portley, Mary Is 'A Christmas Carol' more than a ghost story?, University of Birmingham, 9 December 2020
- ^ Hearn, Michael Patrick. The Annotated Christmas Carol, W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., New York (2004), p. 83
- ^ Stave Three: The Second of the Three Spirits, A Christmas Carol Study Guide - Spark Notes
- ^ The Ghost of Christmas Present’s role in the novella, A Christmas Carol, YorkNotes Study Guide
- ^ Timko, M. (2013). "No Scrooge he: The Christianity of Charles Dickens", America: The Jesuit Review
- ^ Taft, J. (2015). "Disenchanted religion and secular enchantment in A Christmas Carol", Victorian Literature and Culture, 43(4), pp. 659–673