At the start of the Christmas carol book, Ebenezer Scrooge is depicted as a mean and heartless man. He hoarded all his money and refused to help the poor or sick. A paragraph from the book describes Scrooge in the following way: “Oh! But he was a tight-fisted hand at the grindstone, Scrooge! A squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous old sinner! Hard and sharp as flint, from which no steel had ever struck out generous fire; secret, and self-contained, and solitary as an oyster.”
Scrooge’s icy demeanor manifested in his frozen features, iced nose, shriveled cheek, stiffened gait, bloodshot eyes, and blue lips. His harsh voice reflected his coldness, emphasized by the frosty rime on his head, eyebrows, and wiry chin. He consistently exuded a chilliness, even cooling his office during the summer and refusing to thaw it even during Christmas. This paragraph depicts Scrooge as an unpleasant-looking man who mistreats his employees and is universally disliked. Passersby never greet him or exchange pleasantries.
The dogs of the blind men in town seemed to recognize him. As they spotted him approaching, they would lead their owners into doorways and up alleys, wagging their tails. This clearly indicated that Ebenezer Scrooge was disliked by everyone in the town. However, everything changed one Christmas Eve, seven years after Jacob Marley’s death. This particular night held the promise of transforming Scrooge’s life if he would only pay attention. As Scrooge walked home from work, he opened his front gate and took out his door keys. The door knocker on the top featured a large golden brass lion.
When Scrooge inserted his keys into the keyhole, he noticed that the lion knocker had vanished and instead, it transformed into Jacob Marley, Scrooge’s former partner. This sudden transformation startled Scrooge, and he took a step back in fear. However, upon looking up again, he saw that it had reverted back to being a knocker. Scrooge exclaimed, “Bah, Bah Humbug!” and proceeded to enter his house.
Before settling down to eat his gruel and ensuring that everything was in its proper place within his house, Scrooge took an extra moment to inspect his room more thoroughly. This was a behavior he ordinarily did not engage in.
Whilst in the midst of his meal, Scrooge was startled by the unexpected ringing of the bells in his house. This was quite odd since he was aware that they had not functioned for many years. Abruptly, the bells stopped, leaving a disquieting silence in their wake. Following two minutes of stillness, there came a sudden loud noise and the distinct sound of chains dragging along the floor, emanating from below in the basement. The clamor grew nearer as whatever it was ascended each step of the basement stairs. Then, Scrooge heard the forceful swing open of the basement door, followed by heavy footsteps making their way up towards him.
Scrooge anxiously sat on the edge of his chair, watching as the door knob turned. Having locked the door, he felt slightly safer knowing that whatever was outside couldn’t come in. The furious creature roared loudly in frustration from beyond. Suddenly, a metal green safe connected by a chain emerged through the door, followed by five more safes. Soon after, Scrooge’s former partner, Jacob Marley, entered. This paragraph depicts the moment when Jacob Marley’s ghost informed Scrooge about the haunting of three spirits: “That is no light part of my penance,” said the ghost solemnly. “I am here tonight to warn you that you still have a chance and hope of avoiding my fate. A chance and hope that I will provide, Ebenezer.” Scrooge expressed his gratitude and acknowledged Jacob as always being a good friend. The ghost continued by explaining that Scrooge would be haunted by three spirits. Despair filled Scrooge’s face as it mirrored the expression of the ghost. With a trembling voice, he asked if this was indeed the chance and hope mentioned by Jacob earlier. The ghost confirmed with certainty, saying “It is.”
