Horror in the Charles Dickens\' a Christmas

¶ … horror in the Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol is the four ghosts that appear to Ebenezer Scrooge. Apart from these however, there are also subtle elements that provide the novel with its particularly horrific atmosphere. Ebenezer Scrooge for example shows a mean-spirited and cold attitude, which appears to translate itself to his house, which is also cold and dark.

The main character of the story is Scrooge, who displays an attitude of cold contempt for everything except money. He is so miserly that he does not wish to spend money either on heat or light in his house, which accounts for the cold and dark atmosphere. This is reinforced by Scrooge's cruelty to his fellow human beings, in that he will not buy coals for a fire to provide his clerk, Bob Cratchit, with heat to work by. This miserly nature is again reinforced by Scrooge's refusal to contribute to charity, even on Christmas Eve. In this way both Scrooge's cruel nature and the consequent atmosphere in the house work together to create a suitable backdrop for the ghosts that are to appear to him.

After attending a party, Scrooge once again returns to a dark, cold apartment. The ghost of his dead partner, Jacob Marley, then suits the atmosphere perfectly, being haggard and pallid. It appears that the cold atmosphere of the house has almost seeped into the image to create the ghost that Scrooge sees. In an attempt to keep Scrooge from sharing the same fate as himself, Marley indicates that three ghosts will visit Scrooge during the three following nights.

The first ghost is the one of Christmas Past. With this childlike ghost, Scrooge is escorted on a journey to the past. The happiness of his childhood years contrast sharply with the miser that Scrooge has become. In fact, until he is left by Belle, his former fiancee, because of his love for money and little beyond that, Scrooge's early years appear to be filled with bright, happy memories. The miser is moved to tears of regret when he is returned to his bed.

The Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge the Christmas of the year in question. Again, there is the sharp contrast between Scrooge's cold, dark apartment coupled with his cold, dark personality, and the homes of the London holidaymakers. The Cratchit family is for example a large number of people together. Although they are poor, they seem to share an inner warmth that translates to their house as well. This is particularly so in the case of Tiny Tim, Bob Cratchit's crippled son. It is he whose kindness and humility begins to warm the coldness in Scrooge's heart. Another area of atmospheric warmth is his nephew's Christmas party. Once again, the contrast between Scrooge's world and that of the party is significant. For the first time, the miser is made aware of the need for the warmth of human companionship and generosity. He enjoys the warmth so much that he begs the ghost to stay at the party. This journey ends once again in coldness, as the Ghost shows Scrooge two starved children under his coat. These are called Ignorance and Want. After seeing the children, Scrooge is left alone in his cold apartment to contemplate what he had seen.