To-night, if The difference in the tone of these descriptions emphasizes how much Tiny Tim positively influenced those around him, and that he will be missed and loved after his death unlike the old miser. The gravestone is a symbol of Scrooge’s eventual fate if he does not change his ways. There is no doubt whatever about “You would be surer of it, my dear,” returned Bob, “if you saw and spoke to him. They drew about the fire and talked, the girls and mother working still. “Come into the parlour. But nothing doubting that to whomsoever they applied they had some latent moral for his own improvement, he resolved to treasure up every word he heard and everything he saw, and especially to observe the shadow of himself when it appeared. “ ‘And He took a child, and set him in the midst of them.’ ”. “Let the laundress alone to be the second; and let the undertaker's man alone to be the third. I only know he's dead.”, “Why, what was the matter with him?” asked a third, taking a vast quantity of snuff out of a very large snuff-box. A Christmas Carol, first published in 1843, is the most popular of all his Christmas stories. 1. Who's next?”. At last she said, and in a steady, cheerful voice, that only faltered once: “I have known him walk with—I have known him walk with Tiny Tim upon his shoulder very fast indeed.”, “And so have I!” cried Peter. “Get along with you!” retorted Peter, grinning. Not a dead man, I suppose.”. He advanced towards it trembling. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and He always did.”, “That's true, indeed!” said the laundress. You were made free of it long ago, you know; and the other two an't strangers. “Lead on! He had made a point always of standing well in their esteem: in a business point of view, that is; strictly in a business point of view. Indeed, the Spirit did not stay for anything, but went straight on, as to the end just now desired, until besought by Scrooge to tarry for a moment. Stave 4 Summary Last Updated on November 5, 2019, by eNotes Editorial. The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know. “Somebody was fool enough to do it, but I took it off again. They were very quiet again. But, as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear you company, and do it with a thankful heart. And see his good deeds springing from the wound, to sow the world with life immortal! The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. The man was so unpopular that only a free meal could persuade his peers to go to his funeral. If calico an't good enough for such a purpose, it isn't good enough for anything. “Let me see some tenderness connected with a death,” said Scrooge; “or that dark chamber, Spirit, which we left just now will be for ever present to me.”. “You are about to show me shadows of the things that have not happened, but will happen in the time before us,” Scrooge pursued. I shouldn't be at all surprised—mark what I say—if he got Peter a better situation.”. In his agony, he caught the spectral hand. Get an answer for 'What are the main events of Stave 4 in "A Christmas Carol?"' He sat down to the dinner that had been hoarding for him by the fire; and when she asked him faintly what news (which was not until after a long silence), he appeared embarrassed how to answer. Nor could he think of any one immediately connected with himself, to whom he could apply them. The boy must have read them out as he and the Spirit crossed the threshold. How do I revise for A Christmas Carol? It sought to free itself, but he was strong in his entreaty, and detained it. A cat was tearing at the door, and there was a sound of gnawing rats beneath the hearth-stone. Good morning!”. “Men's courses will foreshadow certain ends, to which, if persevered in, they must lead,” said Scrooge. A Christmas Carol 3 of 138 Stave 1: Marley’s Ghost Marley was dead: to begin with. Sitting in among the wares he dealt in, by a charcoal-stove, made of old bricks, was a grey-haired rascal, nearly seventy years of age, who had screened himself from the cold air without by a frousy curtaining of miscellaneous tatters, hung upon a line, and smoked his pipe in all the luxury of calm retirement. “No,” said a great fat man with a monstrous chin, “I don't know much about it, either way. “Why not?”, “You were born to make your fortune,” said Joe, “and you’ll certainly do it.”, “I certainly sha’n't hold my hand, when I can get anything in it by reaching it out, for the sake of such a man as he was, I promise you, Joe,” returned the woman coolly. The Phantom pointed as before. Her account was stated on the wall in the same manner. “The house is yonder,” Scrooge exclaimed. “Cold, isn't it?”, “Seasonable for Christmas time. “God knows,” said the first, with a yawn. I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future. “No, indeed,” said Mrs. Dilber, laughing. If he could have helped it, he and his child would have been farther apart, perhaps, than they were. My little, little child!” cried Bob. He frightened every one away from him when he was alive, to profit us when he was dead! Lead on, Spirit!”. He broke down all at once. THE PHANTOM SLOWLY, gravely, silently, approached. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of A Christmas Carol and what it means. However, since cleaning was a much more time-consuming and grueling task than it is today, most households, even those that were middle-class, at least hired a charwoman. Which of these is not a reason for Bob's happiness? Though readers are not directly told what sort of clothes Mrs. Cratchit is sewing, it can be inferred by her and Scrooge’s sorrowful reactions that they are mourning clothes. Still the Ghost pointed downward to the grave by which it stood. A pale light, rising in the outer air, fell straight upon the bed; and on it, plundered and bereft, unwatched, unwept, uncared for, was the body of this man. A Christmas Carol Quiz : Stave One Circle the correct answer 1. Let us go!”. He knew no more, for the Spirit neither spoke nor moved. The Spirit stood among the graves, and pointed down to One. You went to-day then, Robert?” said his wife. She is not much more ethical than the deceased man that she judges. His neglected grave shows that no one cares about his death, as there is no one to tend to his grave. He looked about in that very place for his own image; but another man stood in his accustomed corner, and though the clock pointed to his usual time of day for being there, he saw no likeness of himself among the multitudes that poured in through the Porch. At length the long-expected knock was heard. A summary of Part X (Section4) in Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol. The “place” that Bob Cratchit refers to here is the graveyard in which Tiny Tim will be buried. What odds, Mrs. Dilber?” said the woman. Although Scrooge admits that he fears this ghost more than the others, he still resolves to learn from the ghost with “a thankful heart” to “live to be a better man.” Scrooge’s determination to overcome his fear indicates how much he has grown in becoming more gracious and selfless. When I come to think of it, I’m not at all sure that I wasn't his most particular friend; for we used to stop and speak whenever we met. “Bed-curtains!”, “Ah!” returned the woman, laughing and leaning forward on her crossed arms. But surely they were very quiet! Scrooge has learned much from his journeys with the first two Spirits and now accepts that he must change his way of living.Â. “Yes, my dear,” returned Bob. A worthy place! It gave him little surprise, however; for he had been revolving in his mind a change of life, and thought and hoped he saw his new-born resolutions carried out in this. 4 A Christmas Carol: Revision or AQA English iterature English Media Centre 017 Teachers’ Notes These revision materials have been designed to use with students sitting the AQA GCSE English Literature paper. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. What is Scrooge desperate to hear from the Spirit? We may sleep to-night with light hearts, Caroline!”. Try to actively read the book. Come into the parlour. It was a worthy place. Alleys and archways, like so many cesspools, disgorged their offences of smell, and dirt, and life upon the straggling streets; and the whole quarter reeked with crime, with filth, and misery. But Scrooge was all the worse for this. But the gallantry of her friends would not allow of this; and the man in faded black, mounting the breach first, produced his plunder. The End of It YES! He thought, if this man could be raised up now, what would be his foremost thoughts? It was an office still, but not his. “What has he done with his money?” asked a red-faced gentleman with a pendulous excrescence on the end of his nose, that shook like the gills of a turkey-cock. The hand was pointed straight before them. “What the half-drunken woman whom I told you of last night said to me, when I tried to see him and obtain a week's delay; and what I thought was a mere excuse to avoid me, turns out to have been quite true. Ah! Read the book! A Christmas Carol: Stave 4 Summary & Analysis Next Stave 5 Themes and Colors Key LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in A Christmas Carol, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work. Tell me what man that was whom we saw lying dead?”. “I hope they do. and the bedpost was his own. In this context, “waning” means “decreasing.” Scrooge’s time to change his fate seems to be dwindling rapidly, and his hurried speech reflects his anxiety about this. The first man greets the other by saying that Scrooge has finally been taken away by his own kind—the evil and demonic devil, the antithesis of Christmas joy. “Only hear that, Peter,” said Mrs. Cratchit. Joe went down on his knees for the greater convenience of opening it, and having unfastened a great many knots, dragged out a large and heavy roll of some dark stuff. His tea was ready for him on the hob, and they all tried who should help him to it most. This man has a swinging growth on the end of his nose, making his physical appearance as ugly as his greedy moral character. The Phantom glided on into a street. During the Victorian era, it was very popular to hire domestic servants, and the number of domestic servants a household had was a marker of socio-economic status. Victorian mourning customs dictated that families of the deceased wore solemn black outfits for a specified period of time as an outward reflection of internal grief. Readers can guess that the black color of the clothing is quite distressing to Mrs. Cratchit due to the death it represents. This word seems to be an instance of onomatopoeia invented by Dickens. That's all I know.”. What they wanted in the room of death, and why they were so restless and disturbed, Scrooge did not dare to think. COMPLETE TEXT AVAILABLE ONLINE: (google A Christmas Carol complete “Is it good?” she said, “or bad?”—to help him. and find homework help for other A Christmas Carol questions at eNotes Who … The year is 1843, and Charles Dickens is struggling on as a serial author for a newspaper. Stop till I shut the door of the shop. They have all The bed was his own, the room was his own. They could scarcely be supposed to have any bearing on the death of Jacob, his old partner, for that was Past, and this Ghost's province was the Future. They entered poor Bob Cratchit's house; the dwelling he had visited before; and found the mother and the children seated round the fire. It is very frightening and does not resemble a human like the other ghosts did. The noun “skater” in Dickens’s time refers to ice skating, a leisurely Christmas activity beginning to increase in popularity around this time. As you read, you'll be linked to summaries and detailed analysis of quotes and themes. Come into the parlour.”. He lay, in the dark empty house, with not a man, a woman, or a child, to say that he was kind to me in this or that, and for the memory of one kind word I will be kind to him. Read the full text of Stave 4 of A Christmas Carol on Shmoop. “Charwoman” refers to a woman hired by a household typically to clean, do chores, etc. Allegory 2. old alive dead cruel … — Wesley, Owl Eyes Editor This large cake is used for the celebrations of the Twelfth-night, or the evening before Epiphany and the general closing of the Christmas celebrations. He couldn't help it. Dickens's writing style was often noted, and sometimes criticized, for being very sentimental. They have brought him to a rich end, truly! “That's your account,” said Joe, “and I wouldn't give another sixpence, if I was to be boiled for not doing it. It was shrouded in a deep black garment, which concealed its head, its face, its form, and left nothing of it visible save one outstretched hand. There is no doubt whatever about that. “Spectre,” said Scrooge, “something informs me that our parting moment is at hand. Bob was very cheerful with them, and spoke pleasantly to all the family. “What do you call this?” said Joe. The Spirit answered not, but pointed downward with its hand.