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The Ghost of Christmas Present is the second spirit to visit Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. He is a huge figure similar to Santa Claus and takes Scrooge to visit Bob Cratchitt’s impoverished family and his nephew’s house. The spirit also reveals two demon children, Ignorance and Desire, symbolizing injustice to the poor. The contrast between the joy of the present and the desolation of the future is a clear choice for Scrooge to keep Christmas in his heart all year or die unloved and unmourning.
The ghost of the Christmas present is the second of the three spirits who visit Scrooge in Charles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. Unlike the first spirit, a genderless childlike figure who shows Scrooge his past, the ghost of the Christmas present is a huge earthly figure, evocative of Santa Claus. As first described, his presence fills Scrooge’s little room, as if to show the immensity in the importance of each Christmas celebration.
Scholars have long evaluated the ghost’s description of the Christmas present. In addition to referencing the English figure of Santa Claus, he is similar to several Greek and Roman deities. Santa Claus in particular derives from the stories of Saturn, but there are also some allusions to the Greek gods Bacchus and Dionysus, which in certain interpretations symbolize rebirth. In Dickens, on the other hand, every reference to pagan gods is made with reference to Christianity. For example, the Spirit wears a scabbard but does not carry a sword, suggesting the victory of peace over war.
Scrooge’s visit with the Ghost of Christmas Past has well prepared him for the night’s adventure. In this second spirit, he visits numerous houses and scenes, and two of these visits are tremendously important. The first is at the home of his employee, Bob Cratchitt. Here, Scrooge learns of the immense poverty in which his employee and his family live, and above all of the illness of Cratchitt’s son, Tiny Tim. Through the Spectre, he learns that Tim’s situation is desperate and that, without intervention, he will be dead before next Christmas.
The other visit Scrooge makes is to his nephew’s house, where his views on hating Christmas become a source of great mirth. This interlude demonstrates how far Scrooge has already come in claiming his soul. Instead of being frustrated and annoyed by the jokes made at his expense, he seems to enjoy them and is animated and excited throughout the party at his nephew’s house.
A vital exchange takes place between Scrooge and the Specter at the end of the chapter. The spirit reveals that he is hiding two demon children in his guise, which he calls Ignorance and Desire. These symbols are one of the reasons Dickens wrote the story about him, and subsequent other stories dealing with injustice to the poor. Ignoring ignorance and longing clouds the spirit of Christianity and the future of mankind, and perhaps Dickens seeks not only Scrooge’s salvation, but also the salvation of his readers with this passage.
The brightness of Scrooge’s visit with the ghost of the Christmas present is a necessary interlude before the final spirit appears, showing Scrooge the loss of Tiny Tim and his own death. The desolation of his visit with the last ghost, and of the chapter in general, is a good contrast when compared to the joy encountered in the present. With these last two spirits, Scrooge is given a clear choice: keep Christmas in his heart all year or die unloved and unmourning.
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