Stave five.
In a nut-shell.
Scrooge is almost delirious with joy as he recognises that he still has ‘time’ to make amends for his selfish behaviour. ‘I am here.’ Scrooge’s acknowledgement is spiritually/existentially resonant. He immediately acts with generosity and compassion. The oppressive fog is lifted and Scrooge is now associated with the sun. Light returns to his life, replacing his moral darkness.
Interestingly stave four’s final word ‘bedpost’ acts as a seamless segue into the bedroom of Scrooge and his palpable relief that ‘real-time’ has returned and a second chance has been granted.
The opening word of the final, fifth stave is the exclamation, ‘Yes!’ And the adjective ‘own’ is repeated four times to communicate the elation and relief of Scrooge as he checks his room for proof of familiarity and ownership. Perhaps most powerfully, Scrooge admits he has ‘Time’ to make ‘amends’. The capitalization of time reveals its monumental significance to him as having Time gives him the opportunity to avoid the ignoble death presented in stave four.
Scrooge is now a changed human being. His ‘broken voice’ reveals his emotional distress and relief. It also indicates that a new Scrooge has been born as a result of his four ghostly encounters.( Marley is important and acknowledged too ).
He vows, ‘ I am here.’ This declaration carries enormous importance. It communicates Scrooges awareness of his opportunity for redemption and forgiveness. He is a resurrected man. Back from the dead, empty life he had been leading.
The verbs Dickens uses to conjure up a very new sense of Scrooge’s behaviour and spirit. Scrooge ‘frisked into the sitting room’ and ‘laughing and crying in the same breath.‘ The hectic, elated Scrooge is so happy to be forgiven that he is even laughs, ‘ a most illustrious laugh.’
Even the weather forgives Scrooge. The oppressive fog is replaced by ‘golden sunlight.’ Pathetic fallacy is brilliantly deployed to underline Scrooge’s transformation.
The exuberance of Scrooge attracts attention and the announcement that it is Christmas Day by a passing boy gives Scrooge the opportunity for his first act of reborn generosity. He sends Bob Cratchit a large turkey anonymously. A cab is necessary to transport the huge turkey and Scrooge is overflowing with good humour. ‘Chuckle’ is repeated many times to reinforce the transformation and elation.
Instead of the ill-humour of stave one, Scrooge is now ‘irresistibly pleasant’. And several ‘good humoured fellows’ reciprocated the greetings. This underlines the enormous change in Scrooge. He is re-entering a social world, a community. Scrooge is keen to reverse his previous harms and makes every moment of his new life count for good rather than self-interest. The existential change affects everything. Even his physical movements.
‘ He had never dreamed that any walk -that anything-could give him so much happiness. ‘
At his nephew, Fred’s, Scrooge is practically unrecognizable to his nephew and niece.
Again, Dickens repeats a word to transmit the miraculous transformation of Scrooge. The adjective ‘wonderful’ works beautifully to emphasize that Scrooge’s change is truly exceptional, a miracle, ‘ won-der-ful.‘
The final stages of the story take us back to the office, affording a beautifully ironic contrast and symmetry to the story. Scrooge awaits the late Bob Cratchit, and ‘growled’ in his old manner. Then he digs the much perturbed Bob Cratchit ‘ in the waistcoat’ and promises ‘ to raise your(Bob’s) salary.’ Unsurprisingly, Bob briefly contemplates ‘ a strait-waistcoat’ for the seemingly insane Scrooge
But then Scrooge uses so much ‘earnestness’ that Bob has to accept the truth of the radically changed and benevolent, Scrooge.
‘Scrooge was better than his word. He did it all, and infinitely more; and to Tiny Tim, who did not die, he was a second father.’
Even those who mocked the new ‘good’ Scrooge did not bother him. They were ‘ little heeded.’
Because the wise Scrooge knew they would be’ blind anyway’ and ‘ His own heart Laughed, and that was quite enough for him.’ And he ‘ knew how to keep Christmas well.’ Because he‘ possessed the knowledge.”
Scrooge is reborn. And unlike Sydney Carton the anti-hero of A Tale of Two Cities(1859) who is reborn through sacrificing his life on the scaffold for the woman he loves, Scrooge returns to life and lives!
More first-rate reading of the Dickens. You capture the way he conveys the joy of this ending so well! Almost makes me wish we could miss Autumn and head straight to the festivities!