A Christmas Carol: Stave Two Analysis.
“Belle,” said the husband, turning to his wife with a smile[J1] , “I saw an old friend [J2] of yours this afternoon.”
“Guess!”[J3]
“How can I? Tut, don’t I know,” she added in the same breath, laughing as he laughed[J4] . “Mr. Scrooge.”[J5]
“Mr. Scrooge it was. [J6] I passed his office window; and as it was not shut up, and he had a candle inside, I [J7] could scarcely help seeing him. His partner lies upon the point of death, [J8] I hear; and there he sat alone. Quite alone in the world, I do believe.”[J9]
“Spirit!” said Scrooge in a broken voice[J10] , “remove me from this place.”[J11]
“I told you these were shadows of the things that have been,” said the Ghost. “That they are what they are, do not blame me!”[J12]
“Remove me!” Scrooge exclaimed. “I cannot bear it!”[J13]
He turned upon the Ghost, and seeing that it looked upon him with a face, in which in some strange way there were fragments of all the faces it had shown him, wrestled with it.[J14]
“Leave me! Take me back. Haunt me no longer!”[J15]
In the struggle, if that can be called a struggle[J16] in which the Ghost with no visible resistance on its own part was undisturbed by any effort of its adversary, Scrooge observed that its light was burning high and bright; and dimly connecting that with its influence over him, he seized the extinguisher-cap, and by a sudden action pressed it down upon its head.[J17]
The Spirit dropped beneath it, so that the extinguisher covered its whole form; but though Scrooge pressed it down with all his force, he could not hide the light[J18] : which streamed from under it, in an unbroken flood [J19] upon the ground.
He was conscious of being exhausted, and overcome by an irresistible drowsiness; and, further, of being in his own bedroom. He gave the cap a parting squeeze, in which his hand relaxed; and had barely time to reel to bed, before he sank into a heavy sleep.[J20]
This scene closes the Second Stave and explores Scrooge’s anguish and suffering as he is forced to witness the life he has lost in his pursuit of the material. Here, the marital harmony and intimacy of Belle and her husband agitate Scrooge, as they gently mock the selfish isolation of Belle’s ‘old friend’ highlighting their community and reciprocity. These values are obviously beyond the reach of Scrooge; his self -alienation has excluded him from human society and connection. Interestingly their humour seems less cruel than Scrooge’s cynicism in Stave One. In that Stave, Scrooge used his intelligence to mock those who were either powerless or vulnerable through their openness and sincerity. Here, Belle and her husband hold a teasing mirror up to Scrooge’s rigid behaviour that renders him a pitiful spectacle. We sense Scrooge’s humiliating and painful recognition of the consequences of his ruinous, life-denying choices. For in rejecting Belle, he has committed himself to the empty materialism embodied by the icy counting-house evoked in Stave One. Scrooge in objectifying the world into material goods as become a lifeless object himself.
Scrooge’s elected behaviour mirrors that of Marley, whose death bed is unattended by Scrooge out of fear and selfishness. The solitary ‘candle’ suggests a myopic twilight world morally and physically and contrasts with the allegorical ‘unbroken flood’ of light created by the Ghost in this scene. Scrooge’s ‘broken voice’ and use of the imperative, show the extent of Scrooge’s suffering when he is confronted by a vision of himself generated by those who form an inescapably important part of his past. Hence, Scrooge has to accept their version of his life despite his considerable discomfort. The ‘broken voice’ foreshadows Scrooge’s transformation and rebirth. The allegorical ‘flood’ of light reminds us that Scrooge has been blind and that his waking up to the reality of his actions is agonising. Finally, Scrooge’s ‘heavy sleep’ at the end of the stave, suggests that his lessons have to be reflected upon and incubated within the sanctuary of sleep before the next lesson can begin!
[J1]Gentle intimacy that is beyond the reach of Scrooge. Exclusive with its shared humour and knowledge? Marital harmony. Out of Scrooge’s experience and reach. Pathos despite jollity.
[J2]Shared joke though not unkindly somehow. Banter again is an indication of what Scrooge has thrown away.
[J3]Lively and loving exchange. Again, a sharp contrast to the snarling ‘oyster’ Scrooge with his alienating conversation in Stave One.
[J4]Repetition. Reciprocity. Scrooge exists outside any possibility of this connection.
[J5]Makes him less a gentleman and more an archetype or an entity. A creature?
[J6]Interesting use of the past tense. Scrooge is essentially a dead being at the beginning. This is a resurrection story after all. He denies any possibility of life -affirming reciprocity.
[J7]Oyster again. Penury is chosen. Lack of light in contrast to the revelatory light of the first ghost? Light is illumination and revelation?
[J8]Absence of Scrooge from the death of Marley. Their connection makes them inhuman? Or is he incapable of dealing with suffering?
[J9]Once again, Dickens uses repetition to emphasise Scrooge’s exceptionally lonely predicament. But this is self-chosen.
[J10]Scrooge’s authority is shattered. He is losing his old ‘voice’ and transforming?
[J11]Plea is an imperative. He has taken joy in the Fezziwigs. Why is this last scene so disturbing?
[J12]Ghost is absolutely clear in his role and the relationship of Scrooge to the events of his past.
[J13]Anguish. Imperatives again and suffering is palpable.
[J14]Revealing image. The Ghost is a composite of everything/everyone in Scrooge’s past life. ‘Wrestled’ indicates Scrooge’s agitation and alarm. He is learning and it is painful. Even on a visceral level.
[J15]Scrooge knows his defences are destroyed. The wall of ‘flint’ built around him through material gain crumbling revealing his pitiful emotional state.
[J16]Again , repetition revealing. Here shows that Scrooge is mentally and physically tormented but the Ghost is( obviously) beyond such dealings, existing in another realm.
[J17]Enlightenment and illumination disruptive and Scrooge absurdly tries to darken the light! Authority and cynicism are behind Scrooge. He is humiliated by his own choices and the pity and satire around Belle, crushes his spirit in a dramatic lesson.
[J18]Great quote. Truth cannot be denied.
[J19]Revelation. Facing up to the consequences of what he has done. Biblical terms too.
[J20]Vulnerable, all too human even childlike figure whose ‘heavy sleep’ prepares him for the next visitation. A sweet gesture of the ‘ cap a parting squeeze’ underlines the fragility and susceptibility of Scrooge who now seems a student? What does his ‘own bedroom’ represent? Sanctuary?
Excellent analysis of this classic story! Your insights are compelling and convincing. Makes me want to read the whole thing – hope you write more on it in the run up to Christmas?