Line #116 Characters/AChristmasCarol


1	The characters of Creator/CharlesDickens' timeless story, ''Literature/AChristmasCarol''.
2	----
3
4	[[foldercontrol]]
5
6	!Humans in the "Christmas Present" era
7	[[folder:Ebenezer Scrooge]]
8	----
9	* AbusiveParents: Well, abusive ''uncle'' to his nephew Fred. In his BadFuture, it's implied that Fred didn't mourn him when he died[[note]]although all we hear about Fred is that he manfully consoled Bob and offered to help, rather than talk about his own grief[[/note]]. Sadly, it is implied that he [[TheChainOfHarm became exactly like his neglectful and cruel father]] who sent him to a boarding school to get rid of him and chose to leave him there even when everyone else was on Christmas vacation.
10	* ActuallyPrettyFunny: Took his nephew's jokes about him at his Christmas party surprisingly well, only lamenting he wasn't there to hear it and laugh with everyone else.
11	* AdaptationalJerkass: Common in many versions of the play is that Scrooge's HeelFaceTurn doesn't happen until the end of the third vision; in the book, however, merely being shown the Christmas present--the joy his nephew has and the prospect of Tiny Tim's death--is enough for him to start regretting his earlier greed. This change has the unintended effect of making it look like Scrooge was only motivated out of self-interest, rather than genuine compassion.
12	* AffluentAscetic: Despite being very wealthy, his home is quite spartan, with minimal lighting and furniture, due to his extreme parsimony.
13	* TheAtoner: After completing his HeelFaceTurn, Scrooge is quick to rebuild bridges, becoming a good uncle to Fred, greatly improving Bob Cratchit's pay and work conditions, and gladly spreads his money around to those who need it.
14	* BadBoss: He's a horrid boss towards all of his employees, especially Cratchit. When he isn't working them tirelessly or yelling, he's expecting them to work in the freezing cold. [[BenevolentBoss Until the end, of course]].
15	* BeingEvilSucks: His greed doesn't just hurt those around him, but himself; he has alienated practically everyone around him and doesn't even seem to enjoy the money he's garnered beyond having it for its own sake.
16	* BreakTheHaughty: The whole story revolves around tearing him down and making him realize the error of his ways.
17	* CantBelieveISaidThat: A non-comedic version. Early on, he says that the poor should just die off. When the Ghost of Christmas Present [[IronicEcho throws that statement back in his face]] after showing Scrooge how the Cratchits are spending the holiday, he's utterly mortified.
18	* CharacterCatchphrase: He's called things he doesn't like "humbug" a few times.
19	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Part of the reason he hates Christmas so much is that he had it rough growing up; his absentee father abandoned him at a boarding school, his beloved sister died young, and his fiancée left him because he was too concerned about his money to return her love (and the only reason he started obsessing over money in the first place is that he was worried he wouldn't be able to support a family).
20	* DraggedOffToHell: Played with. Though the original story doesn't suggest it, many adaptations have this as Scrooge's implicit ultimate fate at the hands of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. Quite a few heavily imply it, while others [[WesternAnimation/MickeysChristmasCarol very explicitly]] '''show''' it. This all works very well with the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come's role as the [[ScareEmStraight Bad Cop]].
21	* DyingAlone: The threat of dying alone and unmourned is what ultimately leads him to change his ways.
22	* EasilyForgiven: Few of his acquaintances seem to hold his years of bad behavior against him after his HeelFaceTurn.
23	* EurekaMoment: At the climax of the story, Scrooge asks the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come if what it showed him where the shadows of things that ''would'' happen or shadows of what ''could'' happen. While the Ghost [[TheSpeechless does not answer]] the question, it is this realization what helps motivate Scrooge to change for good.
24	* EvenEvilHasStandards:
25	** He never wanted Tiny Tim to die, and he is disgusted at Old Joe's behavior even ''before'' he learns that it's ''his'' corpse the guy was looting.
26	** Although he complains bitterly at having to pay Cratchit for his Christmas holiday, Scrooge makes no attempt to refuse either the day off or the money even though he expects Bob to be there all the earlier the next day for the sake of his unearned half a crown.
27	** Scrooge is well-known for being scrupulously honest, and always fulfilling contracts to the letter. However, this cuts both ways; he isn't above ruining a poor couple instead of giving them a week extra to pay back a loan simply because those are the terms in the contract.
28	** It's also established that Scrooge, as ruthless as he is, doesn't break the law. He doesn't violate contracts and all the amoral stuff he does is entirely within his rights legally.
29	* EvilHasABadSenseOfHumor: [[InvertedTrope Inverted]]. One of the sure signs that Scrooge isn't as bad as he initially appears is that he has an excellent sense of humor if you drill down far enough. He responds to the phantoms with a sharp wit, and he takes the mockery of his person at Fred's party in such stride that he privately wishes he could join in the fun.
30	* EvilMalthusian: While not a major aspect of Scrooge's character, one early KickTheDog moment from him comes when he tells a solicitor that [[KillThePoor the poor should just die]] "and decrease the surplus population".
31	* EvilVirtues: As much of a miserable git as he is, Scrooge does have a few admirable traits even before his redemption:
32	** Honesty: As ruthless as he can be, Scrooge doesn't cheat people and he doesn't manipulate or sweet talk desperate people into loans or act like anything but what he is. He also keeps his word and never does anything illegal, only pursuing money he is legitimately owed and acting fully within the confines of the law.
33	** Hard work: Whatever can be said about Scrooge, he has a very rigid and admirable work ethic, even if it is mainly due to having nothing else in his life to devote his attention to.
34	** Temperance: Granted, he takes it to extremes but Scrooge is very self-disciplined and isn't foolish with his money or use it to solve any problem he faces. This is the flip side of his greed and one of the main things he learns to grow out of.
35	* FatalFlaw: '''Greed.''' It's shown that Scrooge has grown cold, bitter, and miserly in his elderly years. As his one-time lover Belle pointed out, his obsession with financial gain has caused him to stop caring about those less fortunate, as Scrooge believes that his money can protect him from the darkness in the world. The spirits who haunt Scrooge show him how this has made him unloved and uncared for, and it will result in Scrooge DyingAlone.
36	* FreudianExcuse:
37	** Seeing how many of Scrooge's unpleasant memories happened at Christmas time, as shown in the Christmas Past sequence, it's little wonder he's so down on the holiday.
38	** It's implied he spurns his nephew because the lad reminds him of his dead sister.
39	* FreudianExcuseIsNoExcuse: An unspoken yet clear element. While the Spirit of Christmas Past reveals that it took a lot of undue loneliness and pain to warp Ebenezer into the greedy miser he is today, the Spirit of Christmas Present makes it clear that his selfish ways end up inflicting a similarly unnecessary sorrow on those even less fortunate, and the Spirit of Christmas Future shows him the legacy of misery he will leave behind unless he changes his ways.
40	* FutureLoser: Scrooge's counterpart in the BadFuture isn't looked at fondly by anyone: his servants are robbing his home, his debtors are celebrating his death, and his fellow businessmen are wisecracking at his expense.
41	* FutureMeScaresMe: Scrooge is rightly terrified to see that his counterpart in the BadFuture is a pale corpse wrapped in a sheet, with everyone he knows either [[AndThereWasMuchRejoicing celebrating his death]] or [[LonelyFuneral not caring enough to attend his funeral]] after he [[DyingAlone died alone]], miserable, and indirectly though still very much responsible for the death of Tiny Tim.
42	* TheGadfly: He has a moment of this near the end of the story, when he yells at Bob Cratchit for being late, only to segue into offering him a raise and wishing him a merry Christmas.
43	* {{Gonk}}: The narration doesn't describe Scrooge's appearance very favorably:
44	-->''The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his [[SinisterSchnoz pointed nose]], shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; [[RedEyesTakeWarning made his eyes red]], his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice. A frosty rime was on his head, and on his eyebrows, and [[ThinChinOfSin his wiry chin]].''
45	* {{Greed}}: One of his fatal flaws is that his obsession with financial gain has caused him to stop caring about those less fortunate.
46	* TheGrinch: Played for drama and later subverted -- he hates Christmas, yes, but that's because he's had bad memories that took place on Christmas, and later he grows to appreciate it.
47	* GrumpyOldMan: He's elderly, and he has developed a sour attitude due to his FreudianExcuse and {{Greed}}.
48	* HatedByAll: It's established from the very beginning of the story that Scrooge is universally despised by everyone in London to the extent that in his BadFuture, not one person mourns his death or has anything nice to say about him. Indeed, one businessman remarks, "Old Scratch has got his own at last". "Old Scratch" is a euphemism for the Devil -- he is unashamedly saying that he's sure Scrooge has gone down to Hell.
49	* HeelFaceTurn: The entire story is meant to make him change for the better; Scrooge is one of the best-known instances of this trope in English literature, although by no means the oldest.
50	* TheHermit: Scrooge isn't entirely this -- as a businessman, he has to have ''some'' interaction with people, after all -- but on his own time he makes a point to shun human companionship and chooses to live alone in a gloomy, isolated building that's otherwise deserted at night. So, yeah.
51	-->To edge his way along the crowded paths of life, warning all human sympathy to keep its distance, was what the knowing ones call "nuts" to Scrooge.
52	* HiddenDepths: Perhaps, in contrast to Marley and his other peers, Scrooge was given a chance to change ''because'' he wasn't as hardened as they were. The entire point of the story is exploring Scrooge's past, understanding how he became the friendless, heartless miser he is today, and in the process, humanizing him. Each Ghost exposes a crack in Scrooge's armor and drives ruthlessly at it, but they're doing so for his own good.
53	** The Ghost of Christmas Past exposes Scrooge's unhappy childhood, and his insecurities over his breakup with Belle -- a breakup caused by his own greed. It also exposes exactly how miserable Scrooge truly is in his old age by juxtaposing it against his much-happier past, and does not shy away from pointing out that this is ''totally'' his own fault, an assessment Scrooge doesn't deny.
54	** The Ghost of Christmas Present viscerally shows Scrooge what he's missing out on; this is made even more effective by the preceding ghost showing him his old employer's lavish Christmas parties, where even the lowliest employees were made to feel welcome and valued. In contrast, Scrooge's employees express ''pity'' towards him.
55	** The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is the hammer striking at the cracks his preceding brothers have sown. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge [[DyingAlone what his path in life will lead to]], and also what kind of human suffering his callous indifference and ruthless greed will ''continue'' to cause by showing him Tiny Tim's funeral. This is ultimately what breaks Scrooge's resistance, even in adaptations that ''don't'' have the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come throwing him into Hell afterwards.
56	* HonestCorporateExecutive: For all his myriad faults, Scrooge is as good as his word when it comes to his business practices and never does anything illegal, even if the ethical nature of his actions and demeanor is questionable. Unfortunately, his insistence on following contracts to the letter cuts both ways; while he won't cheat people out of money, he also won't give them extensions.
57	* HonoraryUncle: After his redemption, Scrooge becomes a "second father" to Tim, and likely to the rest of the Cratchit children as well.
58	* IronicName: Ebenezer means "stone of ''help''". Turns into a MeaningfulName at the end.
59	* {{Jerkass}}: Early on, of course. He begins as a cruel and greedy boss who openly disdains other people.
60	* JerkassRealization: Is horrified when the Ghost of Christmas Present throws his callous comments about the poor back in his face.
61	* JerkWithAHeartOfGold: What his character ultimately boils down to; he's mean and greedy, but has hidden depths. There is almost no Jerkiness to him after his HeelFaceTurn.
62	* KickTheDog: Frequently does pointlessly cruel things, especially to Cratchit.
63	* LastNameBasis: While he's referred to as "Ebenezer" a few times in-universe, the narration only refers to him by his last name or his full name, but not his first name. The other characters in the story also primarily use his last name as well.
64	* MaternalDeathBlameTheChild: Ebenezer's sister Fan dies after giving birth to Fred in some adaptations, making this half the reason why he is so cold to his nephew. The other half is because Fred so closely resembles Fan in looks and personality. Some adaptations also give this as the reason why his own father neglected him.
65	* MeaningfulName: To "scrouge" means to squeeze something, alluding to his penny-pinching.
66	* MirrorCharacter: Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge, who were both fairly abusive bosses with similar faults. Scrooge learns from Marley's mistakes to avoid falling into the same fate.
67	* MyGreatestFailure: Giving up Belle, the only woman he truly loved, for his love of money is what drove him over the edge. In ''many'' adaptations, he’ll plead towards his younger-self to go after Belle.
68	* NiceGuy: After his redemption, Scrooge becomes this trope in spades, being completely selfless, ridiculously friendly, extremely generous with his vast fortune, unflinchingly kind, and [[TheAtoner willing to do whatever he can to right his past wrongs]].
69	* NoCelebritiesWereHarmed: He's based heavily on 18th century MP John Elwes who inherited a vast fortune and eventually had eight hundred thousand pounds (equivalent to over one-hundred and seventy million in the 2020's) yet insisted on living in squalor, refusing to even purchase candles, a fireplace or fix his roof despite the brutal English winters and regular rainfall, wearing old clothes and only buying new ones second hand and even eating old food and refusing to see doctors. Unlike Scrooge, however, he was known to be exceptionally generous with his fortune, often giving money freely to friends and family and never asking for it back or caring much about uncollected debts.
70	* NotSoAboveItAll: Even before his famous HeelFaceTurn, Scrooge is not as much of an emotionless, bitter, hardened miser as you would expect; even if it was assisted by the Spirits of Christmas Past and Present, he truly doesn't seem annoyed by the mockery shown towards his person at Fred's Christmas party.
71	* ObliviouslyEvil: He isn't actively malicious towards the poor; rather, his greed has blinded him to their plight, and his eyes wouldn't be opened to what they went through on a regular basis until that fateful Christmas Eve.
72	* OOCIsSeriousBusiness: PlayedForLaughs. The morning after the ghosts' visit, a reformed Scrooge briefly assumes his old {{Jerkass}} persona to mess with Bob Cratchit, and once he drops it, Bob is so confused and taken aback that he briefly considers ''attacking Scrooge and having him consigned to a straitjacket.''
73	* PragmaticVillainy: Before he even starts toward redemption, he grudgingly gives Cratchit the day off. Not out of any kindness for him, but because it's the path of least resistance to still getting work out of his clerk.
74	* RedemptionEarnsLife: After Scrooge realized the error of his ways, he became a much kinder person for it. Which ensured that Scrooge lived a much longer life than what was foreshadowed in the BadFuture.
75	* ReformedButNotTamed: While reformed, he's not afraid to {{troll}} Cratchit with his mean old persona.
76	* TheScrooge: He ''is'' the TropeNamer, and he's fittingly greedy, mean, and contemptuous towards Christmas.
77	* ScareEmStraight: The preceding Ghosts were meant to soften Scrooge up. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, the only Ghost he could possibly still influence, is by far the worst of the lot, but there are several hints that it's being so cruel to forcibly make Scrooge realize how dire his situation is. It works.
78	* SourOutsideSadInside: On the surface, Scrooge was shown to be a cynical and grouchy old man. But on the inside, he's a sad person who went through several misfortunes in life.
79	* TookALevelInKindness: After his experiences with the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, Scrooge vowed that he will be a much better person, and more willing to help others in need.
80	* UsedToBeASweetKid: He was once a very kind individual. A combination of his professional ambition and his own childhood misery buried it for many years.
81	* VillainProtagonist: Starts out as an irritable, greedy individual with no empathy for others. The spirits change that.
82	* VillainyFreeVillain: Scrooge isn't considered a bad person for doing anything evil or illegal, but ''not'' doing good, like using the fortune he's amassed over the years to help those less fortunate. His contempt for the poor and for any act of generosity is depicted by the book as a serious sin in of itself.
83	* WouldNotHurtAChild: Played with. The last straw for him is the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come showing him that his actions will ultimately consign Tiny Tim to an early grave. On the one hand, he previously expressed outright indifference at the very idea of the 'surplus population' perishing. On the other, this scenario is ultimately the single biggest thing to push Scrooge out of his cruel and miserly ways; not even his own unmourned funeral shakes him as hard as the sight of Tiny Tim's family burying him after being unable to even help him. Whether he was shaken because he saw his own future in this scenario, or because of Tim's death, is left to the audience. Most adaptations -- and the original story -- lean towards the latter interpretation.
84	[[/folder]]
85
86	[[folder:Bob Cratchit]]
87	----
88	* BrokenTears: In the BadFuture segment, he cries his eyes out over the death of Tiny Tim.
89	* GoodParents: He adores his children and the feeling is mutual.
90	* HappilyMarried: Loves his wife and the feeling is mutual.
91	* NiceGuy: A kind, caring family man. He doesn't even hold anything against his boss!
92	* OutlivingOnesOffspring: In the BadFuture segment, he's unfortunate enough to witness the passing of his young son. Thankfully, following Scrooge's HeelFaceTurn, this trope is averted in the real world.
93	* TheVoiceless: In the original text, Bob clearly has a speaking part in the first chapter, interacting with both Scrooge and his nephew, but almost everything he says is described by narration, while only Scrooge's responses are written[[note]]The one exception being "If quite convenient, sir."[[/note]]. The first time he gets a line of his own is much later, as Scrooge is seeing the Cratchit household sitting down to dinner. This demonstrates his working relationship with Scrooge pretty well, as a man who does valuable work for his employer yet is constantly dismissed and disregarded while showing that at home he's a respected head of the family.
94	[[/folder]]
95
96	[[folder:Tiny Tim]]
97	----
98	* DeathOfAChild: A little boy with an illness that has not only crippled him but is slowly ''killing him''. In the future where Scrooge never redeemed himself, poor Tim doesn't get the medical help he needs and dies very young.
99	* DelicateAndSickly: He's suffering from an unspecified illness that has already crippled his leg and will kill him unless his family can afford medical treatment.
100	* LittlestCancerPatient: His illness is never explicitly identified, but the trope still fits, being a pitiful young boy with a possibly-fatal illness. One theory is polio due to his having to use a crutch to walk; other popular theories are tuberculosis, rickets, or renal tubular acidosis. Whatever it is, it's at least treatable; his primary obstacle to good health is his family's poverty.
101	* NiceGuy: Tiny Tim is an incredibly sweet, kind-hearted, grateful, and even selfless little boy.
102	* SparedByTheAdaptation: Some adaptations change his fate in the future from being dead to becoming a permanent paraplegic or even an old miser like Scrooge in an attempt to make it more family-friendly. Granted, he doesn't actually die either way.
103	[[/folder]]
104
105	[[folder:Nephew Fred]]
106	----
107	* {{Determinator}}: Fred has never stopped inviting his uncle to Christmas dinner even though he never shows up. His invitations do get answered in the end once Scrooge has a genuine change of heart.
108	* EveryoneHasStandards: Although he isn't above the occasional jab at his uncle's expense, when someone else makes a particularly mean-spirited joke about Scrooge, Fred immediately tells them off. Scrooge may be a bad person for most of the story, but he's still ''family''.
109	* HappilyMarried: He's happy with his wife and family.
110	* InformedPoverty: Scrooge sneers at him for being poor, but he seems fairly well-off. This likely has more to do with Scrooge's idea of what constitutes "poor". Given Scrooge's miserliness, his grousing may be about Fred being more free and generous with his money.
111	* NiceGuy: Though he's not against taking a jab at his uncle when he's not around to scold him for it. Fortunately, the trip with the Present Ghost shows that Scrooge has a good sense of humor. Fred is otherwise a kind and charismatic man who absolutely loves Christmas and everything about it.
112	* NoFullNameGiven: We're never told his surname. Given that he's Scrooge's nephew by his sister, it's almost certainly not Scrooge.
113	* NotSoAboveItAll: The Present Ghost scene where he appears shows his cheeky side, taking cracks at his uncle when he's not present. Scrooge takes it in good enough humor to suggest that Fred isn't being terribly mean-spirited about it.
114	* PerpetualSmiler: People are shocked to learn that such a cheerful guy is Scrooge's nephew.
115	* ThePollyanna: He is cheerful, loving and kind despite having a cruel and emotionally distant uncle. He has no hatred of his uncle and still sees goodness within him as his sister (Fred’s mother) loved him.
116	* YouRemindMeOfX: It is implied that the reason why Scrooge is cold and distant towards him, is because he reminds him of his sister, and being around him brings up the painful memory of her death.
117	[[/folder]]
118
119	[[folder:Portly Gentlemen]]
120	----
121	* GoodSamaritan: Their main character trait is soliciting aid for the poor.
122	* NoNameGiven: They're not given names and the narration never calls them anything other than "the portly gentlemen"
123	* ThoseTwoGuys: There are two of them and they only partially affect the plot.
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Mrs. Dilber]]
127	----
128	* AdaptationalVillainy: In the Mr. Magoo version, right down to leading Old Joe, the Undertaker, and the Laundress in a hilarious VillainSong.
129	* CompositeCharacter: Many adaptations composite her with Scrooge's unnamed housekeeper who stole his bed curtains, sheets, and shirt, while in the book she was the laundress who stole his sugar tongs, boots, and spoons.
130	* DemotedToExtra: In most adaptations, she's almost certain to show up in the Christmas Future scenes, but they'll rarely mention that she's Scrooge's laundress.
131	* TheHelpHelpingThemselves: She happily pawns some of Scrooge's possessions after his death and is implied to have stolen from him during his life as well.
132	* NoSympathy: A rare sympathetic example. In Scrooge's BadFuture, she shows no remorse in pawning her boss's belongings after he dies. Given what Scrooge was like before his redemption, can you really blame her?
133	* ServileSnarker: ''Very'' frequently portrayed as one for Scrooge.
134	[[/folder]]
135
136	!The Ghosts/Spirits
137	[[folder:Jacob Marley]]
138	----
139	* AdaptationalAlternateEnding: The 2006 animated film has him freed from his damnation since he redeemed himself by saving Scrooge from suffering the same fate.
140	* AndIMustScream: Marley is forced to carry the burden of his greed for all of eternity, ForcedToWatch both the suffering that he benefited from in life, and all the surplus sorrow that he can never help now. Though he's breifly permitted a chance to help Scrooge (and by extension, the whole Cratchit family and all of London) with his warning.
141	* BrutalHonesty: His famous line when Scrooge asks for comfort, "I have none to give". Though not ''completely'' honest, as his offer of redemption should be comforting, he has no comfort for Scrooge as he currently lives.
142	* ChainedByFashion: He's forced to carry the chains of his greed forever.
143	* DeadToBeginWith: The TropeNamer; the story opens with extensive confirmation from the LemonyNarrator that Jacob Marley absolutely, beyond-a-shadow-of-a-doubt, died seven years ago. The narrator admits he's belaboring the point, but justifies it by saying that the audience simply must understand this or else the story isn't going to work.
144	* DecompositeCharacter: In Film/TheMuppetChristmasCarol, he is made into two characters, Jacob and his brother [[Music/BobMarley Robert]] Marley, so that [[ThoseTwoGuys Statler and Waldorf]] can both play him.
145	* EvenEvilHasLovedOnes: Despite being a greedy and abusive businessman, Marley was a close friend to Scrooge; it was this friendship that drove Marley as a ghost to pay a visit to Scrooge and warned him not to make the same mistakes he once made.
146	* FateWorseThanDeath: Although he's already dead, he's forced to wear heavy chains and wander the Earth, forever haunted by the mistakes he made in his life.
147	* GhastlyGhost: Marley's jaw is bound with a kerchief tied around his head, and, when removed, hangs down to the point that it dangles against the ghost's breastbone. (The handkerchief 'round the head was a widespread funereal practice to prevent rigor mortis from stiffening corpses' mouths in a permanent open position. Embalming was available, but expensive enough that a miser like Marley wouldn't put up for it.) In some adaptations of the story, Marley's ghost ''unhinges his jaw'' to scream.
148	* GhostlyWail: He lets out a frightful cry to scare Scrooge into listening to him, [[GhostlyGape unhinging his jaw]] for added effect.
149	* GoodIsNotSoft: He wasn't good in life, of course, but his one action in the present-day is an unambiguously selfless attempt to save his only friend from damnation. He does this by scaring him shitless and, when asked for comfort, says he has none to give.
150	* {{Greed}}: Like Scrooge, avarice was his fatal flaw. Thanks to it, he's forced to endure eternal punishment and never be able to pass on. His visit was nothing than to warn Scrooge from succumbing the same fate.
151	* JacobMarleyApparel: TropeNamer; he's wearing not only the same clothes he had on when he died, even the kerchief he was buried in; while he wasn't literally wearing chains upon his death, his ghost's chains are weighted down with lockboxes supposedly full of all of his ill-gotten money.
152	* JacobMarleyWarning: TropeNamer again; his condemned spirit visits the living world to warn Scrooge that he will suffer the same fate unless he changes his ways.
153	* LeanAndMean: He wasn't a good person, and in life, he was so thin that people joked that he had no innards (which, as the narration notes, can now be taken as fact when observing Marley's translucent ghost.) This is in fact intentional, an allusion to "shutting up bowels of compassion" mentioned in the [[Literature/TheBible First Letter of John.]]
154	* MirrorCharacter: Jacob Marley and Ebenezer Scrooge, who were both fairly abusive bosses with similar faults. Scrooge learns from Marley's mistakes to avoid falling into the same fate.
155	* MyGodWhatHaveIDone: His punishment was bad enough for him to feel this way about his life and warn his old friend Scrooge from going down the same path.
156	* MysteriousPast: Outside of the fact that Marley was just as greedy as Scrooge and that they were business partners, nothing else about Marley is explained, since the Christmas Past scenes (to give an example) cut off before Scrooge and Marley meet.
157	* OnlyFriend: As stated, Scrooge was Marley's "sole executor, his sole administrator, his sole assign, his sole residuary legatee, his sole friend, and sole mourner." However, the narration implies that the two were not particularly close, as Scrooge was barely affected by Marley's death, and even used the funeral as a business opportunity. It's left unclear whether this says more about Marley or about Scrooge.
158	* PosthumousCharacter: The novel begins with the narrator taking pains to make it clear to the reader that Marley is indisputably dead.
159	-->"This must be distinctly understood, or nothing wonderful can come of the story I am going to relate."
160	* ScareEmStraight: Marley's visit is the second-most horrific of the four Scrooge endures, but this is entirely to force him into taking the matter seriously, and force him to understand that he's going to end up ''even worse'' if he doesn't LISTEN.
161	* SpaceWhaleAesop: While the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows the worldly consequences of Scrooge's miserliness, Jacob Marley shows him that he'll be punished in the afterlife if he doesn't listen.
162	* ThrowTheDogABone: Most of the damned ghosts [[AndIMustScream are forced to observe the humanity they failed to help in life]]. Marley, despite his damnation, is at least able to do some good by warning his old business partner.
163	* ToxicFriendInfluence: It's heavily implied that Marley and Scrooge's partnership encouraged both men's worst tendencies.
164	* TragicVillain: To say karma hit him like a semi-truck would be an understatement; what's worse, unlike Scrooge, the book implies that he can never be free from it.
165	[[/folder]]
166
167	[[folder:The Wandering Spirits]]
168	----
169	* AdaptedOut: They don't seem to appear in many adaptations of ''A Christmas Carol.''
170	* AndIMustScream: It is quite haunting and sad to see them floating around the town trying to do what they did not in life, neither seen nor heard by those whom they want so desperately to help but no longer can.
171	* ChainedByFashion: They, like Marley, are often portrayed as being forever chained to weights, safes, etc.
172	* HeelFaceDoorSlam: '''Perpetually.''' They try to interfere for good in human affairs, but have lost their power to do so forever.
173	[[/folder]]
174
175	[[folder:Ghost of Christmas Past]]
176	----
177	* AlienGeometries: Its ''body'' is comprised of this trope, leading it to arguably become the most vulnerable of the three ghosts to [[AdaptationalSpeciesChange Adaptational Species Changes]] in adaptations.
178	-->''"... its belt sparkled and glittered now in one part and now in another, and what was light one instant, at another time was dark, so the figure itself fluctuated in its distinctness: being now a thing with one arm, now with one leg, now with twenty legs, now a pair of legs without a head, now a head without a body: of which dissolving parts, no outline would be visible in the dense gloom wherein they melted away. And in the very wonder of this, it would be itself again; distinct and clear as ever."''
179	* AmbiguousGender: Hence why it's referred to as an "it". Adaptations usually avert this, usually by portraying it as a woman or sometimes a little girl, but there are others that keep the trope in--the Mr. Magoo version (which also has Past appear ''after'' Present for some reason) is a good example, where the ghost is portrayed as a young child with long hair and a tunic, but there's no indication as to whether it's male or female.
180	* CreepyChild: In some adaptations, it's portrayed as a ghostly child. It's not ''always'' creepy, but more often than not it is.
181	* DarkAndTroubledPast: Shows the dark parts of Scrooge's past, such as his father being abusive.
182	* TheFaceless: Its description was so incredibly bizarre that Dickens's illustrator didn't even try to draw it.
183	* HumanoidAbomination: It's the most...''unusual'' of the three spirits with its form constantly flickering in and out of view and its visage constantly changing and shifting as it does so. Its entire body seems to operate on AlienGeometries.
184	* LightEmUp: Light is a major theme with this ghost, who actually has a vibrant beam of light emitted from its head.
185	* MsFanservice: Some adaptations make the Past Ghost an angelic young woman.
186	* MysticalWhiteHair: It has long, white hair and is a ghost that embodies Scrooge's past.
187	* OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous: It's a ghostly creature whose body comprises of AlienGeometries and whose gender is impossible to determine.
188	* OurAngelsAreDifferent: Though never outright stated, the book's description of it as an ethereal, glowing, flying, shapeshifting humanoid with a flame emanating from its head certainly suggests an angel. Made more explicit in adaptations.
189	* PensieveFlashback: It takes Scrooge and presumably others back to their younger days and gets them to reflect on who they were. Lampshaded when Scrooge finally gets fed up with it when he gets to the more painful memories.
190	-->"I told you, these are the shadows of things that ''have'' been. That they are what they are, do not blame me."
191	* PerpetuallyProtean: Its appearance is constantly changing, likely to remind us that recollections of the past can be fuzzy.
192	* TheSmurfettePrinciple: In some adaptations, the Past Ghost is the only woman among the spirits.
193	* TopHeavyGuy: The narration describes this spirit as having long, muscular arms and much smaller legs and feet.
194	* WasItReallyWorthIt: Unspoken: it shows Scrooge his past with Belle and then her happy life with her new love interest. The life Scrooge could've had had he loved Belle more than money. Some adaptations make it spoken.
195	[[/folder]]
196
197	[[folder:Ghost of Christmas Present]]
198	----
199	* AdaptationalNiceGuy: Several adaptations downplay his harshness to Scrooge's flaws to focus on his jovial idealism turning Scrooge around (especially since his bluntest lesson via Ignorance and Want is often AdaptedOut). Especially evident in ''Muppet Christmas Carol'', where he echoes Scrooge's cruelty only once, and has a much gentler and encouraging goodbye, which genuinely saddens Scrooge due to having formed a legitimate bond with him.
200	* BewareTheNiceOnes: He's the friendliest of the ghosts, but he's also the one who throws Scrooge's unkind words [[IronicEcho back at him]], and exposes him to Ignorance and Want, which is what really begins to rattle Scrooge.
201	* BigEater: Implied with the massive amount of food he's surrounded by when Scrooge first meets him.
202	* BigFun: He’s pretty big and is the most jovial of the ghosts.
203	* FaceDeathWithDignity: He knows that he's only able to exist for a single day and fully accepts that when that day ends, he'll die. When the time finally comes, he accepts his fate graciously.
204	* FatherChristmas: Fits the bill in appearance (he's fat), role (he helps a human on Christmas), and temperament (he's cheerful).
205	* FieryRedhead: Has red hair and is among the most festive characters one can imagine.
206	* TheHyena: Frequently lets out a hearty laugh. The ''Muppets'' adaptation has him go "Ho, ho, ho!" to highlight his already-strong resemblance to [[SantaClaus another Christmastime character.]]
207	* KilledOffForReal: As the ghost of the present, he only lives as long as the present lasts.
208	* LargeHam: A very energetic and loud individual.
209	* ManlyFacialHair: He's a large, boisterous, jovial man with a cool beard.
210	* MassiveNumberedSiblings: 1800 brothers came before him, all representing Christmases of times past, and it's implied that many more will come afterward.
211	* NiceGuy: A friendly, jovial individual who expresses saintlike patience with Scrooge.
212	* NoShirtLongJacket: He's described as wearing a long robe with no shirt underneath.
213	* ParentalSubstitute: PlayedForDrama with Ignorance and Want, the [[CreepyChild monstrous children]] who cling to him beneath his robes. The Ghost explains that Ignorance and Want belong to mankind, but since humanity refuses to accept their responsibility for the children, he has to care for them instead.
214	* RapidAging: As the embodiment of Christmas as a single day, he grows old and dies fairly quickly. It's implied that the same fate occurred to all of his 1800 brothers who came before him.
215	* TheReasonYouSuckSpeech: Doles out some ''devastating'' words to Scrooge by throwing his own words back at him:
216	--> 'If he be like to die, he had better do it, and decrease the surplus population.'\
217	Scrooge hung his head to hear his own words quoted by the Spirit, and was overcome with penitence and grief.\
218	'Man,' said the Ghost, 'if man you be in heart, not adamant, forbear that wicked cant until you have discovered What the surplus is, and Where it is. Will you decide what men shall live, what men shall die? It may be, that in the sight of Heaven, you are more worthless and less fit to live than millions like this poor man's child. Oh God! to hear the Insect on the leaf pronouncing on the too much life among his hungry brothers in the dust.'
219	* SadClown: He's easily the most jovial and personable of the spirits, but he's seen some dark stuff.
220	* ShortLivedOrganism: The Spirit of Christmas Present can only live for the duration of Christmas itself -- he states that his life ends at midnight -- and suddenly ages and turns grey-haired towards the end of his journey with Scrooge.
221	[[/folder]]
222
223	[[folder:Ignorance and Want]]
224	----
225	* AdaptedOut: Frequently left out of adaptations, presumably because they're considered "too scary". This wouldn't be so bad if it weren't for the fact that they were valuable to Scrooge's redemption.
226	* CreepyChild: Both of them are silent, wraithlike creatures that resemble children and cling to the Ghost of Christmas Present.
227	* CreepyTwins: Possibly, but it's never elaborated on. Many adaptations that include them seem to invoke this idea by having them look similar to each other, though.
228	* EnfantTerrible: Both of them are little kids and they're said to both be evil and to be avoided, but Ignorance especially.
229	* FatalFlaw: They each represent the horrible things that can come from ignorance and deprivation.
230	* TheHeartless: Both were born from mankind's greed and selfishness, Want representing deprivation due to neglect and Ignorance representing unwillingness to acknowledge said deprivation.
231	* HumanoidAbomination: Present states that they were [[TheHeartless made by mankind's own selfishness and ignorance.]]
232	* HumansAreFlawed: "Spirit, are they yours?" "They are ''man's!''"
233	* MonsterBrotherCutieSister: Downplayed in the 2001 adaptation, where Want is slightly nicer-looking than Ignorance. It also helps that she actually smiles when the Ghost says the poor can be helped, while Ignorance's face is constantly contorted into a grimace.
234	* PerpetualPoverty: Want represents systems that keep people impoverished and without access to basic necessities. Ignorance represents the unwillingness of others to acknowledge this.
235	[[/folder]]
236
237	[[folder:Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come]]
238	----
239	* AdaptationalSpeciesChange: Of sorts--in [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Christmas_Carol_(Shower_of_Stars) one version]], it's depicted as a mynah bird.
240	* AdaptationalVillainy: Happens on occasion, due to it being the most menacing of the spirits. Both of the Disney versions are probably the best examples, wherein the spirit straight up tosses Ebenezer into ''Hell'' and in one version [[EvilLaugh laughs mockingly at him]] as he desperately tries to scramble back up. [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed,]] though, as his core intention has always remained to [[ScareEmStraight scare Scrooge into changing for the better.]]
241	* AmbiguousGender: Since it wears a face-concealing cloak and never speaks, it's not clear whether this spirit is supposed to be male or female.
242	* BlackCloak: In just about every adaptation, it is depicted as wearing a dark cloak.
243	* BrutalHonesty: Manages to be this ''without saying a word''. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come bluntly shows Scrooge exactly what will happen if he doesn’t change his ways.
244	* CreepyGood: While he's a terrifying, shadowy, skeletal spirit, his ultimate purpose is to convince Scrooge to change his ways by [[ScareEmStraight showing him what will happen if he doesn't.]]
245	* CruelToBeKind: As harsh and terrifying as it is, The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come isn’t less well intentioned then Past and Present.
246	* DarkIsNotEvil: Terrifying, yes, but it exists to teach Scrooge a valuable lesson even if adaptations have him be rather mean-spirited and sadistic about it.
247	* DemBones: Many adaptations portray it as a walking or floating skeleton, but notably the book says nothing of the sort; its hand is described as being very thin and pale, but it's at least implied to have skin on it.
248	* TheFaceless: Its face is always obscured by its hood, though Scrooge is described as having the unsettling feeling that a pair of eyes are watching him from beneath the hood, suggesting that it does have a face and he just can't see it.
249	* GivingSomeoneThePointerFinger: Its sole means of communicating since it never speaks, it just balefully points to whatever it wants Scrooge to see.
250	* GoodIsNotSoft: Its job is to make Scrooge realize the error of his ways, but it decidedly does NOT pull its punches doing so.
251	* TheGrimReaper: What it looks like in that it wears a dark cloak, carries a scythe, and sometimes is portrayed as a skeleton. [[spoiler: In some versions, this is what it reveals itself to be just before it sends Scrooge plummeting into hell.]]
252	* InTheHood: Has a hood that always covers its face.
253	* LiteralGenie: In a way. Christmas Yet To Come is the only ghost who actually does anything Scrooge asks, but -- both because it wouldn't do his redemption any good to give him what he wants, and because there legitimately ''isn't'' any of what he wants (tenderness and goodness in the BadFuture) to give -- the spirit only gives him the letter of what he asks for. When he asks for joy at his passing, Scrooge is taken to someone happily selling away his stolen, discarded possessions. When he asks for tenderness, he is taken to the Cratchits mourning Tiny Tim. When he asks to go home, he is taken to his future grave.
254	* LivingShadow: In the Zemeckis version, it appears as Scrooge's shadow, symbolizing the fact that it, like the rest of the spirits, is a part of Scrooge himself.
255	* NightmareFuelStationAttendant: The biggest one. It has no visible face, never speaks, is shrouded in darkness wherever it goes and most terrifyingly never seems to do ''anything'' besides lead Scrooge along and point passively at what he's meant to see. Even in adaptations, its appearance almost always [[KnightOfCerebus heralds]] the [[DarkerAndEdgier darkest]] point of the story. Even in LighterAndSofter adaptations and parodies.
256	* NothingIsScarier: Its very existence is a rather ingenious allegory for how frightening and unknown the future truly is--it has no visible face, never speaks, is shrouded in darkness wherever it goes and most terrifyingly never seems to do ''anything'' besides lead Scrooge along and point passively at what he's meant to see. And the icing on the cake? Its resemblance to the Grim Reaper provides a haunting reminder of the future's sole constant: ''[[WeAllDieSomeday death]].''
257	* NotSoStoic: It's mostly detached and emotionless while dealing with Scrooge, but its hand is noted to start trembling when he starts begging it to tell him if his future can be changed.
258	* ScareEmStraight: Its purpose is to encourage change in the people it interacts with by showing them whom and what their actions could affect in the future, and said effects are often unpleasant to say the least.
259	* TheSilentBob: It never speaks but gets its [[{{Pun}} point]] across regardless.
260	* TheSpeechless: It never talks and may not even be ''able'' to talk. Since the future is always in flux, saying anything one way or the other would ruin any attempt at Scrooge's salvation. The only hint is a subtle trembling hand when Scrooge comes to the conclusion himself that this future can be changed.
261	* ToughLove: Quite possibly the toughest, most terrifying love in any other work of fiction. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is famous for how horrifically blunt it is about how no one will miss Scrooge when he passes and how his life will leave nothing but misery, but it’s just as well-intentioned as the other spirits.
262	* WellIntentionedExtremist: He's a pretty horrific spirit who goes to great lengths to scare Scrooge and make him change his ways. With that said, he is just as well-intentioned and helpful as the rest of the ghosts.
263	[[/folder]]
264
265	!Humans in the "Christmas Past" era
266	[[folder:Fan]]
267	----
268	* CoolBigSis: Scrooge's kind sister. Her death very badly affected him. Inverted, as she's much younger than Scrooge, though some adaptations make her older.
269	* DeathByChildbirth: The book never says how she died, but several adaptations reveal that she died after giving birth to Fred. In these adaptations, this is why Scrooge [[MaternalDeathBlameTheChild dislikes his nephew.]]
270	* DependingOnTheWriter: The adaptations vary on whether Fan was older or younger than her brother Scrooge.
271	* NiceGirl: Fan was a kind-hearted and sweet person.
272	[[/folder]]
273
274	[[folder:Mr. Fezziwig]]
275	----
276	* BenevolentBoss: He was a great boss to Scrooge and Dick Wilkins, his two apprentices. Scrooge admits he couldn't have worked for a kinder man.
277	* BigFun: And how! He could give Fred's Christmas spirit a run for his money.
278	* BoisterousBruiser: A big guy with a huge amount of energy.
279	* CoolOldGuy: Scrooge certainly thought he was a swell guy.
280	* DeathByOriginStory: Passed away sometime after Scrooge left his service. Considering the fact that Scrooge is an old man it would be a bit unnatural if he didn't.
281	* NiceGuy: A jovial, friendly, generous man. Scrooge emphasises to the Spirit that it's not even the money Fezziwig spends on the party so much as the way his good humour makes his employees' lives jollier in many ways.
282	* SparedByTheAdaptation: Muppets Christmas Carol has him (played by Fozzie, as Fozziwig) in a retirement home at the end of the movie, where Scrooge gives him a gift.
283	[[/folder]]
284
285	[[folder:Belle]]
286	----
287	* AscendedExtra:
288	** Appears in a more prominent role in the 2001 version and gets a backstory (her father was a coachman who drank, and Scrooge met her because she was friends with Fan).
289	** In general, most adaptations show her attending Fezziwig’s ball while the book has no mention of her being present at the ball.
290	** In ''{{Film/Scrooged}}'', her counterpart, Claire, is a much bigger consistent throughout the film that the Scrooge character still talks to in the present. An added stake to the BadFuture is him [[HeelRealization realising his influence will corrupt her to be as cold-hearted as he was]]. The ending also has the two reconcile and get back together.
291	* {{Beauty Equals Goodness}}: Belle was a kind and honest young woman and very beautiful.
292	* CompositeCharacter: In the 2001 version, in which Belle’s role is extended, she is combined with one of the people (unnamed in the book) whom the Ghost of Christmas Yet To Come shows to rejoice at having more time to pay off their debt. Unlike the unnamed woman, though, Belle isn’t willing to rejoice. [[CanonForeigner Dr. Lambert]] tries to get her to dance, but she runs away in tears.
293	* LoveInterest: Was Scrooge's fiancée. They were very much in love, but they never had a wedding due to Scrooge’s greed.
294	* NiceGirl: Belle was a beautiful, kind, fair, and modest woman. In an age when ending an engagement was very serious business, she simply accepts that she cannot now make Scrooge happy and releases him from his obligation without disgrace.
295	* TheOneThatGotAway: She was a sweet and wonderful woman who loved Scrooge. Due to his greed and his putting off the wedding, she broke the engagement with him. Scrooge in his old age regrets never going after her or being the man she deserved.
296	* RelatedInTheAdaptation: While there is no mention of Belle’s family in the book, in some adaptations, such as the 1970 version, she is Fezziwig’s daughter.
297	* WhateverHappenedToTheMouse: In most adaptations, nothing is ever revealed about her present or future. She just walks out of Scrooge's life and is never seen or heard of ever again. In the original story, the Ghost of Christmas Past shows she is now happily married to someone else, but she still doesn't appear after that.
298	** Averted in the 1951 film adaption, where she is shown in the present volunteering her time at a homeless shelter. Naturally a few other adaptations such as ''{{Film/Scrooged}}'' and the [[Film/AChristmasCarol2000 2000 UK adaptation]] add onto the HappyEnding by showing her get back to together with Scrooge.
299	[[/folder]]
300
301	!Humans in the "Christmas Yet to Come" era
302	[[folder:Old Joe]]
303	----
304	* AscendedExtra: Appears in the present time as well in the 2001 adaptation.
305	* CardCarryingVillain: The most unambiguously evil character in the story -- although still pretty small beer next to the likes of Fagin or Bill Sykes, for a start.
306	* EvilCounterpart: Could be seen as "Scrooge but WORSE", being a greedy, selfish old man who will do anything for a profit. He's less harmful in that, being far poorer, he has less potential to actively ''ruin'' people's lives, but he is willing to aid and abet petty theft, while the narration emphasized early on that Scrooge was an HonestCorporateExecutive despite his heartlessness.
307	* EvilLaugh: He and his cronies love to laugh evilly in the 2001 adaptation.
308	* {{Greed}}: Pawns Scrooge's belongings after he dies.
309	* KarmaHoudini: Doesn't get a punishment in most versions; averted in the 2001 version where Scrooge (who employs him) fires him.
310	[[/folder]]

Context Characters / AChristmasCarol