The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come in A Christmas Carol
- Silent
- Dark
- Ominous
The final Ghost is frightening and eerie. It doesn't say a word to Scrooge, but glides along and points out scenes to him.
The spirit first shows Scrooge a funeral scene, with businessmen wondering about the money that the dead man has left. The Ghost then takes him through dark alleyways to a scene of three people picking through the belongings of the deceased. Scrooge recognises that his own death could be met this way.
Next the Ghost takes him to the Cratchit household where Scrooge is upset to realise that Tiny Tim has died.
Finally the Ghost shows him a tombstone engraved with the name: Ebenezer Scrooge. Clutching at the spirit's robes, Scrooge pledges to change his ways if he can avoid this solitary death. The Ghost disappears and leaves Scrooge clutching at his bed curtains.
Learn more about the three ghosts in this podcast
Listen to the full series on BBC Sounds.
| How is The Ghost like this? | Evidence | Analysis | |
| Silent | This last ghost does not speak at all. It is the most haunting in appearance. | ...a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards him. | Dickens shows a 'solemn' and spooky spirit in the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. |
| Frightening | The ghost fills Scrooge with terror. | Scrooge feared the silent shape so much that his legs trembled beneath him, and he found that he could hardly stand when he prepared to follow it. | The presence of this ghost makes Scrooge afraid. His trembling legs and inability to stand firm show how he is worried about the future that the ghost will show him. |
| Demanding | The ghost points wherever he wants Scrooge to look and does not move until he obeyed. | Still the Ghost pointed with an unmoved finger to the head. | The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come silently demands that Scrooge pays attention. The spirit's silence is unrelenting. |
| Silent | |
|---|---|
| How is The Ghost like this? | This last ghost does not speak at all. It is the most haunting in appearance. |
| Evidence | ...a solemn Phantom, draped and hooded, coming, like a mist along the ground, towards him. |
| Analysis | Dickens shows a 'solemn' and spooky spirit in the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come. |
| Frightening | |
|---|---|
| How is The Ghost like this? | The ghost fills Scrooge with terror. |
| Evidence | Scrooge feared the silent shape so much that his legs trembled beneath him, and he found that he could hardly stand when he prepared to follow it. |
| Analysis | The presence of this ghost makes Scrooge afraid. His trembling legs and inability to stand firm show how he is worried about the future that the ghost will show him. |
| Demanding | |
|---|---|
| How is The Ghost like this? | The ghost points wherever he wants Scrooge to look and does not move until he obeyed. |
| Evidence | Still the Ghost pointed with an unmoved finger to the head. |
| Analysis | The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come silently demands that Scrooge pays attention. The spirit's silence is unrelenting. |