![]() ![]() Scrooge rebuffs the invitation, but Fred refuses to be offended.Ī pair of prosperous gentlemen call at the office soliciting donations for those who cannot afford food or warmth over the holiday, but Scrooge refuses to contribute, blaming the poor for their supposed laziness if they have no money, he says, they should go to the workhouses or debtors’ prisons, and if they won’t do that, they should die and “reduce the surplus population” (6). ![]() Scrooge’s nephew, Fred, drops by the office full of cheer and invites Scrooge to join him and his new wife for Christmas dinner. Scrooge won’t allow him to add coal to the fire. ![]() His clerk, Bob Cratchit, huddles in the outer office, trying to warm himself with only a candle. It is Christmas Eve, but Ebenezer Scrooge-a businessman of some sort at a London warehouse-stubbornly refuses to acknowledge the holiday. The term “Scrooge” has become synonymous with a parsimonious and misanthropic individual, and the exclamation “Bah! Humbug!” remains a facetious commentary on any person who fails to embrace the “true spirit of Christmas.” Page numbers in this study guide reference the KTHTK Kindle e-book edition (July 26, 2022).Ĭontent Warning: The original text refers to Tiny Tim as “crippled,” which was accepted terminology at the time, but the term is now considered offensive. A Christmas Carol has been adapted for film 135 times and has never been out of print. ![]()
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