Stave 5

Test your knowledge with free interactive questions on Seneca — used by over 10 million students.

Stave 5: Christmas Day

Scrooge, happy to find himself back in his room and not doomed to the future he saw, is very joyful. He declares: “I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future!” and that “the Spirits of all Three shall strive within me”.

Scrooge's transformation

As he quickly gets dressed, Scrooge starts shouting “Merry Christmas!”
Scrooge announces: “I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a school-boy”.
Here, we see Scrooge’s personality completely change from his gloomy, melancholy attitude at the start of Stave 1.

Pathetic fallacy

Scrooge runs to the window and opens it. For the first time in the novella, there is “no fog” outside.
This could suggest that the metaphorical fog which had blocked the joy and goodness from his life has now been cleared away, leaving room for life and fun to sweep in and make him happy.

"Fine fellow"

He runs to the window and sees a boy outside: “What’s today, my fine fellow?”
- For the first time in the book, our older Ebenezer Scrooge speaks kindly to another human being.
- He uses the noun phrase “fine fellow”, suggesting that he sees this stranger as a fellow human being and is holding a nice, polite conversation with him. His attitude seems to have changed dramatically from Stave 1, where he chased the carol singer away with a ruler.

The turkey

Scrooge asks the boy to run to the poulterers (a butcher who only sells poultry) and buy the biggest turkey they have.
Scrooge asks him to take the turkey to Bob Cratchit’s house – he even says he will pay for a cab to take the boy there.
Dickens describes how Scrooge pays for the turkey and the cab with a “chuckle” – he then pays the boy with a “chuckle”, sits down with a “chuckle” and then “chuckled till he cried”.
The experiences with the Ghosts seem to have changed Scrooge dramatically – he suddenly wants to experience kindness, generosity and fun, instead of closing himself off to people.
He enjoys being charitable by helping the Cratchit family.

Stave 5: Christmas Day 2

Scrooge's interactions with the charitable men from Stave 1 and with Fred show how greatly he has changed from the novella's opening.

Embracing charity

Scrooge dresses in his best clothes and goes outside: “Scrooge regarded everyone with a delighted smile”.
He then sees one of the two men who had visited him the day before, asking for his help with their charity for the poor – he knows that the man will not be thinking kind things about him, but knows that he must rectify his mistakes.
He calls the man “dear sir”, showing him some respect, and then takes him “by both his hands”. Through his actions, he is almost pleading with this man to allow Scrooge to make things right.
He apologises to the man and offers him a huge sum of money for the poor.

Fred's party

Scrooge then goes to Fred’s house and has an excellent time – he enjoys a “wonderful party, wonderful games, wonderful unanimity, won-der-ful happiness!”

Stave 5: Cratchit

The next morning (Boxing Day), Scrooge arrives early at the office and waits for Bob Cratchit, whom he suspects will be late to work. Scrooge deliberately sits with a stern expression, making sure he will see Bob when he arrives.

Cratchit's salary

When Cratchit does arrive (“eighteen minutes and a half behind his time”), Scrooge growls at him and confronts him about being late.
Scrooge pretends to be furious at Cratchit for his lateness.
Suddenly, he announces: “and therefore I am about to raise your salary!”
Bob is confused and considers calling for people to come and take Scrooge away in a “strait-waistcoat”, as he thinks that Scrooge has gone mad.

Scrooge's transformation

Scrooge wishes Cratchit a Merry Christmas and promises to raise his salary and help to “assist your struggling family”.
In contrast to Stave 1, where he would not allow Cratchit to add coal to the fire because he didn’t want the expense, at the end of Stave 5 he tells Cratchit to “make up the fires and buy another coal-scuttle”.

Scrooge's transformation - structure

In terms of structure, Scrooge’s personality seems to have completely swapped around since Stave 1 – the final Stave shows his redemption, where he realises the errors of his ways and knows how to make things right.
In Stave 5, we see a complete contrast from his personality in Stave 1 – he goes out of his way to do the things he was so dead-set against earlier (such as giving to charity, treating other people as equals, and caring about others).

Summary

The small summary at the end of Stave 5 details Scrooge’s actions over time (which shows the reader that this change is a permanent one, and that Scrooge meant what he said when he told the ghost that he would learn from their lessons).
- “He was a second father” to Tiny Tim (who didn’t die young).
- He lives a happy life.
- He celebrates Christmas.
- He is a good citizen.