A Christmas Carol

Text Guides

Character Analysis

The Ghost of Christmas Past

The Ghost of Christmas Past is the first of the three spirits to greet Scrooge. The spirit is characterised with a peculiar and obscure appearance. It seems to possess several characteristics of an elderly individual, yet nevertheless simultaneously has a youthful appearance. This reflects the elusive notion of time, and the intrinsic link between the past, present, and future. Most notably, the spirit has a beam of light which shoots from its head, only able to be extinguished by a cap which it carries with it. This light, and the white of its tunic, characterise the spirit as angelic or spiritual, connoting purity and divinity.

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