A Dickensian Warning for the Victorian era.

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come.

Following the journey through Scrooge’s encounters with the Ghosts of Christmas Past and Present, Dickens masterfully introduces the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come as a shadowy harbinger of potential doom. This ghost looms as the starkest reminder of what could happen should the lessons of responsibility and community be ignored. Dickens, ever the social commentator, crafted this spectral guide to embody Victorian anxieties about mortality, moral consequence, and the social ills of their time.

This ghostly journey serves as the ultimate ‘context spectacle’ - a lens through which Dickens implores us to peer into the potential, and perhaps inevitable, impact of our present actions on our future. Borrowing from Learning from My Mistakes in English’s (Chris Curtis) blog on context spectacles, we can apply this same critical lens to see how Dickens deftly uses both the character of Scrooge and this formidable Ghost to mirror, confront, and hopefully change our own behaviours.

Scrooge’s Journey as a Reflection of Societal Choices

In this spectral encounter, Scrooge is both terrified and humbled. He finds himself in graveyards, shadowy streets, and with people he once knew, all illustrating the painful realities of a life spent alone. This scene forces him to witness his own death. Not in a place of mourning, surrounded by loved ones, but forgotten and dismissed. Dickens cleverly uses this scene not only to awaken Scrooge but also to confront his readers with an uncomfortably possible future. This is where the genius of Dickens shines: his ability to merge individual transformation with a broader social message. As educators, this passage offers an essential opportunity to encourage students to think beyond themselves and recognise the ripple effects of personal and collective choices. The Victorian audience would acknowledge Scrooge’s journey as a microcosm of societal challenges. For Dickens, this tale was more than fiction; it was a warning wrapped in allegory, aimed at readers who, like Scrooge, had the chance to alter their path.

The Ghost as a symbol.

Morality, Legacy and Redemption. The silent, foreboding nature of the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come serves as a mirror to Victorian attitudes toward death and the afterlife. Unlike the previous ghosts, this final phantom does not offer guidance through dialogue but instead uses stark images of what lies ahead – a reflection of the Victorians' fascination with and fear of death. As Ready to Teach: A Christmas Carol notes, this ghost can be seen as a product of Dickens’ complex views on legacy: it confronts Scrooge with an unvarnished look at his potential future, should he continue in selfishness.

Through Scrooge’s transformation, Dickens suggests that redemption is within reach for all, and he uses the ghost as a powerful reminder that our choices shape not only our lives but also how we are remembered. His message is clear: Victorian England, with all its wealth and innovation, must strive for collective improvement, lest they be remembered like the lonely, unloved figure Scrooge fears he may become.

Class, Responsibility and the Dickensian Message

Haili Hughes’ A Christmas Carol reminds us that Dickens’ ghostly tale is rich in social critique, particularly of the period's harsh class divides. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come speaks volumes without words, presenting images of poverty, neglect, and societal apathy that would resonate with Victorian readers familiar with these everyday realities. Dickens uses the ghost as a mouthpiece to question personal responsibility in a rapidly industrialising world. The ghost’s visions highlight that ignoring poverty and class disparity leads to societal decay—a warning both relevant then and still resonant today.

A Dickensian Lesson for Today’s Students

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is not just a figure of fear; it’s an invitation to consider how one’s actions ripple through the lives of others. Encouraging students to explore Dickens’ social critiques enables them to view literature not only as an academic exercise but as a call to action in their own lives. When I teach this stave, I encourage my students to consider Dickens’ perspective on context. His Victorian readership lived in a world where poverty and social disparity were rampant, moreover Dickens, a fierce social critic, understood that a story could change the public’s awareness and, potentially, their behaviour. Context provides the ‘spectacles’ through which we can all examine how past decisions inform our future.

This ghost is entirely mute, forcing Scrooge to confront his fears, unravel the symbolism, and internalise what he sees. For students, this presents an invaluable exercise in interpretation and empathy.

Dickens asks us all: What legacy do we leave behind?

References

Dickens, C., 1843. A Christmas Carol.

Pryke, S., and Staniforth, A., 2022. Ready to Teach: A Christmas Carol – A Compendium of Knowledge, Resources and Pedagogy. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational.

Hughes, H., 2024. GCSE English Literature for AQA: Boost – A Christmas Carol: With all you need to know for GCSE English Literature. London: David Fulton.

Learning from My Mistakes English, 2023. Putting on those context spectacles.