A Christmas Carol, Stave 2 summary

What happens

1. At one o’clock, the Ghost of Christmas Past arrives and takes Scrooge into scenes that cannot see or hear them.
2. Scrooge weeps over his lonely younger self at school and wishes he had rewarded a boy singing at his door.
3. Fan arrives to bring her brother home, and the Spirit reminds Scrooge that her child is his nephew.
4. Fezziwig’s Christmas celebration makes Scrooge defend an employer’s power to give happiness and wish to speak to his clerk.
5. Belle releases Scrooge from their agreement because wealth rules him; another scene shows her happy household and his isolation.
6. Scrooge tries to cover the Spirit’s light, cannot stop its glow, and finds himself back in his bedroom before falling asleep.

In this stave

What to notice

Scrooge recognizes that kindness matters beyond its price. His defense of Fezziwig immediately turns his thoughts toward his own clerk.

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