A Christmas Carol, Stave 4 summary

What happens

1. The silent Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come leads Scrooge to businessmen who discuss a death with indifference.
2. At old Joe's shop, three people sell belongings stolen from the dead man, including his bed curtains and burial shirt.
3. Scrooge sees an unattended corpse, then a family whose anxiety eases because their harsh creditor dies.
4. The Cratchits mourn Tiny Tim, and Bob describes the kindness of Scrooge's nephew.
5. Scrooge finds another occupant in his office and reads his own name on a neglected gravestone.
6. He begs to change the future and promises a different life as the Phantom shrinks into a bedpost.

In this stave

What to notice

Scrooge asks whether the visions show a fixed fate. His question connects fear of death with the hope that different choices can change its circumstances.

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