illustration of Ebenezer Scrooge in silhouette walking toward a Christmas tree and followed by the three ghosts

A Christmas Carol

by Charles Dickens

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Discussion Topic

The significance and role of Marley's ghost's bandage in "A Christmas Carol."

Summary:

The bandage on Marley's ghost in "A Christmas Carol" signifies the physical and emotional suffering he endures in the afterlife due to his greed and selfishness during his lifetime. It serves as a visual reminder of the consequences of his actions and foreshadows the potential fate awaiting Scrooge if he does not change his ways.

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What is the meaning and significance of Marley's ghost's bandage in A Christmas Carol?

Nowadays, most corpses are embalmed before burial.  Back in Victorian times when Dickens was writing, this was not so -- as muscles would relax and then firm under rigor mortis, corpses would be "frozen" in the position in which they died.  Many times this meant the jaw was slack and the mouth and eyes were open. To avoid having to look at the dead's final facial expression, immediately after death, common practice was to shut the jaw and keep it closed by wrapping a bandage around the head.  Dickens' readers would have been familiar with the practice, but a much later English work additionally suggests how eyelids were kept closed: "Now my advice for those who die / declare the pennies on your eyes...."

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Which bandage does Marley's ghost remove to convince Scrooge of his identity in "A Christmas Carol"?

The bandage that Jacob Marley removes is one wrapped around his head and chin. The bandage is first referred to as a kerchief, and it's...

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something Scrooge does not pick up on right away. Scrooge grows more and more desperate to convince himself that Marley's ghost is nothing more than the result of bad digestion, eventually dismissing the ghost entirely. In the face of Scrooge's skepticism, Marley's ghost raises "a frightful cry, and shook its chain with such a dismal and appalling noise, that Scrooge held on tight to his chair, to save himself from falling in a swoon." The ghost then unwinds the bandage around his head, "as if it were too warm to wear in-doors." Marley's lower jaw then falls onto his chest, and the horror of seeing such an appalling scene convinces Scrooge that the ghost is indeed real.

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