Towards
the end of Stave Two, the Ghost of Christmas Past brings Scrooge to visit his former fianc©s
home as they celebrate the holidays. Belle's family is depicted as a joyful, boisterous group,
who loves each other and rejoices in the Christmas spirit. Upon entering his home, Belle's
husband is showered with hugs and kisses from his children, who are anxious to open their gifts.
Once the children go to bed, Scrooge watches as Belle and her husband have an intriguing
conversation about their day. Belle's husband proceeds to tell her that he saw Scrooge working
by himself while his lowly clerk seemed to be "upon the point of death." Belle's
husband then comments that Scrooge was "Quite alone in the world..." (Dickens, 43).
Upon witnessing Belle's lovely family and overhearing the conversation with her husband, Scrooge
is overcome with sorrow and begs the Spirit to take him home.
Given Scrooge's
reaction, one can surmise that the Ghost of Christmas Past wanted to give Scrooge insight into
the life that he missed out on by choosing business and money over love and happiness. By
showing Scrooge his former fianc©s happy life, Scrooge regrets his past decisions and realizes
that he made an awful mistake. The function of the three ghosts is to influence Scrooge to
change his character and transform into a benevolent, selfless man, who cares about humanity and
is interested in others. Scrooge's visit to Belle's home proves that a stable life with a caring
family is superior to experiencing a lonely life full of greed.
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