Ebenezer Scrooge is the miserly protagonist of Charles Dickens's novella A Christmas Carol, published in 1843, whose name has since entered common English usage as a synonym for stinginess and misanthropy. A wealthy London moneylender who despises Christmas and treats his overworked clerk Bob Cratchit with contempt, Scrooge is visited on Christmas Eve by the ghost of his dead business partner Jacob Marley, who warns him of the fate awaiting unrepentant greed, and then by three spirits, the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come, who show him scenes from his own lonely childhood, the hardship of the Cratchit family including their ailing son Tiny Tim, and the bleak, unmourned death that awaits him if he does not change. Shaken by what he witnesses, Scrooge wakes transformed into a generous and warm-hearted man who embraces Christmas and cares for those around him. The novella and Scrooge's redemption arc have become central to the modern popular conception of the Christmas holiday in the English-speaking world.
Facts
Narrative RoleSourced to the subject's own accountProtagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novella A Christmas Carol, a cold-hearted miser redeemed by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Yet to Come. 1 Defining TraitSourced to the subject's own accountHis surname has entered the English language as a byword for greed and misanthropy, and his catchphrase "Bah! Humbug!" is still used to voice disgust with modern Christmas traditions. 1 Narrative role (class)Sourced to the subject's own account Connections
Sources
1. Ebenezer Scrooge (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationLead section, paragraph 1
Initially a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, his redemption by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley and the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come has become a defining tale of the Christmas holiday in the English-speaking world.
Lead section, paragraph 3
Scrooge's last name has entered the English language as a byword for greed and misanthropy, while his catchphrase, "Bah! Humbug!" is often used to express disgust with many modern Christmas traditions.
View the Source Frequently Asked Questions
Where did Charles Dickens get the name Scrooge?
Most likely from the older English word scrouge, meaning to squeeze or press, fitting a miser who squeezes every penny.
Scholars generally trace Ebenezer Scrooge's surname to the older English dialect word scrouge, meaning to squeeze, crowd or press, a fitting root for a miser defined by grasping tightness with money. The name had no earlier currency as a common surname before A Christmas Carol was published in 1843; the book itself made Scrooge a byword for a miser in general English usage.
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