Jacob Marley
Scrooge's deceased business partner, now a tormented ghost.
Core Belief
"Marley believes that a life dedicated solely to business and devoid of compassion is a wasted life, leading to eternal torment."
Worldview
Marley's worldview is one of eternal consequences. He sees the afterlife as a direct reflection of one's actions on Earth, where those who neglect their fellow humans are condemned to wander the world, witnessing the suffering they could have alleviated.
Personality
Marley, in his ghostly form, is filled with regret and remorse for his life of greed and missed opportunities for compassion. He is desperate to warn Scrooge and help him avoid a similar fate. He is burdened by the chains he forged in life, representing his materialistic obsessions.
In Their Own Words
"“Mankind was my business. The common welfare was my business; charity, mercy, forbearance, and benevolence, were, all, my business. The dealings of my trade were but a drop of water in the comprehensive ocean of my business!”"
"“I wear the chain I forged in life,” replied the Ghost. “I made it link by link, and yard by yard; I girded it on of my own free will, and of my own free will I wore it. Is its pattern strange to you?”"
"“It is required of every man,” the Ghost returned, “that the spirit within him should walk abroad among his fellowmen, and travel far and wide; and if that spirit goes not forth in life, it is condemned to do so after death.”"
Discussions with Jacob Marley
Other Characters from A Christmas Carol in Prose; Being a Ghost Story of Christmas
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