Marley was dead, to begin with. There is no doubt whatever about that. The register of his burial was signed by the clergyman, the clerk, the undertaker, and the chief mourner. Scrooge signed it. And Scrooge's name was good upon 'Change for anything he chose to put his hand to. Old Marley was as dead as a door-nail.
Interpretation
The quote emphasizes the undeniable reality of death, setting the stage for themes of redemption and transformation.
In this opening passage from 'A Christmas Carol', Charles Dickens establishes the fact of Marley's death with a meticulousness that underscores its importance to the narrative. By reiterating Marley's demise and the implications of his death, Dickens hints at the potential for change in Scrooge's life, suggesting that even those who seem unchangeable can experience profound transformation. The mention of official documents signifies that death is an inescapable truth that acts as a catalyst for the events to unfold, ultimately leading to reflections on life, legacy, and the opportunity for redemption.
In practice
During a discussion about the inevitability of death, one might quote this to emphasize the reality we all face.
I recollected one story there was in the village, how that on a certain night in the year (it might be that very night for anything I knew), all the dead people came out of the ground and sat at the heads of their own graves till morning.
A silent look of affection and regard when all other eyes are turned coldly away-the consciousness that we possess the sympathy and affection of one being when all others have deserted us-is a hold, a stay, a comfort, in the deepest affliction, which no wealth could purchase, or power bestow.
Heaven knows we need never be ashamed of our tears, for they are rain upon the blinding dust of earth, overlying our hard hearts. I was better after I had cried, than before--more sorry, more aware of my own ingratitude, more gentle.
There are not a few among the disciples of charity who require, in their vocation, scarcely less excitement than the votaries of pleasure in theirs.
You might, from your appearance, be the wife of Lucifer,” said Miss Pross, in her breathing. “Nevertheless, you shall not get the better of me. I am an Englishwoman.
Christmas is a poor excuse every 25th of December to pick a man's pockets.
There is nothing less to our credit than our neglect of the foreigner and his children, unless it be the arrogance most of us betray when we set out to "Americanize" him.
Can we ring the bells backward? Can we unlearn the arts that pretend to civilize, and then burn the world? There is a march of science; but who shall beat the drums for its retreat?
When we get up in the morning, what we put on is very much a reflection of how we see the world and how we want it to see us.
Consumerism has led us to become used to an excess and daily waste of food, to which, at times, we are no longer able to give a just value, which goes well beyond mere economic parameters. We should all remember, however, that throwing food away is like stealing from the tables of the the poor, the hungry!
Death is the essential condition of life, not an evil.
The consequences of our actions take hold of us, quite indifferent to our claim that meanwhile we have 'improved.
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