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Irony
Explanation and Analysis—Fun and Games:
Scrooge spends much of the text begging to return to reality, and yet during his encounter with the Ghost of Christmas Present, he begs to continue the dream:
The Ghost was greatly pleased to find him in this mood, and looked upon him with such favour that he begged like a boy to be allowed to stay until the guests departed. But this the Spirit said could not be done.
In this scene, Scrooge actively participates in games at a party with his family. He is compared to a "boy," which indicates that a partial transformation has taken place. He begins to take on some of the positive characteristics of a child as his miserly gruffness is replaced by youthful energy. The Ghost, who strives to teach him a lesson about the importance of generosity and goodwill, takes pleasure in watching Scrooge enjoy the scene. This moment is an ironic reversal of the second stave, in which Scrooge begs to go home and the ghost insists he stay and learn his lesson. Throughout the story, Scrooge becomes more amenable to learning lessons from each spirit. Moments like this have definite ironic tension; Scrooge used to act grumpy and awful, but now he unexpectedly begins to realize the consequences of his attitude.
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