When Scrooge tells the
Ghost of Christmas Present that he has never met anyone like the ghost before, the spirit is
somewhat incredulous. The spirit is quite large, and he has a "genial face," a
generous nature, and a "joyful air"; he wears an evergreen wreath atop his long, curly
hair, a long green robed trimmed with white, and an "antique scabbard" without a sword
and only a rusty sheath. His symbolism looms large, and it helps us to understand the
implications of Scrooge's alienation from the spirit's "eighteen hundred"
brothers.
The spirit is cheerful and goodqualities which are foreign to
Scrooge. Further, he wears an evergreen wreath; evergreen is associated with Jesus Christ
because he represents eternal life (evergreens stay green all year and do not lose their leaves
and seem to die in winter). Scrooge does not seem to be a spiritual man. At least, he certainly
does not act in a Christian manner to his fellows. The ghost's lack of a weapon, his bare
chest, and even his want of shoes seems to show that he is gentle and that he has no need of
protection from the world because he would not engage in any kind of aggression. He is peaceful,
loving, and generous.
Scrooge is none of these things. Therefore, when
Scrooge declares that he has not known any of the spirit's brothers (one for each Christmas
since the birth of Christ), it is not only a relationship with the spirits that he denies, but a
complete understanding of what it means to be a good person. He possesses zero of the qualities
represented by the spirit himself.
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