Ebenezer Scrooge

Ebenezer Scrooge
A Christmas Carol character
Scrooge (left) encounters "Jacob Marley's ghost"
Created by	Charles Dickens
Based on	Possibly John Elwes, Daniel Dancer, Jemmy Wood
Gender	Male
Occupation	Businessman[a]
Significant other	Belle (fiancée of Scrooge)
Relatives	Fan (late sister) Fred (nephew) an unnamed niece-in-law (named Clara or Bess in some adaptations)
Nationality	English (original)

Ebenezer Scrooge (/ˌɛbɪˈniːzər ˈskruːdʒ/) is a fictional character and the protagonist of Charles Dickens's 1843 novel, A Christmas Carol. Initially a cold-hearted miser who despises Christmas, his redemption by visits from the ghost of Jacob Marley, the Ghost of Christmas Past, the Ghost of Christmas Present, and the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come has become a defining tale of the Christmas holiday in the English-speaking world.

Dickens describes Scrooge thus early in the story: "The cold within him froze his old features, nipped his pointed nose, shrivelled his cheek, stiffened his gait; made his eyes red, his thin lips blue; and spoke out shrewdly in his grating voice." Throughout the novella, visits from the four ghosts show Scrooge the errors of his ways, and he transforms into a better, more generous man. 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.

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