Question
Quotation: "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." Marley's Ghost Explain the significance of the quotation
Answer
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Lana
Master · Tutor for 5 years
Answer
The significance of the quotation lies in its emphasis on personal responsibility and moral consequence. Marley's ghost, bound in chains, communicates that our actions in life make lasting impressions, or links. He warns Scrooge, and the reader, that misguided actions have lasting consequences. The chains serve as a reminder of Marley's regrettable actions in his previous life, underscoring the morality tale of Dicken's story and serve as a critique of greed and selfishness. It also presents a stark warning that humans can become enslaved by the misdeeds and behaviors perpetuated during a lifetime. Hence, through Marley, Dickens suggesting that each person has the capacity to make choices that can determine the course and impact of their existence.
Explanation
The given quotation is taken from Charles Dicken's famous Novella 'A Christmas Carol'. In this excerpt, the ghost in question is the deceased Jacob Marley, erstwhile business partner of the protagonist, Ebenezer Scrooge. Marley's Ghost visits Scrooge in order to warn him about the consequences of his miserly life, having personally experienced the suffering it catalyzes in the afterlife. Marley's message stresses that the constraints we encounter in life are mostly self-made, consequent of our actions and behaviours; effectively, we are prisoners of our own design. This cautionary revelation seeks to impress upon readers the salience of personal liberty & autonomy, and most importantly, the urgent necessity to use those most freeing of faculties wisely, ethically, and generously.