The book

The book appears in the Cratchit home during the vision shown by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, where it becomes the silent center of a scene of mourning. After the death of Tiny Tim, the Cratchit family sits in quiet grief around the fire. Peter Cratchit holds a book before him, and the mother and daughters are engaged in sewing. The atmosphere is described as "quiet. Very quiet," with the noisy little Cratchits as still as statues in one corner, looking up at Peter. The book is the source of the words that hang in the air: "'And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them.'" This passage, from the Gospel of Mark, is read aloud by Peter as Scrooge and the Spirit cross the threshold. The narrator notes that Scrooge had not dreamed these words, and wonders why the boy does not continue reading. The mother, Mrs. Cratchit, lays her work upon the table and puts her hand up to her face, saying "The colour hurts my eyes," a reference to the bright color of the book or its binding that now pains her in her grief. The book thus functions as a tangible link to the biblical promise of innocence and inclusion, set against the reality of loss. It is also a marker of the family's piety and their attempt to find comfort in scripture. Later, Peter shuts up the book and says that his father has walked a little slower than he used to these last few evenings. The book's presence in the scene underscores the Cratchits' quiet dignity and their reliance on faith in the face of tragedy, while also serving as a narrative device that deepens Scrooge's understanding of the consequences of his own actions.