Turkey

The prize turkey is the grand, anonymous gift that Ebenezer Scrooge, transformed on Christmas morning, sends to the Cratchit family as his first act of secret generosity, symbolizing his complete moral reversal and his new commitment to the welfare of others.

Identity and Appearance

The turkey is introduced as a specific, remarkable bird hanging in the poulterer's shop in the next street but one from Scrooge's chambers. It is described as "the prize Turkey" and is of such extraordinary size that a boy in the street, when asked about it, replies, "What! the one as big as me?" Scrooge himself later marvels that the bird "never could have stood upon his legs" and would have snapped them off "like sticks of sealing-wax." This hyperbolic description establishes the turkey as a comically oversized, almost mythical object of abundance, a stark contrast to the meager portions Scrooge had previously allowed himself and his clerk.

Scrooge's Purchase and Secret Plan

On Christmas morning, immediately after his spiritual transformation, Scrooge's first independent act is to acquire this turkey. He calls down to a boy in the street, inquires about the bird, and upon learning it is still hanging, instructs the boy to "Go and buy it." When the boy expresses disbelief, Scrooge insists he is in earnest and promises a shilling for the boy's return with the poulterer's man, or half-a-crown if he returns in under five minutes. The boy is "off like a shot." Scrooge then whispers to himself, rubbing his hands and laughing, "I'll send it to Bob Cratchit's. He shan't know who sends it. It's twice the size of Tiny Tim. Joe Miller never made such a joke as sending it to Bob's will be!" This plan is executed with a trembling hand but firm resolve, and Scrooge pays for the turkey, the cab required to transport it to Camden Town, and the boy's reward, all while chuckling until he cries.

Symbolic Significance and Thematic Role

The turkey functions as the central symbol of Scrooge's redemption in action. It is the direct, material antithesis of his earlier miserliness and his cruel dismissal of the charity collectors. Where he had once refused to give even a trifle to the poor, he now spends freely and joyfully on a single, lavish gift for his underpaid clerk. The anonymity of the gift is crucial: Scrooge seeks no credit or gratitude, but rather the private pleasure of doing good. The turkey's immense size—"twice the size of Tiny Tim"—makes it a comic and generous overcompensation for years of neglect and harshness. It is the first fruit of his new philosophy, a tangible proof that he has truly become "as good a friend, as good a master, and as good a man as the good old City knew." The bird, in its absurd abundance, embodies the spirit of Christmas generosity that Scrooge has finally embraced, and its delivery to the Cratchit household represents the beginning of his role as a "second father" to Tiny Tim and a benefactor to the entire family.