Peter Cratchit
Peter Cratchit is the eldest son of Bob and Mrs. Cratchit, a young man who, in the course of A Christmas Carol, emerges from the shadow of his father's poverty to become a symbol of the family's resilience and hope for the future. Though he appears in only a few scenes, his actions—from proudly wearing his father's oversized shirt collar to reading the biblical account of Jesus and the children after Tiny Tim's death—mark him as a figure of quiet responsibility and burgeoning maturity within the Cratchit household.
Identity and Family Role
Peter is the eldest Cratchit child, the son and heir upon whom Bob Cratchit has conferred his own shirt collar in honor of Christmas Day. The collar is monstrously large, and Peter gets its corners into his mouth as he works, rejoicing in his gallant attire and yearning to show his linen in the fashionable Parks. He is not proud, although his collars nearly choke him, and he blows the fire until the slow potatoes bubble up and knock at the saucepan lid. He is also the one who, after the family's Christmas dinner, listens thoughtfully to the fire as if deliberating what investments he should favor when he comes into the receipt of the five-and-sixpence weekly that his father hopes a situation will bring him. The two younger Cratchits laugh tremendously at the idea of Peter's being a man of business, and his sister Martha reports having seen a lord who was "much about as tall as Peter," at which Peter pulls up his collars so high that his head becomes nearly invisible.
Arc Through the Plot: From Festivity to Grief
On Christmas Day, Peter is a bustling participant in the family's preparations. He plunges a fork into the saucepan of potatoes, mashes the potatoes with incredible vigor, and, along with the two young Cratchits, goes to fetch the goose, returning with it in high procession. He sets chairs for everybody, not forgetting himself, and crams a spoon into his mouth lest he shriek for goose before his turn. After dinner, he helps clear the cloth and sweep the hearth. In the later vision shown by the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come, the Cratchit household is transformed by grief. The noisy little Cratchits are as still as statues in one corner, sitting and looking up at Peter, who has a book before him. He reads aloud the words, "And he took a child, and set him in the midst of them." When his mother asks the time, Peter answers that it is past the hour when his father usually returns, adding that he thinks his father has walked a little slower than he used to in these last few evenings. He confirms that he, too, has often seen his father walk with Tiny Tim upon his shoulder very fast indeed.
Relationships and Conflict
Peter's primary relationship is with his father, Bob Cratchit. He is the recipient of Bob's hopes for the family's economic improvement: Bob tells the family that he has a situation in his eye for Master Peter which would bring in full five-and-sixpence weekly. Later, after Tiny Tim's death, Bob reports that Scrooge's nephew, Fred, has offered his help, and Bob speculates that he would not be at all surprised if Fred got Peter a better situation. Peter also shares a warm, teasing bond with his siblings. When one of the girls jokes that Peter will be keeping company with someone and setting up for himself, Peter retorts, "Get along with you!" grinning. He is also the one who shakes hands with his father at the end of the family's mournful gathering, after Mrs. Cratchit and the daughters have kissed him.
Change and Ending
Peter does not undergo a personal transformation in the way Scrooge does; rather, his role within the family shifts from a boy on the cusp of manhood to a young man who must help shoulder the family's grief. In the vision of the future, he is the one who reads Scripture to the silent household, and he is the one who notes the change in his father's pace. After Bob returns from the churchyard, Peter is among those who shake hands with him, a gesture of solidarity and comfort. In the final, redeemed timeline, Tiny Tim does not die, and Peter's future is brightened by the prospect of a better situation, thanks to Fred's intervention and Scrooge's transformed generosity.
Thematic Significance
Peter Cratchit embodies the theme of generational hope and the quiet dignity of the poor. His pride in his father's hand-me-down collar, his earnestness about becoming a man of business, and his solemn role as the reader of Scripture after his brother's death all illustrate the Cratchit family's capacity for joy, ambition, and mutual support in the face of poverty and loss. He is a figure of the future—the son who will carry forward the family's fortunes, and whose potential is unlocked by the kindness of others.
