The story of Jacob Marley worthy of Christmas tradition status

A book review by George Porter

On 17 December 1843 Charles Dickens published a short book called A Christmas Carol. In Prose. Being a Ghost Story of Christmas. I cannot recall the exact date in the late 1950s or early 1960s that it entered my world, but this story secured a lasting place in my heart and my Christmas observations. I read it, or watch a dramatization of it, every year and have written a poetic take on the story of Ebenezer Scrooge, his visit by the ghost of his late partner and three Christmas spirits.

In 2011 R. William Bennett wrote a short book called Jacob T. Marley. Bennett’s book easily won a place in my heart as well and will, no doubt, be part of my Christmas observations for years to come.

Bennett’s narrative begins before the timeframe of Dickens’ tale, merges into an account parallel to that older one, and continues beyond the end to tell the tale of the reformed Scrooge and others familiar from the original story. His use of language and detail show his familiarity with, and respect for, Dickens’ masterpiece.

As the title indicates, however, Scrooge is not the principle focus of the book. It is, rather, concerned with the life, death and reformation of Scrooge’s partner, Jacob Thelonius Marley whose early childhood is described in terms of the loving embrace and warm spirituality of a Christian home. One grandfather, Thelonius, even lost his life in an heroic attempt to rescue children from a burning house. Altogether, it was an experience quite the opposite of Scrooge’s childhood of neglect and abuse.

Nevertheless, along the way, Marley became every bit the tough man of business and miser that we see in his lamenting ghost. He broke all ties with his family. Coincidentally, he was the cause of the death of Scrooge’s beloved sister Fran, turning her and her husband out of their lodgings on the verge of childbirth for non-payment of rent. In fact, as the tale progresses, and as they became partners in a counting house, Marley is the primary catalyst for the development of the tight-fisted, stingy and mean character of Mr. Scrooge. He even encouraged Scrooge to break off his one romantic engagement to Belle.

One December, old Marley lay dying. He was abandoned and scorned by everyone, even by his partner. On Christmas Eve, as he was breathing his last, he realized something of the error of his ways and tried to communicate both repentance and forgiveness to Scrooge. The latter either could not understand the dying man or chose not to do so. It seems that Marley died alone.

As it turns out, however, he was not alone. A glowing spirit —the spirit of Love —met him in death and, on the basis of this last minute crack in his mean façade, set him on a post-death journey to learn the depth of misery he caused and the great joys he missed. During this whole long journey he tries to reach out to, and pleads constantly for, Scrooge for whom he feels the greatest weight of responsibility.

Finally the spirit world deems it time for a last-ditch pitch for Scrooge’s reclamation. They allow Marley to visit him and plead for him to pay heed to the trinity of Christmas ghosts who will haunt him. Of course he does, finally, hear the message brought by the three ghosts – a message Bennett sums up brilliantly on page 107: ‘There are three realizations mankind can experience that might give them cause for change. First, remorse for what is gone but might have been; second, a shocking awareness of the present; and finally, fear for what will be in the future, should nothing change.’

As Marley watches Scrooge experience his three hauntings, each corresponding to one of the three potentially transformative experiences, offering to transfer Scrooge’s cruel chains of sin onto himself, he not only sees his former partner transformed but also experiences his own final post-mortem liberation. Marley is himself redeemed.

After switching back to briefly narrating the life and experiences of the repentant and reformed Mr. Scrooge, as well as his peaceful death, Bennett then tells of the afterlife meeting of Scrooge and Marley. The two former partners are reconciled and form a new kind of partnership, dedicated to efforts to effect the reclamation of others who have turned their hearts to greedy pursuit of financial gain, regardless of the cost to others, and to the worship of idols of gold rather than living in the spirit of genuine Love – the true Christmas spirit.

R. William Bennett. Jacob T Marley. Salt Lake City: Shadow Mountain, 2011.

Jacob T. Marley is available on amazon.ca

The Rev. Canon George Porter, DPhil, is DiocesanCanon for Youth and Youth Action Director

06 December 2011
Diocesan Communications