The third and final ghost strikes fear into Scrooge’s heart. Unlike the first two spirits, the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is a silent figure clad in a hooded black robe, almost indistinguishable from the surrounding darkness, and is as mysterious and unknowable as the future itself. He answers no questions, opting instead to communicate nonverbally, pointing at things to draw Scrooge’s attention to them. It’s no accident that the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come is described similarly to the Grim Reaper; the final lesson imparted to Scrooge harkens back to Jacob Marley’s warning about an eternity of punishment and centers on one’s fear of death, and the ghost personifies death’s inevitability. The choice Scrooge now has is what kind of death his will be. Will his life amount to nothing? Will his greed cause the death of Tiny Tim? Will anyone care when he dies?

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge that his death is mourned by no one, which solidifies Scrooge’s intention to change his ways. The spirit gives no indication whether Scrooge’s fate is alterable, but Scrooge intuits that the hand with which the ghost points has begun to shake, trembling as if in empathy as Scrooge begs to be given a second chance, firm in his belief that he is not the man he once was.

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