The No-Name Game!

I had recently talked about Charles Dickens not really telling us the names of most of the characters in "A Christmas Carol" and ran down the names and partial names that we learned in the book.

While thinking about this later, in my attempt to avoid the Devil's Workshop, I was wondering if there were many characters that spoke in the book, but we never knew their name.

Kind of like bit parts in a movie, you know? Not exactly extras, but most likely unbilled.

So, here's my chronological list of characters who have at least one line, but we have no idea at all what their first or last name may be.

The first such charcter is one of the two portly gentleman who visit Scrooge to solicit for charity. He actually has quite a few lines, but he doesn't say his name, nor does Scrooge say it (which he may have seen on the gentleman's credentials if he actually bothered to look at them).

The portly gentleman who spoke also appears at the end of the story, while the second gentleman gets no lines and does not reappear after the beginning scene. Hopefully he remembers that there are no small parts, only small actors!

At the beginning of the book, there's also the kid who gets out the first lines of "God Rest Ye Merry, Gentleman" before being rudely interrupted. Everyone's a critic!

In the Christmas Past sequence, right after Fan comes to get Ebenezer, a "terrible voice" cries, "Bring down Master Scrooge's box, there!" This is apparently the schoolmaster, as he appears right after.

There are a ton of people at Fezziwig's Christmas Party, but Fezziwig is the only one who actually has any lines at all in the scene. Young Scrooge and Dick Wilkins never actually say anything, nor does Mrs. Fezziwig or any of the other guests.

The only other unnamed character (besides the schoolmaster) in the whole past sequence who gets quoted at all is Belle's husband, who has a few lines.

In the Christmas Present segment, all of the Cratchits say various things. We don't know all of their first names, but we know they all have the same surname.

At Fred's party, his wife has quite a few lines, but we never learn her first name and since we don't know Fred's last name, we don't know hers either.

During Fred's game of Yes and No, presumably the guests are shouting out guesses, but the only one who's directly quoted is Fred's wife's plump sister, who correctly guesses "Uncle SCro-o-o-o-oge!"

It should also be noted that the guests, including another sister, do all say "Well! Uncle Scrooge!" in unison as a toast.

The Christmas Yet to Come sequence actually has the most dialogue from unnamed characters.

The first are from the small knot of businessmen. Four of them speak: a "great fat man with a monstrous chin," another non-descript one, a third who takes some snuff and a fourth, described as red-faced with a "pendulous excrescence" on his nose!

Then there are the other two wealthy, important businessmen.

At old Joe's place, the charwoman talks a lot, but we don't catch her name. We also don't know the name of the undertaker's man, but he doesn't actually say anything.

We also have the Caroline's husband say a few lines in the future segment.

Back on Christmas Day, the window boy gets a few lines and there's also Fred's household servant.

I think that's it. Did I miss anyone?