# Bob Cratchit — A Christmas Carol character guide

> Bob Cratchit in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Bob, little Bob, Cratchit, Poor Bob

**First appearance:** 0002-stave-i-marley-s-ghost

## Snapshot

Scrooge's shivering clerk, paid fifteen shillings a week, who carries Tiny Tim on his shoulder and Christmas cheer in his threadbare coat.

## Who they are

Bob scratches away in the tank, hat off before he opens the door, pleading that being late is only once a year. His warmth toward a family that can barely afford a goose stands in quiet rebuke to his employer's wealth, and his patience makes Scrooge's coldness visible in human terms. When Scrooge finally leaps up to raise his salary and send the prize turkey to Camden Town, it is Bob's household that measures how far the old man has come.

## Relationships

### [Ebenezer Scrooge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/ebenezer_scrooge)

_professional_

Bob Cratchit is Scrooge's underpaid and overworked clerk, enduring his miserly employer's harsh treatment.

### [Mrs. Cratchit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/mrs_cratchit)

_family_

Bob and Mrs. Cratchit are a devoted married couple, loving and supportive despite their poverty.

### [Peter Cratchit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/peter_cratchit)

_family_

Bob is a caring father to Peter, proud of his son's efforts to help support the family.

### [Tiny Tim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/tiny_tim)

_family_

Bob is Tiny Tim's loving father, deeply devoted to his frail son and heartbroken by his illness.

### [Ghost of Christmas Past](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/ghost_of_christmas_past)

_psychological_

Bob Cratchit is observed by the Ghost of Christmas Past as part of Scrooge's lesson about the Cratchit family's suffering.

### [Ebenezer Scrooge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/ebenezer_scrooge)

_professional_

Bob Cratchit is Scrooge's underpaid and overworked clerk, enduring his miserly employer's harsh treatment.

### [Ebenezer Scrooge](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/ebenezer_scrooge)

_professional_

Bob Cratchit is Scrooge's underpaid and overworked clerk, enduring his miserly employer's harsh treatment.

### [Peter Cratchit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/peter_cratchit)

_family_

Bob is a caring father to Peter, proud of his son's efforts to help support the family.

### [Mrs. Cratchit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/mrs_cratchit)

_family_

Bob and Mrs. Cratchit are a devoted married couple, loving and supportive despite their poverty.

### [Tiny Tim](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/tiny_tim)

_family_

Bob is Tiny Tim's loving father, deeply devoted to his frail son and heartbroken by his illness.

### [Mrs. Cratchit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/mrs_cratchit)

_family_

Bob and Mrs. Cratchit are a devoted married couple, loving and supportive despite their poverty.

### [Peter Cratchit](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/peter_cratchit)

_family_

Bob is a caring father to Peter, proud of his son's efforts to help support the family.

## In the story

### [Stave I: Marley's Ghost](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/chapters/stave-i-marley-s-ghost)

Bob Cratchit is briefly mentioned as Scrooge's underpaid clerk who slides on the ice and hurries home to Camden Town on Christmas Eve.

### [Stave III: The Second of the Three Spirits](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/chapters/stave-iii-the-second-of-the-three-spirits)

Returns home with Tiny Tim on his shoulder, participates in the family's Christmas dinner, and shows deep affection for his family.

### [Stave IV: The Last of the Spirits](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/chapters/stave-iv-the-last-of-the-spirits)

Grieving the death of Tiny Tim, Bob returns home to his family, visits the grave, and shares news of Fred's kindness.

### [Stave V: The End of It](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/chapters/stave-v-the-end-of-it)

Arrives late to work; receives a salary raise and a promise of assistance from Scrooge.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters/bob_cratchit
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/a_christmas_carol_se/characters