# Tiny Tim — A Christmas Carol character guide

> Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tim, poor Tiny Tim

**First appearance:** 0004-stave-iii-the-second-of-the-three-spirits

## Snapshot

Bob Cratchit's ailing youngest son, whose small voice and patient cheer turn a family dinner into the moral center of Scrooge's Christmas.

## Who they are

Tiny Tim is the Cratchits' frail child, carried on his father's shoulder and cherished all the more because his family knows his time may be short. His gentle blessing and uncomplaining spirit sharpen the contrast between the warmth of the Cratchit hearth and the coldness of Scrooge's counting-house. When the Ghost of Christmas Present shows Scrooge this household, Tim becomes the living question the story keeps asking: what does a life matter, and who is responsible for it?

## Relationships

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

_family_

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

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

_social_

Scrooge initially has no relationship with Tiny Tim but later feels deep pity and becomes his benefactor.

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

_family_

Mrs. Cratchit is Tiny Tim's devoted mother, fiercely loving and protective of her ailing son.

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

_family_

Mrs. Cratchit is Tiny Tim's devoted mother, fiercely loving and protective of her ailing son.

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

_social_

Scrooge initially has no relationship with Tiny Tim but later feels deep pity and becomes his benefactor.

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

_family_

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

## In the story

### [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)

Carried home by Bob, bears a crutch and iron frame, and is the focus of the family's love and concern.

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

His death is mourned by the Cratchit family, and Bob visits his grave, describing it as a green place.

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

Does not die; Scrooge becomes a second father to him.

## Links

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