Why does dickens talk about Marley being dead in the beginning of a Christmas carol?

Answer 1

It was for the reader to understand that any visual reference to Marley later in the story would be that of a spirit of the man himself and that the 7 years that had pasted since his death would be spent walking the earth of a never ending journey

Answer 2

Dickens sets the stage by establishing Marley's death as a key element in the story. It serves to create a somber and foreboding tone, hinting at the consequences of a life of greed and selfishness, which ultimately sets up Scrooge's own journey of redemption. Additionally, Marley's ghostly visitation and warning to Scrooge would not have the same impact if Marley were alive.

Answer 3

Since his death seven years to that very night Marley had walked the earth in everlasting torment bound by his own chains he forged in his life on earth

Answer 4

because he wanted to read the book