Canterville Ghost: Oscar Wilde, the literary genius that he is, has given the world a plethora of beautiful stories ranging from short stories to great novels. His poems are equally good and remain the favorite of critics and people who genuinely love literature.
The Canterville Ghost is one such work where he puts forth the story of an English ghost and the family dealing with him.
Table of Contents
The Plot of ‘The Canterville Ghost’
The story revolves around a family, the Otis and an old ghost, Sir Simon. Mr. Otis is a minister of state who gets to stay in the Canterville Chase, a palatial mansion.
The present owner of the house, Lord Canterville, warns Mr. Otis against it and tells him the house is haunted and no one could last long in the house.
Mr. Otis dismisses him and says he will rent the furniture along with the ghost. He brings his family to live with him in the house. Mr. And Mrs. Otis have an elder son, Washington Otis, a daughter, Virginia and a pair of twins.
Canterville Ghost Facts
As they start living in the house, strange things start happening in the house, the wooden floor creaks, things move on there and this is where Wilde brings out all the typical elements of an English ghost.
However, to Sir Simon’s horror, he fails to scare the family. He does everything in his power to frighten them, from disguising as gruesome figures to playing all sorts of tricks on the family. But not only are they not scared but they also find ways of attacking the poor old ghost.
The Canterville Ghost Story
On the other hand, the story of Sir Simon’s is tragic. 300 years ago he was said to have murdered his beloved wife and was starved to death by her family members. He had been staying in that house from then on.
Three centuries later, the spirit of Sir Simon’s found a friend in Virginia Otis who, unlike her family, took him seriously.
Sir Simon told her that she would have to cry for him, pray for him and guide him to the other world. She did all of them and genuinely. Sir Simon passed onto the other world and rested beside his beloved wife.
The Canterville Ghost Characters
The Canterville Ghost is a beautiful story for both kids and adults. There are other minor characters in the story who compliment the plot.
It is a gripping tale and touching too. Altogether, it makes for a must read. Get hold of this book and read on!
More Info On- Works of Oscar Wilde, Movies based on Oscar Wilde’s books, Ghost Stories of The Victorian Era