The Canterville Ghost Summary

The Canterville Ghost is a novella written by Oscar Wilde in 1887 during the Late Victorian period in London, England. Published the same year, the story blends comedy, satire, and gothic elements. Set in Canterville Chase, England, the narrative follows the struggles of Sir Simon de Canterville, the resident ghost, who serves as the antagonist. The climax occurs when Virginia Otis, a brave and innocent young girl, helps Sir Simon achieve eternal rest and divine forgiveness. Told from a third-person omniscient perspective, the novella humorously contrasts British tradition with American practicality.

The story kicks off in such a way that Mr. Hirsham B. Otis, an American minister, buys an old English house called Canterville Chase from Lord Canterville. Lord Canterville's family has owned the house for many years, and everyone knows it is haunted. Even Lord Canterville warns Mr. Otis about the ghost, telling him that many of his family members have seen it. However, Mr. Otis is not worried. He says that Americans are too modern to believe in ghosts. He agrees to buy the house, ghost and all.

A few weeks later, Mr. Otis and his family travel by train to their new home. His family includes his wife, Mrs. Otis, their oldest son Washington, their daughter Virginia, and their young twin boys. The journey is long, and as they get closer to the house, the weather turns stormy. When they arrive, the housekeeper, Mrs. Umney, welcomes them inside. As they explore the house, they notice a bloodstain on the floor near the fireplace. When they ask about it, Mrs. Umney says the stain has been there for centuries and cannot be removed. She tells them that the stain comes from Sir Simon de Canterville, who killed his wife in 1575. After that, Sir Simon disappeared, and no one ever found his body, but his ghost still haunts the house.

The Otis family does not believe in ghosts, so they are not frightened by the story. Washington takes out a bottle of Pinkerton’s Champion Stain Remover and cleans the stain easily. However, the stain reappears the next morning, and every morning after that. Even stranger, the stain keeps changing colors, sometimes turning purple or bright green. The family begins to think the ghost is responsible, but they are more curious than scared. They no longer doubt that the house is haunted, but they are not afraid.

One night, the ghost of Sir Simon finally appears. He has red eyes, torn and dirty clothes, and long chains that make a terrible noise as he walks. He tries to scare Mr. Otis, but Mr. Otis is not frightened at all. Instead, he wakes up and gives the ghost a bottle of Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator, telling him to use it to stop his chains from squeaking. Sir Simon is very offended and angrily throws the bottle on the floor. Before he can leave, the twins throw pillows at him. Sir Simon runs away and disappears through a wall to escape.

Sir Simon returns to his secret room and thinks about his long history of haunting Canterville Chase. He sees haunting as his job and remembers how he scared many people in the past. But he does not understand why the Otis family is not afraid of him. He decides to take revenge. After a few days, he makes another attempt to scare them. This time, he puts on an old suit of armor and tries to walk through the house. However, the armor is too heavy, and he falls with a loud crash. The noise wakes up the Otis family. The twins shoot at him with their toy guns, and Mr. Otis points a real gun at him, thinking he is a burglar. Sir Simon runs away again, feeling defeated. This failure makes him feel weak, and he spends several days recovering before trying again.

For his third attempt, Sir Simon makes an elaborate plan. He wants to scare each member of the Otis family, especially Washington, who keeps cleaning the bloodstain, and the twins, who constantly tease him. However, he plans to be kind to Virginia because she has never been mean to him. On the night of his plan, he dresses in his most terrifying costume and carries a rusty dagger. But when he turns a corner, he sees another ghost in the hallway. In reality, it is a fake ghost that the Otis family has made from a broom, a sheet, and a hollowed-out turnip. Sir Simon is so scared that he runs away. Later, he realizes the trick and becomes angry. He vows revenge again but soon feels too tired and depressed to continue. He even stops renewing the bloodstain and starts using the lubricating oil to silence his chains, so the twins won’t hear him.

The twins do not stop their pranks. They set traps for Sir Simon, including stretching strings across the hallway and greasing the floor with butter to make him slip. One night, he falls into one of their traps and becomes so angry that he decides to make one final attempt to scare them. He dresses as "Reckless Rupert, the Headless Earl," a costume he has not used in nearly a hundred years. Gathering all the pieces of his disguise takes time, but he finally puts everything together for his last big scare. However, as soon as he enters the twins' room, a trap they set up dumps a jug of water on him. This is the final straw for Sir Simon. He runs away again, feeling humiliated and exhausted. The failure weakens him so much that he does not leave his room for weeks. Even when he regains his strength, he avoids the Otis family. Meanwhile, the twins continue to watch for him, hoping to play more tricks.

One day, the Duke of Cheshire, a young man who is in love with Virginia, comes to visit. He hopes to spend time with her. While returning from a walk, Virginia sees Sir Simon and decides to speak with him. The ghost looks sad and does not notice her at first. She tells him that she feels sorry for him but assures him that her brothers will leave for school soon. Then she scolds him for being wicked, reminding him that he stole her paints to change the color of the bloodstain. Sir Simon tells Virginia about a prophecy that says he can finally rest in peace if a kind, innocent girl prays for him. He asks Virginia if she will help him. She agrees, and the two disappear into a hidden room in the house.

When Virginia does not return, the Otis family searches everywhere for her but cannot find her. After a long time, she finally comes back, holding a small box shaped like a coffin. She tells her family that the box contains jewels that Sir Simon gave her as a gift. She then leads them to a secret room where Sir Simon's skeleton lies. Virginia explains that Sir Simon was locked in the room by his wife's brothers, who wanted revenge for her murder. They starved him to death, and his ghost was trapped in the house ever since. Thanks to Virginia's help, he has now found peace. The twins later notice that an old almond tree on the property, which had been dead for years, is now blooming, proving that the ghost is finally at rest.

The Canterville family is informed of what happened, and they hold a proper funeral for Sir Simon. Mr. Otis tries to return the jewels to Lord Canterville, but Lord Canterville refuses. He says that since the ghost was part of the house, the jewels also belong to the new owners. Later, Virginia wears the jewels when she meets the Queen of England after marrying the Duke of Cheshire.