The story, The Canterville Ghost, illustrates Oscar Wilde's tendency to reverse situations into their opposite. Discuss at least two incidents from the book in support of the above statement
Dear Student,
The Canterville Ghost illustrates Oscar Wilde's tendency to reverse situations into their opposite. Here, Wilde humorously portrays the reversals by depicting the ghost's dilemma in his encounters with the Otis family. The ghost, which believed that he could scare anyone tries to do the same with the Otis family. One incident is when the ghost decides to frighten the family at one o'clock. He walls down the corridor outside Mr Otis's bedroom, loudly clanking his chains, believing that Mr Otis would be petrified. Instead, Mr Otis takes a phial out of his dressing-case and looks down the passage. However, rather being terrified, Mr. Otis advises the ghost to have its rusty chains oiled. He places the oil on the table and nonchalantly moves back to his bedroom. The ghost becomes indignant.
The second incident occurs on a Sunday night when the ghost in his attempts to scare the family ends up hurting himself. Mr Otis and his two boys find the ghost in agony and rubbing his knees. The children shoot pellets at him and Mr Otis points a gun at him. The ghost enraged with the outcome sweeps out of the room. None of his antics works to scare the American family. These incidents illustrate how the situations created by the ghost himself turns against him. The ghost miserable fails to create any horror in the castle and ends up being frustrated and humiliated.
Regards.
The Canterville Ghost illustrates Oscar Wilde's tendency to reverse situations into their opposite. Here, Wilde humorously portrays the reversals by depicting the ghost's dilemma in his encounters with the Otis family. The ghost, which believed that he could scare anyone tries to do the same with the Otis family. One incident is when the ghost decides to frighten the family at one o'clock. He walls down the corridor outside Mr Otis's bedroom, loudly clanking his chains, believing that Mr Otis would be petrified. Instead, Mr Otis takes a phial out of his dressing-case and looks down the passage. However, rather being terrified, Mr. Otis advises the ghost to have its rusty chains oiled. He places the oil on the table and nonchalantly moves back to his bedroom. The ghost becomes indignant.
The second incident occurs on a Sunday night when the ghost in his attempts to scare the family ends up hurting himself. Mr Otis and his two boys find the ghost in agony and rubbing his knees. The children shoot pellets at him and Mr Otis points a gun at him. The ghost enraged with the outcome sweeps out of the room. None of his antics works to scare the American family. These incidents illustrate how the situations created by the ghost himself turns against him. The ghost miserable fails to create any horror in the castle and ends up being frustrated and humiliated.
Regards.