The Canterville Ghost by Oscar Wilde: Important Questions and Answers for Class 12 English
1) How does the conversation between Mr otis and Lord Canterville reveal the differences in their cultural background?
The differences between British and American culture is a central theme in "The Canterville Ghost" and is prevalent from the opening paragraph. In the conversation between Lord Canterville and Mr Otis, for instance, Wilde establishes this culture clash as the two men share their differing beliefs in the supernatural. Mr. Otis and Lord Canterville represent two opposite world views existing in the two leading cultures of the time—those of America and Britain. One appears to be materialistic and rational and the other orthodox and irrational.
The Cantervilles, who are British lords, believe in the ghost that haunts their estate as part of their storied history. Lord Canterville tells the American Minister Hiram B. Otis, who buys the estate that the ghost has been seen by several living members of his family, as well as by the rector of the parish.
Mr. Otis, on the other hand, is dubious about the ghost from the moment he buys the estate. Showing the American tendency toward the practical, he says that if ghosts really existed, there would be some ghosts in American museums.
2) How did each member of the family react towards the ghost?
At first the Otis family did not believe in the ghost, but once they were convinced of its existence they didn't react as others had. Instead, they started playing tricks on the ghost. They ended up making the ghost so stressed that he became ill. The entire family participated in this mockery of the ghost, except for Virginia.
Mr. Otis was awakened by the clank of metal chains in the corridor. He calmly took a bottle of lubricant and came out. The ghost’s eyes were red like burning coal. Undeterred by the ghost’s terrible aspect, he offered him the lubricant to oil his chains. When the ghost reached the top of the staircase, the twins appeared from behind the door and flung a large pillow on him.
The ghost also attempted to scare the family by wearing an antique suit of armour. The family reacted with violence, as though the ghost was an unwanted visitor to the house. Mr Otis, for instance, pulled out his revolver and ordered the ghost to hold up his hands.
The twins also attacked him with their pea-shooters. During his escape, he let out a frightening groan which prompted Mrs Otis to offer him some tincture for his indigestion.
In contrast, the only member of the family who treated the ghost with any kindness and sympathy was Virginia. She had a conversation with the ghost in which she learnt of his past and his desire to go to the Garden of Death. Unlike the other members of her family, she chose to work with the ghost instead of trying to work against him.
3) Draw a character sketch of the ghost.
The ghost appears to be quite weak minded and nervous. After having failed in his three attempts to frighten the Otis family, he became completely shattered. He lacked determination. He gave up his long retained practice of maintaining the blood-stain after a few deterring incidents. He also succumbed to Mr. Otis’ will and used his lubricant. He appears to be quite unintelligent and careless. He was easily tricked and befooled.
On his second appearance he easily fell prey to the pranks that the Otis children played on him by placing a fake ghost in the corridor . He even tripped the strings stretched purposely across the corridor for him, and met with a severe fall. He got completely drenched when he made his third appearance and tried to enter the twins’ room. He was made a fool. He lived in the terror of the twins. When he made his fourth appearance, the twins frightened him just by saying “boo” in his ear. Washington Otis scared him with the big garden-syringe. After this he had to suspend his expeditions at night.
4) How did the different members of the Otis family react when the ghost appeared for the second time?
The second appearance of the ghost was on Sunday night when he barged into a large suit of old armour in the hall. It fell on the stone floor. He injured his knees and remained seated in a high-backed chair rubbing them. Hearing the noise, the twins appeared with their pea-shooters and discharged two pellets on him. Mr. Otis also came and covered him with his revolver and commanded him to hold up his hands. The ghost swept through them like a mist giving a wild shriek of rage and extinguishing Washington Otis's candle. The peal of demoniac laughter made Mr. Otis think that he was suffering from indigestion.
Therefore, she came out and offered him a bottle of Doctor Dobell's tincture expressing hope that it would give him relief. He did not accept it and tried to escape. Just then the twins came up to him. In a bid to avoid them, the ghost fell on the stairs.
5) What plans did the ghost make in regard to his third appearance? What was the consequence of its application?
The ghost planned to appear wearing a large slouched hat with a red feather, a winding-sheet frilled at the wrists and neck, and wielding a rusty dagger to frighten the Otis family during his third appearance.
First, he decided to go quietly to Washington Otis's room, gibber with him and stab himself three times in the throat. He was then to proceed to the room of Mr. and Mrs. Otis. He planned to place his clammy hand on Mrs. Otis' forehead, while he would hiss into the Minister's ear all awful secrets of the charnel-house. Then he would go to Virginia’s room and do little frightening things as he did not hold any particular grudge against her.
He wanted to teach the twins a lesson by sitting upon their chests, so as to produce the stifling sensation of nightmare. Thereafter he would stand between them in the form of a green, icy-cold corpse and crawl round the room, removing his winding-sheet and baring his white, bleached bones and rolling one eyeball.
However, when he executed the plan he himself got severely scared by the fake ghost in the corridor, which was actually a prank played on him.
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