The Canterville Ghost Summary

Plot overview

Oscar Wilde's The Canterville Ghost is a short, witty gothic tale that blends farce, social satire, and a touch of melancholy. Written in a brisk, conversational style, the novella sends up both English country-house tradition and American practicality by pitching an unflappable U.S. family against a weary English specter.

The story begins when the Otis family buys the ancestral Canterville Chase despite local warnings that Sir Simon, its ghost, haunts the halls. Practical Mr. Otis treats spectral disturbances as household inconveniences; his wife and sons react with irreverent solutions and comic resourcefulness. The twins in particular turn the ghost's attempts at terror into slapstick humiliation. Virginia Otis, the family's thoughtful daughter, alone senses the sadness beneath Sir Simon's terrifying outward display. Drawn to him with compassion rather than mockery, she pursues a hidden path that promises a deeper encounter between the living and the dead.

Wilde's mix of sharp dialogue, ironic commentary on American and British manners, and a quietly moving central relationship gives the story a tonal range that still surprises. Its blend of comedy and compassion — a ghost undone as much by modernity as by loneliness — explains why readers keep returning to this short classic.

Chapter summaries

1. I: Arrival at CantervilleThe Otis family buys Canterville Chase, arrives despite warnings about a ghost, and immediately provokes local lore when they remove a fabled bloodstain.
2. II: The Lubricator and PillowThe Otis family encounter the ghost's sanguine stain again; Mr. Otis calmly offers a bottle of lubricant, the ghost is humiliated and plots revenge.
3. III: The Ghost's AttemptsThe Canterville Ghost makes several failed attempts to terrify the Otis family and is repeatedly foiled and humiliated.
4. IV: The Ghost's HumiliationSir Simon's repeated attempts to frighten the Otises fail as the twins and household regularly baffle and humiliate him, and he grows ill and discouraged.
5. V: Virginia and the GhostVirginia finds the Canterville Ghost sorrowful, comforts him, and follows him through a hidden door toward the Garden of Death to try to help his soul.
6. VI: Virginia Returns with SecretVirginia disappears, a frantic search ensues, and she reappears at midnight guiding the family to a hidden chamber with a chained skeleton and a casket of jewels.
7. VII: Funeral, Jewels, MarriageA solemn funeral for Sir Simon is held; Virginia receives his jewels amid a dispute over ownership, and later keeps a private secret with her husband.

Characters

• Hiram B. OtisProtagonist
• The Otis TwinsMinor character
• Virginia OtisProtagonist
• Washington OtisMajor character
• Mrs. OtisMajor character
• Sir Simon de CantervilleMajor character
• Lord CantervilleMajor character
• The Duke of CheshireMajor character
• Mrs. UmneyMinor character

All 9 characters ›