Question

wit and humour in the novel " the canterville ghost" in about 150 words.

Answer 1

He marked the humor by making ghost an humorous object. There is a strong sense of contrast between aspects of life and death, English and American culture, and humor and terror in Oscar Wilde’s “the Canterville Ghost”. This heavily satirical short story is laden with references to American consumerism along with English tradition. The contrast becomes apparent when Sir Simon, a symbol of death, loneliness, and English culture, repeatedly tries and fails to understand the Otis family, who serve as symbols of life, gaiety, and American culture. The Otis family in turn (with Virginia as an exception) tries and fails to understand the Canterville ghost. Humorously, the Otis family does not seem to be scared by the idea of a ghost in the house, despite Sir Simon’s most earnest attempts. Rather, Sir Simon seems to be perturbed by the family’s presence himself, when it should really be the other way around. There are no clear sides in the story; Wilde spares no one in his witty merrymaking, though Sir Simon becomes the closest thing to a protagonist as the story progresses.  We as readers see him in a variety of lights; he can be vulnerable, vindictive, grieving, or happy, but he is consistently misunderstood.