Ultimately, however, he wishes to escape from both and die completely. This observation also connects with Wilde’s poem “The Artist,” in which the artist reforms “The Sorrow that endureth for Ever” into “The Pleasure that abideth for a Moment.” The ghost is condemned to a prolonged and lonely living-dead experience, yet at the same time finds pleasure in his haunting skills. It is interesting to note, of course, the ghost was already a dead human, suggesting that perhaps art transcends life – it can be felt, like the fear of those the ghost scares, but it exists outside of normal human existence. The obsession with practicality and utility killed art. The ghost had haunted Canterville for centuries, yet it was this family that killed his spirit and made him wish for the Garden of Death. The ghost, through demonic laughter and plans to transform into a “large black dog,” represents creativity, which is ignored – unseen by those focused on materialistic products. This scene also portrays an attack on creativity. Dobell’s tincture… indigestion.” This absurd insult demonstrates how people can completely miss out on the experience of art when they focus too much on utility. Otis, unaffected by the ghost – unaffected by art – proffers a “bottle of Dr. The ghost as art serves as a critique for incessant practicality embodied by members of the Otis family. Pater speaks of a “fruit of a quickened, multiplied consciousness,” and it seems that the ghost is able to give his victims a darkened version of this heightened intensity of feeling – he drove Lady Barbara Modish to die of a broken heart and gave Madame de Tremouillac “brain fever.” The ghost does not have an explicit utility, yet through him, people seem to be deeply disturbed.

Yet he has no ultimate goal in scaring people, and not much motivation to harm them that is simply what he does.

He feels it is his duty to haunt Canterville and he takes pride in scaring people to the point of madness. The ghost’s existence appears to serve little purpose.

Interpreted as a personification of art, the ghost in Wilde’s “The Canterville Ghost,” relates to Pater’s idea of “the love of art for its own sake,” and delves into the threats and creators of art.

The ghost oscar wilde