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The sale of Canterville Chase symbolizes a profound change in sociopolitical power in England. In the past, very few people in England owned the land on which they lived, and most landowners were also members of the aristocracy. Land ownership was therefore inextricably tied to power and prestige—even the ability to vote was tied to an individual’s status as a land owner. However, under the rule of Queen Victoria, much of that changed. From 1832 onward, voting reforms were passed that increasingly allowed those without land to vote, resulting in a shift in power away from the landed aristocracy and towards the common man. It is in precisely this moment that Lord Canterville sells Canterville Chase to the American Mr. Otis. Thus, this sale is more than just an exchange of money for land: Lord Canterville is openly showing that land no longer meant what it had in England. It no longer represented political power and prestige, but was instead now merely a commodity whose only value was in the money it could fetch on the market. More than that, though, Lord Canterville is symbolically transferring that voting power previously associated with land ownership (and thus the British aristocracy) to the American system (represented by Mr. Otis and family), which promised equality for all and had accordingly begun abandoning land ownership requirements for voting as early as 1792.
Canterville Chase Quotes in The Canterville Ghost
The The Canterville Ghost quotes below all refer to the symbol of Canterville Chase. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Chapter 1 Quotes
I have come from a modern country, where we have everything that money can buy […] I reckon that if there were such a thing as a ghost in Europe, we’d have it at home in a very short time in one of our public museums, or on the road as a show.
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Mr. Otis has just refuted Lord Canterville’s contention that Canterville Chase is haunted and assures him that, were such a thing as haunting even possible, the Americans would have long ago found a way to commercialize it (and ghosts in general). This quote illustrates commercialism’s role in the text, showing that, to the Americans, everything—even the disembodied spirit of a man—can be bought and sold. Indeed, Mr. Otis goes on to prove his assertation, buying Canterville Chase along with the ghost from Lord Canterville. This purchase, he feels, gives him rights over the ghost, as he demonstrates when he later Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dol
Chapter 3 Quotes
I have no wish […] to do the ghost any personal injury, and I must say that, considering the length of time he has been in the house, I don’t think it is at all polite to throw pillows at him[…] [u]pon the other hand […] if he really does decline to use the Rising Sun Lubricator, we shall have to take his chains from him.
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Explanation and Analysis:
Here, Mr. Otis discusses Sir Simon’s scare attempt of the previous night. He mildly chastises the twins for their rough treatment of Sir Simon (a rebuke they wholly ignore). His demand that the ghost use the Rising Sun Lubricator is particularly symbolic. What is says, in essence, is that Sir Simon will either willingly choose to be silenced or be silenced by force—that is, Sir Simon can either use the Tammany product or have his chains confiscated. Mr. Otis feels he has the right to do this because he has paid for the house and therefore Sir Simon. This mirrors Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Volupta
Chapter 4 Quotes
He had not appeared in this disguise for more than seventy years; in fact, not since he had so frightened pretty Lady Barbara Modish by means of it, that she suddenly broke off her engagement with the present Lord Canterville's grandfather, and ran away to Gretna Green with handsome Jack Castletown,
declaring that nothing in the world would induce her to marry into a family that allowed such a horrible phantom to walk up and down the terrace at twilight. Poor Jack was afterwards shot in a duel by Lord Canterville on Wandsworth Common, and Lady Barbara died of a broken heart at Tunbridge Wells before the year was out. So, in every way, it had been a great success.
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In this passage, Sir Simon is preparing one of his most outlandish, over-the-top scares to date—one he’s sure will terrify Washington, the twins, the Otis parents, and even young Virginia. While Sir Simon has gained much of the audience’s sympathy simply by how pitiful he appears to be, moments like these serve as a stark reminder that Sir Simon is essentially evil. He is a murderer, and beyond that, a fiend who takes great delight in ruining the lives of others—even driving them to suicide. Realizing this helps to elevate Virginia’s role in the story, as we’re reminded that she’s Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. P
Chapter 5 Quotes
“It is absurd asking me to behave myself,” he answered looking round in astonishment at the pretty little girl who had ventured to address him, "quite absurd. I must rattle my chains, and groan through keyholes, and walk about at night, if that is what you mean. It is my only reason for existing.”
"It is no reason at all for existing, and you know you have been very wicked. Mrs. Umney told us, the first day we arrived here, that you had killed your wife."
"Well, I quite admit it," said the Ghost, petulantly, "but it was a purely family matter, and concerned no one else."
"It is very wrong to kill any one," said Virginia, who at times had a sweet puritan gravity, caught from some old New England ancestor.
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Virginia has just stumbled on Sir Simon, who is in a funk. They’ve largely ignored one another up until now, but seeing how sad the ghost is, Virginia strikes up a conversation. This is a pivotal moment in the text, as all artifice is dropped, and the American family can finally make an actual attempt at communication with the aristocratic Sir Simon. It becomes immediately clear why they’ve had problems: Sir Simon’s proclaimed reason for living makes no sense at all to the Americans. Conversely, Sir Simon can’t understand why they can’t understand him. Sir Simon’s admission of wickedness, though, Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. A
When a golden girl can win
Prayer from out the lips of sin,
When the barren almond bears,
And a little child gives away its tears,
Then shall all the house be still,
And peace come to Canterville
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This is the prophecy written in the Canterville library that foretells Virginia’s coming and Sir Simon’s long-awaited salvation. Virginia recites it to Sir Simon after he asks if she’s seen it. The poem has had to remain quiet hitherto, because the reference to a “golden girl” would have made the novella’s ending far too obvious, especially given the foreshadowing implied by Virginia’s crying over her lost paints. Note well that it requires action on the part of three participants. First, it requires that Virginia give away her tears. Secondly, it requires that Sir Simon allow prayers to escape from his Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non aut. Eveniet dolor non. Incidunt dolores sunt. Ad dolor at. Quia aperiam eligendi. Ut veniam voluptatem. Aperiam consequuntur mollitia. Provident expedita delectus. Occaecati ea suscipit. Optio ut iste. Voluptas aut occaecati. Accusantium recusandae voluptates. Explicabo minus tempore. Nostrum dolor asperiores. Ut aliquam officiis. Unde enim nesciunt. Commodi necessitatibus voluptas. Accusamus eaque omnis. Velit eaque error. Possimus corrupti soluta. Qui aut a. Rerum volu
Chapter 6 Quotes
Imbedded in the wall was a huge iron ring, and chained to it was a gaunt skeleton, that was stretched out at full length on the stone floor, and seemed to be trying to grasp with its long fleshless fingers an old-fashioned trencher and ewer, that were placed just out of its reach. The jug had evidently been once filled with water, as it was covered inside with green mould. There was nothing on the trencher but a pile of dust. Virginia knelt down beside the skeleton, and, folding her little hands together, began to pray silently, while the rest of the party looked on in wonder at the terrible tragedy whose secret was now disclosed to them.
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In this passage, Virginia shows her family the place where Sir Simon was murdered by his brothers-in-law as revenge for murdering their sister, who was his wife. The scene is gruesome in the savagely inventive way that Sir Simon was tormented before his death. However, Wilde does not describe the scene in any of the gothic terms that have hitherto defined the story. Instead, Wilde carefully describes it as a tragedy. This scene, which feels like something Sir Simon might have enacted to scare the Otis family only a few days before, has become a tragedy through the power of Dolorem et quae. Exercitationem non
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Canterville Chase Symbol Timeline in The Canterville Ghost
The timeline below shows where the symbol Canterville Chase appears in The Canterville Ghost. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Chapter 1
Mr. Hirsham B. Otis, an American minister, has just purchased the estate Canterville Chase from Lord Canterville. Canterville Chase, Lord Canterville explains, has been the home of the Canterville...
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Chapter 2
...decided to try to scare the family by walking up and down the halls of Canterville Chase while dragging old, rusty chains behind him. He’s waited until one o’clock in the morning...
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Chapter 4
...and Washington attempt to trap Sir Simon. He resorts to fleeing through the flues of Canterville Chase ’s woodstove. He arrives back at his room dirty and in a state of despair.
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Chapter 5
...ancient prophecy that states that a little golden-haired child (like Virginia) can bring peace to Canterville Chase . All she has to do is weep for Sir Simon and pray for the...
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Chapter 6
...cry of alarm when she can’t be found. A party of gypsies camping on the Canterville Chase grounds are immediately suspected, and Mr. Otis goes out on the hunt for them along...
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...gypsies, who have no knowledge whatsoever of Virginia but join in the hunt. Back at Canterville Chase , searchers drag the pond and scour the entire property to no avail. Exhausted, Mr....
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Chapter 7
...great service, and the jewels belong to her. Regardless, Lord Canterville reminds Mr. Otis that Canterville Chase came with a ghost, so it only makes sense that it also came with the...
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Later, alone at Canterville Chase , the Duke asks Virginia what happened when she was alone with Sir Simon. She...
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