In many ways, "The Canterville Ghost" is a classical example of a late-Victorian ghost story. This is due to its supernatural elements which are designed to spook the reader and contrast sharply with the many instances of comedy.
First of all, the setting of the story, Canterville Chase, provides a strong supernatural element. This haunted mansion has a long history which is made by more terrifying by another supernatural element: namely, the events which have taken place there. In 1575, for example, Sir Simon murdered his wife, Eleanore, in the library. Her blood stain provides a constant, physical reminder of this brutal crime and adds to the suspense which Wilde creates in the first chapter.
Thirdly, the weather provides another supernatural element in "The Canterville Ghost." When the Otis family takes possession of the house in Chapter One, for instance, the weather changes, as if to reflect the houses's dark past and to foreshadow future events:
The sky became suddenly overcast with clouds, a curious stillness seemed to hold the atmosphere, a great flight of rooks passed silently over their heads, and, before they reached the house, some big drops of rain had fallen.
Similarly, "a raging storm" occurs just before the Otises discover the reappearance of the blood stain in the library.
These supernatural elements not only create a strong sense of atmosphere in the story, they also build to the climax. That is, the ghost's repentance of his sins and his removal from Canterville Chase to the Garden of Death, a place where he can finally sleep and rest in peace.
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