If you asked a classroom full of students if they believed in ghosts there would most likely be a mixed group of responses. Many people are uncertain in the reality of the supernatural and often do not believe fantastic stories. In “The Ghost in Cap’n Brown House,” Harriet Beecher Stowe elaborates on this concept that many people believe in the supernatural whereas many others do not. While Sam, the narrator is telling the story he explains the differing reactions from various townspeople. Some townspeople, such as Aunt Lois mentioned in the quote given, do not believe in the supernatural whatsoever. According to Sam this makes her “sort o’ stringy and dry”. To Sam, the fact that she doesn’t believe in anything simply because it can’t possibly be true, makes her boring and a total killjoy. This natural instinct for humans to not believe is what Stowe was trying to emphasize in this piece. Sam says, “There ain’t no ‘sorbtion got out o’ not believin’ nothin’.” In other words, why does everyone feel as though they aren’t allowed to believe? You don’t get anything out of that. Even when Cinthy sees the ghost standing right before her one night, she still convinces herself that it couldn’t possibly be real; it must have been a dream. I agree with Stowe’s idea that there’s nothing wrong with believing in something that may not actually be possible. I mean, there’s no fun in not believing is there?
I thought this was a very good review, thanks! It helped me a little bit in writing a response for my American Literature class!
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