Supernatural Vs American Ghost Essay

The supernatural affects everyone differently, whether it causes a person to go insane, mute, or kill themselves, it is obvious that the supernatural causes people to react in strange, often irrational ways. This is evident in both the American ghost story “The Tomb” written by H.P. Lovecraft and the Japanese ghost story “The Kibitsu Cauldron” written by Ueda Akinari. These two stories share many similarities one being the presence of an apparent mental illness, albeit at different severities. On the other hand, there are difference as well including how the supernatural element chooses to interact with the main character.
In both the American ghost story and the Japanese ghost story, the main character suffers from a form of mental illness. …show more content…
In “The Tomb” the supernatural element is a spirit that takes over the body of Dudley. Almost overnight, Dudley’s mannerisms, personality and general outward appearance have changed. He remembers information that most people forgot generations ago. There is very little of himself left as the ghost has possessed his body. So much of him has changed that he now refers to himself as Jarvius Hyde, a man who was turned to ash in a horrendous house fire. On the other hand, Shodayu is haunted by the vengeful ghost of his former wife, Isora. His wife, who was fully devoted in life, is seeking revenge for all the wrong doings committed by Shodayu. She is extremely violent and ultimately causes the death of Shodayu.
Therefore, both the American story “The Tomb” and the Japanese story “The Kibitsu Cauldron” share similarities, a major similarity being mental illness and how that affects the main characters. On the other hand, these two stories have differences such as how the supernatural element of a ghost chooses to interact with the main character. Whether by possessing their body such as in “The Tomb” or by a vengeful ghost seeking