Ghosts In Nabokov's The Vane Sisters

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With information in science, literature, and mythology in the past and present, it is evident that the supernatural world is something to consider as not just a myth but a reality in Nabokov’s The Vane Sisters. Looking in the past we see how the Greeks, Romans, Egyptian’s, Shakespeare all had one basic commonality, and that was their basic view on ghosts and the supernatural world. The thing that connects them all is their view of death and the after life. In every time the view of the supernatural is a little different but each idea trickles down to the one common belief that there is a paranormal/supernatural world.
Where did the idea of ghosts even begin? I know what ghosts are viewed as these days. Through books, movies, television shows,
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The ghosts in both Hamlet and MacBeth could not leave earth because of the wrong done to them while they were alive, murder. Although killed in different ways in Hamlet’s father was killed by his brother to be king and Macbeth’s father was killed by his best friend to be king. Both ghosts in the separate dramas came back to tell their sons the truth and so that they could be avenged and be able to move on into the next life instead of being stuck on earth as a spirit restless as their killers rule their …show more content…
Now in the 21st century we overlook how far this concept stretches back. Looking at the general concept we still view ghosts and the supernatural world the same as many before us have. The recurring theme is unfinished business for the spirit left on earth prohibiting them to move on to the afterlife.
The Vane Sisters by Nabokov really reinforces that ghosts come back because of unfinished business. Cynthia who is already dead is basically coming back to fight for her sister, Sybil’s relationship to be over with D. who is a teacher at the school. Sybil kills herself because of the end of the relationship. Throughout the rest of the story even Cynthia says to the narrator that Sybil haunts her because she knew that Cynthia got involved in breaking up the relationship of her and D. Unfinished business with ghosts seems to be the main theme of the supernatural

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