The Ghostly Visitors

1. THE GHOSTLY VISITORS

2. BEFORE READING
•What do you think life was like for upper-
class people in England in the second half of
the 19
th
century?
•What is a governess?
•Do you believe in ghosts? Why / Why not?
•What is a boarding school? Would you like to
go to a boarding school? Explain your
reasons.

3. POSSIBLE ANSWERS
•They lived in big, beautiful houses; they had many servants;
children were often taught at home; only boys were sent to
school.)
•A woman who is hired to educate children in their home.
•(Yes: I believe in ghosts, because that explains where we
‘go’ after we die; many people claim to have seen ghosts,
so they must exist. No: I don’t believe in what
I can’t see or prove.)
•A school where the students live during the school term.
Yes: It could be fun living with my friends from school; my
parents can’t tell me what to do. No: I would miss my
family; I might not like the food there; I wouldn’t have my
own room; I might have to follow a lot of rules and be
punished

4. LIST OF MAIN CHARACTERS
•Douglas: the narrator of the story.
•Catherine Blake: governess to two children,Miles and
Flora.
•Miles: a 10-year-old orphan boy.
•Flora: Miles’ 7-year-old sister.
•Lord Henry: Miles and Flora’s uncle.
•Mrs Grose: the housekeeper.
•Miss Jessel’s ghost: the ghost of Miles and Flora’s
previous governess.
•Quint’s ghost: the ghost of Lord Henry’s previous
assistant.

5. SUMMARY I
•Douglas reads to his guests a strange ghost story that
hasn’t been heard before. He tells them that the story was
written by his sister’s governess 20 years before, and that it
is a true story.
•Before reading, Douglas gives them some background
information:
•Lord Henry’s niece, Flora, and nephew, Miles, had become
orphaned after their parents’ tragic death.
•Lord Henry lived in London and didn’t have time to look
after the children, so he sent them to his country mansion,
Bly, and hired Catherine to take care of them.
•He made it clear to her that he didn’t want to be worried
by any problems or questions about the children

6. SUMMARY II
•Catherine is charmed by Flora’s beauty and sweet nature. Mrs
Grose tells Catherine that Miles is as sweet and good as his
sister and Catherine can’t wait to meet him when he gets
back from the boarding school.
•But the next day, Catherine receives a letter from Lord Henry.
Inside it is a letter from Miles’ headmaster saying that Miles is
expelled from school and must not return after the holidays.
•When Catherine meets him, she can’t understand how such
an angelic boy could have been expelled.
•Soon, weird things start to happen. Catherine sees a strange
man appearing around the house, and then disappearing into
nowhere.
•Sometimes she sees a strange woman, too

7. SUMMARY III
•Catherine talks about the two strangers to Mrs Grose and
discovers that they’re the ghosts of Miss Jessel and Quint.
•Mrs Grose is terrified when she hears about the ghosts’
frequent visits. She tells Catherine that they’re evil and that
she fears for the children’s safety.
•When she tries to talk to the children about it, they pretend
that they don’t know what she’s talking about.
•But Catherine knows they’re hiding something from her. She
also realises that they like the ghostly visitors and aren’t
aware of their evil powers.
•Catherine tries to protect Flora and Miles but they don’t co-
operate.
•Sometimes they talk as though they aren’t themselves, as
though a ghost is talking through them.

8. SUMMARY IV
•She writes a letter to Lord Henry, asking for his help.
But later, she discovers that Miles stole the letter in a
desperate attempt to stay at Bly, with the ghosts.
•She believes that once they stop protecting the ghosts,
the children will be free of them forever.
•First, she tries to get Flora to confess, but only succeeds
in making the little girl hate her.
•Then, she tries to get Miles to talk about Quint. Miles
confesses everything and even says Quint’s name.
• At first Catherine is overjoyed and holds Miles to her,
thinking that he’s now free.

9. SUMMARY V
•But after a few seconds, she realises that the boy in her
arms is dead.
•Suddenly, she understands that Miles couldn’t live
without Quint – he preferred to be dead – and that she,
Catherine, had killed him.
THE END

10. QUESTIONS
1.Do you think Lord Henry took good enough care of
Flora and Miles? Explain your answer.
2.Imagine that Catherine had decided not to fight the
ghosts. How do you think this would have changed
the story?
3.What kind of person is Catherine Blake? Which
aspects of her personality make her a good
governess? Has she got any negative characteristics?
4.Explain the relationship between Quint and Miss
Jessel. How were their lives and deaths connected?
5.Describe the relationship between Catherine and
Flora. How does it change during the story?

11. POSSIBLE ANSWERS
•3.Catherine Blake is a very loving person. She’s got a good
imagination and children like her. She’s curious, strong and
brave. She’s not afraid to fight and refuses to be defeated.
She’s a good governess because she loves the children,
protects them and feels responsible for them.
•4.Quint and Miss Jessel used to work at Bly. Quint was Lord
Henry’s assistant and Miss Jessel was Miles and Flora’s
governess. Miss Jessel was in love with Quint but he didn’t
really love her. Miss Jessel didn’t see this – she was blinded by
her feelings. Quint laughed at her and finally ended their
relationship. Miss Jessel was very sad but he didn’t care. Then
one day, Quint got drunk,he fell on his way home and hit his
head on the ground. He was found dead on the road. After
that, Miss Jessel was so unhappy that she died.

12. POSSIBLE ANSWERS
•5. Catherine thinks Flora is sweet and angelic, and immediately
likes her. At first Flora is shy, but she soon feels more
confident with Catherine and becomes loving towards her. But
when Catherine discovers Flora’s secret friendship with the
ghosts, she and Flora become less close. Catherine tries to get
Flora to confess, but Flora pretends that the ghosts don’t exist.
In the end, when Flora pretends she can’t see Miss Jessel at
the lake, Catherine doesn’t believe her. This makes Flora very
angry and it’s the end of their friendship. Flora starts to hate
Catherine. She doesn’t want to be near her or sleep in the
same room as her any more.