In this unusual horror story from Henry James, a wealthy man stalks his empty, supposedly haunted family mansion looking for the ghost of the person he might have become. Having returned to America after thirty-three years living a selfish, frivolous life in Europe, the protagonist discovers a hidden talent for business and architecture. He wonders how life would have turned out if he had pursued these interests when younger, and decides that the only way to find out is to find and confront his ghostly alter ego. Themes: change, materialism, life choices and consequences, emptiness, commitment, the supernatural.
Perhaps the most important theme of the story is Spencer Brydon’s lack of commitment to anything in life other than his own self-gratification. This is summed up nicely in the opening sentence Everyone asks me what I ‘think’ of everything, and I make answer as I can — begging or dodging the question, putting them off with any nonsense. At fifty-six, he appears to be questioning the meaning and purpose of his life. James leaves the reader to decide whether the experience with the vision, and Alice Staverton’s subsequent affirmations and tenderness, will change anything.
Original Text / PDF / Audio (14,400 words)