What is a Ghost Story?

What is a ghost? Something that has the visual semblance of a human being, but not all aspects. Sometimes it can create sound. Not fully formed visually. A ghost can manifest as a visually present enough version of a human being. Ghost stories are often in houses. House is a central human symbol of comfort. The ghost is a disruption to the norm. Why does the ghost scare people? The ghost represents the prior existence before the current occupants. This represents a cycle of life. The ghost’s presence connotes a sense of vulnerability for the living in its appearance in less frequented places (attic, basement) and in the evening often, when the character is alone. And then the fear is premised on the question of whether the ghost is a good or evil presence. The ghost can show the dweller their own mortality. The ghost is a representation of impermanence. Or in the reverse, what’s scary about the ghost is the lack of impermanence. There are other kinds of ghost stories. A ghost story is a story in which you have a character whose placement in this world is somehow out of order. Place is important: where the ghost appears and what they’re doing. We often see ghosts looking to repeat the same thing. There is something that is not reconciled for them.  They are often held back from the completion of a reconciliation.