In the first chapter of "The Canterville Ghost," the Otis family moves into Canterville Chase and are welcomed to the house by the housekeeper, Mrs. Unmey. Shortly after their arrival, Mrs. Otis notices a "dull red stain" on the floor in the library which she thinks is a spillage. Mrs. Unmney informs her that the stain is, in fact, the blood of Lady Eleanore de Canterville, who was murdered on "that very spot" by her husband, Sir Simon, in 1575.
The motivations for this murder are revealed to the reader in Chapter Five during a conversation between Sir Simon and Virginia Otis:
My wife was very plain, never had my ruffs properly starched, and knew nothing about cookery.
In other words, Sir Simon murdered his wife because she was not attractive and poor at housekeeping. In retaliation, Lady Eleanore's brothers starved Sir Simon to death and he has haunted Canterville Chase ever since.
The blood stain, therefore, functions as a visual reminder and a symbol of Sir Simon's crime against his wife. It cannot be removed until Sir Simon has sought redemption and this is demonstrated by its daily renewal, despite the use of strong cleaners, like Pinkerton's Stain Remover. But all this changes when Sir Simon seeks forgiveness from God, in Chapter Five, and is granted eternal rest in the Garden of Death. Canterville Chase is finally free of his ghost and, presumably, the blood stain has vanished along with him.
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