(The book was published under the Western Folklore.)

Work Cited

Summary

Thompson argues that the treatment of ghosts and souls in the physical world impacts them when they die. He explains his perspective with the help of different cultures, mostly with Native American beliefs.

About The Author: Tok Thompson

He graduated from Harvard College with a bachelor’s degree in Anthropology. In 1999, Thompson received a Master’s Degree in Folklore from the University of California, Berkeley. Then three years later, he got a Ph.D. in Anthropology from the same university. He studied with Alan Dundes, a folklorist, and worked with the Centre for Irish-Scottish Studies at Trinity College, Dublin for two years in the postdoctoral position.

Key Terms

Ethical/Ethics: Thompson has used this term to describe the treatment of ghosts or souls, usually to humanize them.

Haunting: The hauntings described in this book shows the different motivations and connections these ghosts have with the living.

Quotes

“In many Native American societies, the lack of proper respect towards animals (for example, killing more than you need, or neglecting to use all of the animal, or neglecting requisite funerary rituals) could result in vengeful animal ghosts. The role of the shaman in these traditions is often deeply tied to this possibility; one of a shaman’s main functions is to attempt to placate the angry spirits of dead animals who have been disrespected, in order to restore balance between the human world and the world of the animal spirits” (Thompson 44).

“Ghost stories often give voice to the oppressed and morally wronged; the failure to successfully move into the afterlife and the reason for hauntings can also be tied to harm experienced during life, not just disrespect during or after death” (Thompson 45).

“In many Native American traditions, reciprocity with the lived environment is of clear importance to leading an ethical life, since violations of this reciprocity produce harmful ghosts” (Thompson 45).

Value

This book will help give me insight as to why people believed in the Amityville Horror story. Since the book explores ghosts and souls from different cultures, it can also explain people’s stance towards ghosts or why spirits become violent. To some of the public’s belief: they think that the Amityville Horror occurred because the deceased DeFeo family wanted revenge for being murdered in cold blood. As a result, the DeFeo family members haunted the Lutz family.