Login

As the Canterville ghost, describe the Otis family as you see them

The Canterville Ghost" has a number of characters and each with their specific qualities. The Ghost is the protagonist of the story. Although, he is supposed to be a frightening scepter, we soon learn about his sorrow. The Otis twins and Washington Otis like their parents are nonchalant about the Ghost. Instead they take it upon themselves to plague the Ghost. Mr. And Mrs. Otis are the quintessential modern American, who accept the presence of the Ghost with incredulity. Miss Otis helps the Ghost achieve redemption. The Duke of Chesire is a minor character and the steadfast lover of Miss Otis. The Lord Canterville and Mrs Umney represent traditional notions about supernatural elements. Hence, all of the characters in the tale, play specific roles to bring about the culmination of the story.

  • -3
View Full Answer
The story begins when Mr Otis and family move into Canterville Chase, despite warnings from Lord Canterville that the house is haunted. Mr Otis says that he will take the furniture as well as the ghost at valuation. The Otis family includes Mr and Mrs Otis, their eldest son Washington, their daughter Virginia and the Otis twins. The other characters include the Canterville Ghost, the Duke of Cheshire (who wants to marry Virginia), Mrs Umney (the housekeeper), and Rev. Augustus Dampier. At first, none of the Otis family believe in ghosts, but shortly after they move in, none of them can deny the presence of Sir Simon de Canterville . The family hears clanking chains, they witness reappearing bloodstains "on the floor just by the fireplace", which are removed every time they appear in various forms. But, humorously, none of these scare the Otis family in the least. In fact, upon hearing the clanking noises in the hallway, Mr Otis promptly gets out of bed and pragmatically offers the ghost Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator to oil his chains.

Despite the ghost's efforts to appear in the most gruesome guises, the family refuses to be frightened, and Sir Simon feels increasingly helpless and humiliated. When Mrs Otis notices a mysterious red mark on the floor, she simply replies that she does "not at all care for blood stains in the sitting room". When Mrs Umney informs Mrs Otis that the blood stain is indeed evidence of the ghost and cannot be removed, Washington Otis, the eldest son, suggests that the stain will be removed with Pinkerton's Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent: a quick fix, like the Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator, and a practical way of dealing with the problem.
  • 0
What are you looking for?