The Canterville Ghost

Lord Canterville represents England, and specifically the aristocracy. He primarily calls to mind superstition and a reliance on the legalities of inheritance. When Hiram tries to give Lord Canterville the jewels Sir Simon’s ghost has given to Virginia, he tells Hiram that the jewels are not part of his inheritance because no one knew about them, so they’re not listed in any will.

Mrs. Otis, who prior to marriage was Miss Lucretia R. Tappan of West 53rd Street, had been lauded in New York City for her beauty. She has a healthy and robust constitution, despite the idea that it is fashionable for European ladies not to. She only falls ill when Virginia is missing for an entire day. She represents the boldness in American values, and also the self-sufficiency of women in America. 

Hiram and Lucretia’s eldest son is named after George Washington. He is known for his dancing skill in both Newport, Rhode Island and in London. Washington represents youth, zeal, and inventiveness. His zeal leads him to try every day to remove the blood stain in the library at Canterville Chase, until he has no choice but to declare that the ghost must exist because he doesn’t believe that his detergent could possibly fail. 

Virginia is Hiram and Lucretia’s daughter. She’s fifteen years old, pretty, and confident. She represents purity and love, and it is through her empathy and pity that Sir Simon’s ghost is finally able to rest. Her gentle and delicate nature reflects European and English standards of beauty, and her boldness reflects American standards of beauty. She is a bridge between both worlds—America and Europe, New and Old. It’s revealed later in the story that she was born in England, though she was raised in America. 

The Stars and Stripes are Hiram and Lucretia’s twin boys, their youngest children. They represent the youth of America, and the nation’s rambunctiousness. Their antics lead Sir Simon to fear them and to begin his transition to death, but those same antics are sometimes brash and immature to the point of annoying their parents and earning a scolding from Hiram Otis.  

Mrs. Umney is an older woman, and the housekeeper of Canterville Chase. Like Lord Canterville, she subscribes to superstition, particularly as it concerns Sir Simon’s ghost.

Sir Simon, the ghost, killed his wife in the library in 1575. He died nine years later, when his brothers-in-law starved him to death, and has haunted the Chase ever since. Lord Canterville is convinced that his appearance foretells the death of someone in the family. Sir Simon suffers a loss of vitality in the strength of his hauntings due to his attachment to old traditions. He often laments that his greatness during his life is no longer revered, and sadly recalls how many people he was able to scare before the Otis family moved to Canterville Chase. Ultimately, he seeks forgiveness and the rest that only death can provide. To attain this, he asks Virginia to cry and pray for him, and rewards her efforts with a small white casket full of jewels.