The Screaming Staircase

Part 2 of The Screaming Staircase winds back to the origins of Lucy’s involvement in ghost hunting and how she came to join Lockwood & Co. Although Lucy generally focuses only on the present moment, rarely indulging in recollections or focusing on the future, she takes the time here to reveal a traumatic backstory, a typical attribute for such heroes, which serves to cement her status as a survivor of unspeakably difficult situations. This dynamic is emphasized both by her challenging and loveless childhood and by her survival of a dangerous moment in ghost hunting that claimed the lives of all of her coworkers and revealed the criminal negligence of her boss at the time. The fact that Lucy’s mother essentially sold her skills and service to Jason’s agency also underscores the cruel nature of Stroud’s dystopian London, for Lucy’s mother was clearly more interested in profiting from Lucy’s skills than in minding her safety. In a further emphasis of Lucy’s painful past, this chapter represents the only time that she deigns to mention her biological family, and the narrative focuses instead on the high quality of both her innate psychic talents and her first few cases with Lockwood & Co. Given her abilities to hear the voices of spirits and sense the emotions they experienced during life, Lucy’s rare and intense skills will impress Lockwood many times. Indeed, she passes his many initial tests without a single error. Although Lockwood is scarcely older than Lucy, she almost immediately perceives his talents as a solid leader, stating, “Lockwood, I already liked. He seemed a world away from the remote and treacherous Agent Jacobs; his zest and personal commitment were clear. Here was someone I felt I could follow, someone perhaps to trust” (97). Significantly, the children’s specific ages are never mentioned in the novel, as Stroud wanted to challenge the idea that age must be a necessary factor in achieving success.

In Part 2, Lucy also explains the origins of the dystopian London in which she lives. The story takes place in the relatively recent past, and the ghost invasion, commonly referred to as “the Problem,” first began sometime in the 1960s or 1970s; the long-lasting nature of this spiritual phenomenon thus gives rise to a generation of children who are in some ways more grown up than the adults who secure their unique services. What first began as widespread panic soon morphed into a complacent acceptance of this new dystopian way of life, and modern Londoners have come to accept that since children are the most capable of sensing spirits, they are the best employed to deal with the Problem. Thus, most of the children growing up in this world demonstrate maturity well beyond their years, have seen many tragedies, and are hardened and desensitized to many of the terrors of the spirit world. Still, Lucy, Lockwood, and George are not immune to the follies of adolescence and do occasionally exhibit their immature sides, as is evidenced by Lucy’s irrational dislike of George: “I looked at him. His flop of hair, his glossy, shapeless face, his silly little glasses: everything about him made me livid. ‘That’s right,’ I said. ‘Step over here, and I’ll show you exactly how feisty I am’” (84). Her strong dislike for George takes weeks to break, but they slowly soften to one another as they are forced to work together for the sake of Lockwood. Lucy feels loyal to Lockwood because not only is he the first to give her a chance, but he also possesses an inner strength that is rarer than diamonds, and Lucy states, “It already pleased me to think of walking into darkness with Lockwood at my side” (100). Inspired by fierce loyalty at the start, Lucy plays a pivotal role in helping Lockwood Make a Name for Self and Family.

Stroud also devotes a great deal of time to describing 35 Portland Row, the Lockwood family home that acts as both a living quarters and business headquarters for the trio. The house has a haunting but ironically comforting atmosphere that comes from its many fascinations and the unconventional family that develops amongst the staff. Within the Lockwood home are dozens of ancient artifacts, most of which are thought to be cleansed Sources of past spirits, and a vast library for research and leisure. Lucy is also introduced to the ghost in the jar, who reappears regularly as a red herring but never actually becomes a threat; instead, the ghost in the jar taunts both Lucy and the reader into suspecting something that isn’t there. Stroud’s minute attention to detail in this section is fully justified and will later prove its relevance, as the labyrinth that is Lockwood’s home becomes the primary setting of many of the story’s events.