Compare and contrast Virginia’s character with the twins. Her nature is totally opposed to that of her family members. Elaborate. Chapter 6
Answers
HOMEWORK HELP > THE CANTERVILLE GHOST
Compare and contrast any two characters of "The Canterville Ghost."
print Print
document PDF
list Cite
EXPERT ANSWERS
SCIFTW | CERTIFIED EDUCATOR
I hope that it is okay to compare and contrast three characters. I would like compare and contrast Virginia Otis and the Otis twins. For the sake of simplicity though, I am going to refer to the twins as a single character though. They do everything together, and there isn't much difference between the two.
Honestly, the twins are completely different from Virginia Otis, but I can find some surface level similarities. Both Virginia and the twins are related to Mr. and Mrs. Otis. Both characters are relatively young. Virginia is older, but she is only fifteen. Lastly, Virginia and the twins are also quite interested in the ghost of Sir Simon.
The interest in the ghost is where all of the differences between those characters begin. The Otis twins are immediately excited about the prospect of a ghost, and they revel in being as antagonistic as possible to Sir Simon. At no point do they consider empathizing with Sir Simon. Virginia, on the other hand, is a perfectly behaved child. She doesn't participate in her family's schemes to antagonize Sir Simon, and she doesn't automatically assume that Sir Simon deserves their dislike. Virginia does quite the opposite. She pities the ghost and offers to help him. Where the twins are loud, annoying, and able to strike fear in Sir Simon, Virginia is calm, sweet, and able to earn Sir Simon's trust.
Known informally as the Star and Stripes, the twins are the youngest children of Mr. and Mrs. Otis and brothers to Washington and Virginia Otis. While we never learn their actual names, their joint nickname has two meanings—on one hand it refers to the Otis parents’ patriotic impulses in naming their children. On the other, we’re told, the twin’s nickname refers to the fact that the twins get in trouble a lot, which their parents correct by spanking (a “stripe” can also mean a blow delivered by hand). The twins’ behavior throughout The Canterville Ghost certainly proves this to be true. They quickly terrorize Sir Simon, accosting him with pillows and toys guns, and devising traps to ensnare or even injure him. At first, the ghost wants only to pay them back for this. However, as their relentless pursuit of him continues, Sir Simon eventually becomes too afraid of the twins to even imagine revenge. He only wants to avoid them at all costs. Interestingly, the twins are never referred to singularly and always appear together. They are the first to notice that the almond tree has flowered at the end of the story.
The Otis Twins Quotes in The Canterville Ghost
The The Canterville Ghost quotes below are all either spoken by The Otis Twins or refer to The Otis Twins. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one: The British Aristocracy vs. American Vulgarity Theme Icon). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the Branden Books edition of The Canterville Ghost published in 2011.