A main difference between Lord Canterville and Mr. Otis is that Lord Canterville, who is English, takes tradition very seriously, while Mr. Otis, an American, does not. For example, Lord Canterville takes seriously the ghost who haunts Canterville Hall. Mr. Otis, who could care less about ancestral ghosts, is utterly unimpressed when the ghost leaves bloodstains on the library floor or dons costumes to roam the home at night trying to frighten the family. Rather than react in terror, he applies good old American know how to try to solve the problem. Likewise, he is uninterested in his daughter getting a gift of ancestral jewels, thinking the whole idea unAmerican and is unimpressed at the idea of his daughter marrying a duke and becoming part of the British aristocracy. The story satirizes the situation in England in the late 19th century, as wealthy Americans with a different and more forward looking set of ideas increasingly descended on Great Britain.
No comments:
Post a Comment