The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story

Georgie is Diana’s 8-year-old brother, who died alongside his sister in Oak Hill Manor’s cellar. He is just as filthy and bedraggled as Diana when he is first introduced. However, unlike Diana, Georgie never bathes for the duration of the novel. Instead, he applies face paint and wears feathers in his hair to scare Lissa.

Georgie is the better prankster and “borrower” between the siblings—yet, he is more cautious about following the rules. In fact, the main conflict between Georgie and Diana is the latter’s sudden willingness to test the rules and the former’s fear of potential consequences.

Because Lissa’s arrival marks the beginning of Diana’s rule-breaking and lies, Georgie resents the new girl from the start. He has a different view of Lissa than his sister, calling her “spoiled” (27) and a “[b]ig crybaby” (89) for whom he has little patience. Near the end of the novel, he begins to make amends with Lissa. Though it’s clear “[t]he two of them will never be friends” (175), Georgie’s attitude softens, and he forgives Lissa for releasing Miss Lilian.

A symbol used to illustrate the conflict between Georgie and Lissa (and by extension, that between Georgie and Miss Lilian) is Lissa’s teddy bear Tedward. The bear resembles Alfie, one that Georgie owned before he died. Miss Lilian had accused Georgie of stealing the bear, when it had been given to him by Miss Lilian’s mother, Mrs. Willis. The bear is a source of comfort for Georgie and exchanges owners throughout the course of the novel. When Georgie and Diana eventually leave Oak Hill Manor with their parents, he leaves the bear on the gate for Lissa.

Georgie’s path to forgiving, as demonstrated by his relationship with Lissa, is made even more evident when Miss Lilian pleads her case at the end of the novel. Though initially reluctant to forgive, Georgie eventually follows Diana’s lead.

Lissa Morrison is the 12-year-old daughter of Mr. Morrison, the new caretaker of Oak Hill Manor. The novel utilizes her diary entries to shift perspectives from Diana to her. This framing device allows the novel’s mystery to unfold from an outsider’s point of view.

When Lissa arrives, Diana describes her as “pretty, small and slender […] Her hair hung down her back, smooth and wavy, so dark it shone with blue highlights in the sun” (5). Lissa partakes in gymnastics and is a reader like Diana, with a shelf full of books. As a homeschooled only child, Lissa shares Diana’s desire for a friend her own age. She can be a bit spoiled but is also caring and curious.

Loneliness and loss are two major components of Lissa’s life, having lost her mother at the age of five. It is this loss that makes Lissa curious about ghosts in the first place: “Maybe that’s why I wonder so much about what happens when you die and where you go and if you can stay on earth for a while” (20).

Lissa begins the novel wondering if ghosts are real and claiming she isn’t afraid of them. To her, ghosts are “ectoplasm or something, not solid” (20). However, when she discovers the truth about Diana and Georgie, she stands corrected. The ghosts she encountered are “real and solid, with shadows and everything—only they don’t get cold and they can’t eat or drink or hurt themselves” (195). More importantly, Lissa makes peace with the idea of an “afterlife.” After watching Diana, Georgie, and Miss Lilian vanish into a bright light, Lissa is left with a spark of hope that one day she, too, will be reunited with her mother.

Mr. Morrison is the father of Lissa and the newest caretaker of Oak Hill Manor. Early on, Georgie describes Mr. Morrison as “tall and skinny and he was wearing baggy shorts. His legs were long and white” (2). The siblings nickname him “Heron Man,” because “that’s exactly what he looked like—long neck, pointed nose, and his hair stuck up in a crest” (2). Mr. Morrison is unlike previous caretakers who were on the older side and mean, as he is a young, kind writer who doesn’t believe in ghosts.

Most of the men who work at Oak Hill Manor don’t stay for long, as they are driven away by the ghosts of Diana, Georgie, and Miss Lilian. Mr. Morrison never wavers in his belief that ghosts aren’t real, even when his own daughter begins to suspect something supernatural is going on. This dismissal of Lissa’s claims drives a wedge between father and daughter.

Lissa’s relationship with her father is already strained because of the life he’s chosen for them since her mother’s passing. Lissa tells Diana that after her mother died, “Dad quit his job and sold our house. He takes part-time jobs so he can write. We stay in a place just long enough for me to get used to it, then he’s off again” (82). This nomadic lifestyle is a contributing factor to Lissa’s loneliness, which Mr. Morrison finally acknowledges and hopes to rectify with a new start at the end of the novel.