The Old Willis Place: A Ghost Story

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2004

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-4

Chapters 5-8

Chapters 9-12

Chapters 13-17

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

Gate

In The Old Willis Place, the gate at the edge of Oak Hill Manor’s property is a symbol for Diana, Georgie, and Miss Lilian’s entrapment. It is a physical representation of the rules that limit them and a constant reminder of the world beyond—just out of reach.

The front gate is introduced in Chapter 1 when Diana and Georgie plot to “borrow” Lissa’s bike. Georgie contemplates riding away on the bike, saying he would go for “[m]iles and miles, on and on and on—” (6). Diana interrupts him, saying “Yes, all the way to the gate and back” (6), this being one of their important personal rules. When Diana takes her turn on the bike, she stops at the gate and looks out: “Beyond [is] the road—and the rest of the world” (17). The world beyond the gate reminds Diana and Georgie of everything they will never know or experience.

The gate is also mentioned alongside a recurring motif: Lassie Come Home. In Chapter 4, when Diana and Georgie peruse Lissa’s copy of the book, one of the pictures features “Lassie, sitting at the gate, waiting for her boy, Joe” (33). Just as Lassie waits at a gate, so do Diana and Georgie, as if someone might rescue them.

The gate is personally significant to Diana and Georgie as well. The last memory they have of their parents is that of their firing from Oak Hill Manor—and them leaving through the gate forever. Georgie waited at the gate for weeks, hoping they would return, but eventually stopped.

At the end of the novel, the front gate is finally opened when the ghosts of Diana and Georgie’s parents return. After Diana, Georgie, and Miss Lilian forgive each other, “Georgie and [Diana] [break] away from Miss Lilian and [shove] the gate open. [They run] out into the road, free at last from the farm and its rules” (193). When Miss Lilian begs for the parents’ forgiveness, Diana convinces them to let her through the gate as well. They all walk into the light together, the gate having transformed from a physical barrier to a spiritual means of reunion.

Albino Deer

The albino deer is a motif that appears at critical moments in the novel, sometimes foreshadowing impending danger or acting as a guide. Typically, he will emerge from the woods as Diana is about to break the rules, such as when she sneaks out at night to peek in Lissa’s diary. Diana describes her encounter with the albino deer: “The albino deer, my favorite […] let me come within a foot or two of him. Then he turned and ran, his pale body sliding through the shadows like milk” (47). The deer is ghostlike in his movement and sudden disappearance.

The second time the albino deer is mentioned is after Diana breaks into Oak Hill Manor for toiletries and new clothes. As she makes her way back to Georgie, “[a] rabbit leap[s] across [her] path, and [she catches] a glimpse of the albino deer in the field. His antlered head turn[s] in [her] direction” (59). This is another turning point in the novel, as Diana intends to lie to Georgie about the motive behind her change in behavior; she is once again choosing to befriend Lissa instead of keeping her distance like she promised.

The deer appears a third time when Diana and Lissa attempt to make amends with Georgie. While the girls look for Georgie, they see “three or four does and the albino stag through the trees ahead” (86). The girls try to convince Georgie of their growing friendship, but he refuses to accept it. At the end of Chapter 9, Diana leaves the Morrisons’ trailer and watches “The albino deer leap into the woods ahead of [her], his antlered head high” (93).That night, Lissa writes in her diary that she is planning to break into the old Willis place while her father is at Home Depot. This plan directly leads to the release of Miss Lilian’s ghost.

The deer makes a final appearance during Miss Lilian’s successful chase of Diana and Georgie. Diana observes that, “Like a ghost himself, the albino deer stood at the edge of the trees. He watch[es them] for a moment and then vanished into the shadows” (187). After the deer vanishes, Miss Lilian corners Diana and Georgie. Though this is initially terrifying for the children, Miss Lilian’s side of the story is a necessary component to the ghosts’ freedom.

Teddy Bear

Lissa’s teddy bear, Tedward, is a motif used to develop the novel’s themes of loneliness and longing for friendship. Three characters have distinct interactions with Tedward (or “Alfie,” as Georgie calls him): Lissa, Georgie, and Miss Lilian. Though these characters are at odds, the bear unifies them in a way that reminds readers of the universal need for comfort, connection.

Diana and Georgie first see the bear when they break into Lissa’s room to borrow Lassie Come Home. They are about to leave when Georgie spots the bear. He picks it up and says, “It’s just like the bear Miss Lilian took away from me […] She said I stole Alfie, but Mrs. Willis gave him to me” (30-31). Georgie proceeds to take this new “Alfie” home with him.

This theft reveals that Diana and Georgie are unafraid, and unashamed, to steal from the living. The bear is but one item stolen from previous residents. The children justify theft with their being trapped on the farm and having so little compared to their targets. When Diana learns of Tedward’s significance from Lissa’s diary, she feels guilty, before remembering Lissa’s other stuffed animals. Diana reminds herself that Lissa “[has] so many. And Georgie [has] none. Surely he should be allowed to keep Alfie” (49). This logic is used by both Diana and Georgie whenever they steal.

Lissa is heartbroken to find Tedward gone, writing in her diary that he is her “most special toy” because “[m]y mother gave him to me when I was five years old, not long before she died. I’ve slept with him ever since” (32). The bear is comforting to Lissa because it reminds her of her mother, just like it reminds Georgie of his previous life.

Even Diana, who is so quick to appease Lissa, hesitates to return the bear when asked. Diana knows Georgie has a soft spot for “Alfie,” so she can’t bring herself to take him away. Lissa doesn’t get Tedward back until she herself appeals to Georgie and cries. Georgie mocks her, then throws both Lassie Come Home and Tedward at her.

Later that night, Diana has trouble sleeping. She imagines Lissa “in bed, reading Lassie Come Home, her little bear tucked in safely beside her, so cozy, so comfortable in her room” (93). The image makes Diana miss her old home and life more than ever. The book and bear are just two things that Lissa takes for granted, things that Diana and Georgie will never have on their own terms again.

Eventually, Lissa wants to make amends with Georgie and brings the bear as a peace offering. Georgie ignores the bear, “but if [Diana] knew Georgie, he was secretly pleased Lissa had returned them” (143). Though Georgie and Lissa never become friends, this is a crucial moment for their relationship, as it shows that Lissa has grown and is willing to sacrifice her own comfort for someone else.

In Lissa’s final diary entry, she describes Diana, Georgie, and Miss Lilian walking into a bright light—“And then I saw something on the gate—my bear, just sitting there as if he was waiting for me. Georgie must have left him for me” (198). Georgie doesn’t need the bear to remember his old life or parents anymore. For now, the bear will serve as a comforting companion to Lissa until she is reunited with her own mother someday.