In "The Canterville Ghost," what steps did the ghost consider against the Otis family?

The Canterville ghost makes many attempts to frighten the Otis family when they move into his ancestral home. He spills “blood” on the floor by the fireplace in the library, dresses up in chains with “eyes as red as coals,” comes out at night with his “most horrible” laugh and dresses up in a winding sheet while holding a rusty dagger. The family, however, is American, not English. Rather than fear him, they have practical, no-nonsense responses. They do their best to rub out the blood stain, they throw pillows at him, and they shoot him with a pea shooter. In the end, he’s more frightened of them they are of him.

 This tale reverses the normal ghost story by humanizing and inspiring sympathy for the hapless specter. In this way, Oscar Wilde illustrated the culture clash between forward-looking Americans and the history bound English in the late 19th century.

What attempts did the Canterville Ghost make to scare the Otis family?

The Canterville ghost makes a number of attempts to scare the Otis family. In Chapter Two, for instance, he reapplies the blood stain in the library, which the family have cleaned off. In the same chapter, he appears to the family late at night by walking down the corridor, rattling his chains.

In Chapter Three, the ghost tries to frighten the family by wearing an antique suit of armor, which stands in the downstairs hallway. He also creeps up to Washington's room but is confronted by an unfamiliar "specter" which, ironically, frightens the ghost away.

In Chapter Four, he dresses as one of his alter-egos, "Black Isaac," in an attempt to frighten the twins. Later, he adopts the disguise of "Jonas the Graveless" and appears outside the library.

In all of these attempts, however, the Canterville ghost is unsuccessful. The family are not afraid of him and, in most cases, the twins outmaneuver him by creating traps to humiliate and drive him away.

It is one of the story's most ironic (and comical) notions that the ghost is more afraid of the family than they are of him. 

What attempts did the Canterville Ghost make to scare the Otis family?

The Canterville Ghost first decides to reapply the blood stain that the Otis family has removed from the carpet. This happens three times, and then the ghost appears in chains to menace Mr. Otis. In response, Mr. Otis tells him to oil his chains. In the meantime, the blood stains keep reappearing on the floor. Then, the ghost knocks over an old suit of armor and sits upon the high-backed chair. However, the twins shoot at him, and then the ghost decides to rig up another ghost to scare the Otis children. They disassemble the other ghost, and the Canterville Ghost decides to become the "Headless Earl" to scare the Otis twins once and for all. Unfortunately for the ghost, the twins greet him by rigging up a pitcher to pour water on his head, and he takes to his bed with a bad cold, disheartened about his ability to scare the Otis family. 

In "The Canterville Ghost" by Oscar Wilde, how does the ghost try to frighten the Otis family?

The ghost employs a number of tactics to scare the Otis family when they move into Canterville Chase.

First of all, he uses the blood stain in the library to evoke a sense of mystery and fear. As the housekeeper informs the family, the stain is the blood of Lady Eleanore de Canterville, the ghost's former wife, whom he murdered on that spot in 1575. The family, however, are not frightened by the daily reappearance of the stain: they simply erase it with Pinkerton's Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent. 

Secondly, the ghost uses traditional haunting techniques to scare the family, like rattling his ghostly chains, groaning and traversing the corridor all night long. Again, these techniques prove futile: the Otises are more annoyed by his antics than frightened. This is best shown in Chapter Two when Mr Otis offers the ghost some Tammany Lubricator to oil his chains and keep the noise down. 

The ghost also uses a number of disguises to try and scare the family. Disguises, like that of "Reckless Rupert, the Headless Earl," proved very successful in frightening former residents of the house, as the reader learns in Chapter Four. The Otises, however, are not as suggestible as the likes of Lady Barbara Modish and the ghost, once again, fails in his attempt to scare the family. In fact, this disguise fails so badly that the ghost "gave up all of hope" of ever frightening them. This leads directly to his encounter with Virginia in Chapter Five and his desire to leave the mortal world in favour of the Garden of Death. 

How did the Otis family scare the ghost in Oscar Wilde's short story The Canterville Ghost?

The titular figure in Oscar Wilde's short story The Canterville Ghost has a long, distinguished history of terrifying occupants of Canterville Chase, the palatial estate he shared in life with Lady Eleanore de Canterville, his wife whom he stood accused of murdering before mysteriously disappearing himself. So successful, in fact, has Sir Simon, the ghost, been in frightening the home's occupants that the haunted mansion has developed quite the reputation for its supernatural idiosyncrasies. The American family that moves in, however, proves immediately immune to Sir Simon's greatest efforts at similarly terrifying them. Indeed, no sooner does the Otis family move in than the eldest of the children of Hiram and Lucretia Otis, Washington, quickly demonstrates the Americans' supremely rational nature by effectively removing the blood stain believed to be that of the late, murdered Lady Eleanore.

The Canterville Ghost is about Sir Simon's persistent but ultimately unsuccessful efforts at scaring the Otis family out of the mansion. The Otis family (father Hiram, mother Lucretia, son Washington, 15-year-old daughter Virginia, and the twin boys, affectionately and patriotically known as "the Star and Stripes") are immune to Sir Simon's efforts, their pragmatism and rational nature a form of protection against the macabre machinations of the ghost. The chains Sir Simon uses to make frightening sounds elicit the following suggestion from Hiram:

"My dear sir...I really must insist on your oiling those chains, and have brought you for that purpose a small bottle of the Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator. It is said to be completely efficacious upon one application, and there are several testimonials to that effect on the wrapper from some of our most eminent native divines."

It is in Chapter II of The Canterville Ghost that Sir Simon becomes increasingly agitated at his new nemeses' resilience. As the ghost begins to angrily contemplate his situation, the Otis family assumes the offensive, as when "two little white-robed figures appeared, and a large pillow whizzed past his head." The "two little white-robed figures" are the twins.

With the transition to Chapter III, Sir Simon is confronted by sights that terrify or, at a minimum, seriously annoy him, as when Wilde's narrator observes that "the vulgarity of the twins, and the gross materialism of Mrs. Otis, were naturally extremely annoying." Sir Simon, however, remains determined to frighten the American family and is confident of his success. The situation changes, however, when, preparing to begin his nightly escapades, he is himself confronted by a frightening scene:

"He chuckled to himself, and turned the corner; but no sooner had he done so than, with a piteous wail of terror, he fell back, and hid his blanched face in his long, bony hands. Right in front of him was standing a horrible spectre, motionless as a carven image, and monstrous as a madman's dream!"

Sir Simon does not, of course, see an actual apparition. What has frightened him is a prank played on him by the twins. Sir Simon has met his match. The Otis family has angered and frightened Sir Simon by its continuous displays of indifference to his attempts at scaring them and has frightened him through their own childish actions, a sort of which he has heretofore never encountered.

How did the Otis family scare the ghost in Oscar Wilde's short story The Canterville Ghost?

Oscar Wilde's story "The Canterville Ghost" is a humorous parody of American and British upper class behavior. In the story, Hiram B. Otis, the United States ambassador to England, purchases a haunted Tudor mansion for himself and his family. Though the family is warned it is haunted, the family refuses to believe it. As the ghost begins making his appearances, the American family members show their hard, practical American natures by refusing to be scared and even offering the ghost advice. Because the ghost cannot scare the family members, he feels insulted and devotes himself to revenge.

In Chapter III, the ghost of Sir Simon withdraws from the wainscoting, "muttering strange sixteenth-century curses, and ever and anon brandishing the rusty dagger in the midnight air." Soon, he is prepared to intrude on Washington in his bedroom, the eldest son, but lets out a "piteous wail of terror" and falls back, horrified because he sees a "horrible specter." In other words, the ghost of Sir Simon becomes terrified because he thinks he is seeing a ghost. He turns and flees to his room but returns in the morning to see that the twins had played a trick on him. They had made a representation of a ghost using a "white dimity bed-curtain, with a sweeping-brush, a kitchen cleaver, and a hollow turnip."

What plans does the ghost make to scare the Otis family in The Canterville Ghost?

The plans made by Sir Simon the ghost are fairly standard ghost practices.  Sir Simon starts out his haunting of the house by manipulating a blood stain in the carpet.  Sir Simon himself doesn't show up, but he causes a blood stain to reappear on the carpet despite the Otis family's best efforts to get rid of the stain.  

'That is all nonsense,' cried Washington Otis; 'Pinkerton's Champion Stain Remover and Paragon Detergent will clean it up in no time,' and before the terrified housekeeper could interfere he had fallen upon his knees, and was rapidly scouring the floor with a small stick of what looked like a black cosmetic. In a few moments no trace of the blood-stain could be seen.

Because the reoccurring blood stain failed to get rid of the Otis family, Sir Simon decided that he needed to show up in person.  In a scene reminiscent of Jacob Marley's appearance to Scrooge, Sir Simon appears before Mr. Otis with red eyes and rattling chains.  

Right in front of him he saw, in the wan moonlight, an old man of terrible aspect. His eyes were as red burning coals; long grey hair fell over his shoulders in matted coils; his garments, which were of antique cut, were soiled and ragged, and from his wrists and ankles hung heavy manacles and rusty gyves.

How does the Otis family treat the ghost in "The Canterville Ghost?"

The Otis family does not treat Sir Simon in the way that readers would expect them to treat a ghost. When the story begins, Mr. Otis is informed about the presence of the ghost. However, he denies its existence.

Well, so does the family doctor for that matter, Lord Canterville. But there is no such thing, sir, as a ghost, and I guess the laws of Nature are not going to be suspended for the British aristocracy.

Eventually, the Otis family does admit that the ghost is real. Instead of acting with fear and trepidation, the Otis family acts either annoyed by the ghost or completely antagonistic. The first actual confrontation between the ghost and the Otis family happens at night. Sir Simon is hoping to scare the Otis family. However, Mr. Otis greets the ghost and kindly tells him to stop making so much noise. Mr. Otis even gives Sir Simon some oil to lube up with.

"My dear sir," said Mr. Otis, "I really must insist on your oiling those chains, and have brought you for that purpose a small bottle of the Tammany Rising Sun Lubricator. It is said to be completely efficacious upon one application, and there are several testimonials to that effect on the wrapper from some of our most eminent native divines. I shall leave it here for you by the bedroom candles, and will be happy to supply you with more, should you require it."

The two twins are especially antagonistic to Sir Simon. They intentionally try to scare him and even set traps for him. It becomes so bad that Sir Simon does not even want to come out any more. He is actually afraid of the Otis family. The only family member that treats Sir Simon kindly is Virginia. She speaks patiently with the ghost and even helps him reach his desired eternal rest.

How does the Otis family treat the ghost in "The Canterville Ghost?"

At the beginning of the story, the Otis family denies the ghost's existence. In Chapter Two, however, the ghost makes his first appearance and Mr Otis reacts to him in a rather humorous way: he offers him some Lubricator to oil his noisy chains.

Later, in Chapter Three, the ghost attempts to scare the family by wearing an antique suit of armour. The family reacts with violence, as though the ghost is an unwanted visitor to the house. Mr Otis, for instance, pulls out his revolver:

The United States Minister...called upon him, in accordance with Californian etiquette, to hold up his hands!

In this scene, the twins also attack him with their pea-shooters. During his escape, he lets out a frightening groan which prompts Mrs Otis to offer him some tincture for his "indigestion."

In contrast, the only member of the family who treats the ghost with any kindness and sympathy is Virginia. She has a conversation with the ghost in Chapter Five in which she learns of his past and his desire to go to the Garden of Death. Unlike the other members of her family, she chooses to work with the ghost instead of trying to work against him.

How did the Otis twins trouble the ghost in The Canterville Ghost?

In "The Canterville Ghost," the ghost is constantly troubled by the twins, the youngest children of Mr and Mrs Otis. Nicknamed 'The Stars and the Stripes,' the twins are boisterous and mischievous and delight in terrorizing the ghost. Like the rest of their family, they feel no fear towards the ghost and are motivated only by the desire to humiliate him. 

Their first attack on the ghost comes in Chapter Three when the ghost appears on a Sunday evening. He has tried to wear an antique suit of armour but his attempt has failed and, instead, the twins attack him with their pea-shooters. Later, in Chapter Four, the ghost has another run-in with the twins. This time, they have constructed a "butter slide" from the entrance to the Tapestry Chamber to the top of oak staircase. Unaware, the ghost slips on the slide and falls over which so enrages him that he becomes determined to have his revenge. 

Dressed as "Reckless Rupert," the ghost makes his way to the Blue Bed Chamber where he thinks the twins are sleeping. But, on opening the chamber door, he is drenched by a heavy jug of water which the twins have placed there. This prompts "stifled shrieks of laughter" from the bed and, feeling completely humiliated, the ghost retreats to his room. 

After this incident, the  twins lie in wait for the ghost every night. They "strewed the passages with nutshells" in an attempt to make him fall over but the ghost does not appear. The ghost's pride is seriously wounded and he retreats completely from the presence of the Otis family. This is a turning point in the story which brings about his depression and, in the longer term, brings him one step closer to redemption and eternal rest.