The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud is the first installment of a thrilling paranormal series, Lockwood & Co. that is targeted towards children in middle school. In the book, England is struck with an epidemic of ghosts that appear at night and are only visible to children who have psychic senses called “Talents”. Consequently, psychic investigative agencies hire these talented kids to recognize any paranormal activity and aid in investigations. Lucy Carlyle, a 14-year-old girl with highly sensitive psychic abilities, is hired by Lockwood & Co, a private agency run by an orphaned teen and his friend. Contrary to other agencies which require an adult supervisor at all times, the trio—Lucy, Lockwood, and George—take pride in their independence and investigate cases alone, one of them being a murder case in which they swiftly destroy the victim’s ghost and eventually identify the murderer. However, in doing so, they accidentally burn down the house at the crime scene, for which they owe €60,000. Lockwood & Co. begins to seek more customers to pay their debt, and they become recognized in the region despite the continuous ridicule they receive for their juvenile age and non-normative practices, much to the disdain of their popular rival agencies, Fittes and Rotwell. The counter-hegemonic ideologies revealed in The Screaming Staircase, along with reception theory, explain why this media text resonates deeply with young teenagers more than adults who may share an equal—or even more—interest in paranormal thrillers.
The journey of Stroud’s main characters, Lucy, Lockwood, and George, to prosperity, despite defying adults and authority, constructs the counter-hegemonic idea that children are capable of becoming successful without adult guidance or management. This is counter-hegemonic because the dominant ideology in the world is that children are required to stay under the constant protection of experienced adults who know how to react in any emergency, especially in dangerous circumstances like ghost-hunting. The world revolves around adults holding authority over children and guiding them by using their own experiences, as indicated by the social and legal rules in Canada that deem a child under the care of a guardian for eighteen years (“Do I Need a Legal Guardian”). Growing up, the ideology I was taught in school and at home also centred around the same premise of obeying the elderly and trusting their instincts, for they always know what is best for us as inexperienced children whose prefrontal cortices are still undeveloped. However, the book’s plot challenges this principle, as the three kids believe that “adults just get in the way” (Stroud 14) of their explorations and that they are completely useless in psychic investigations because their “senses had long ago grown dulled” (52), indicating that their insights cannot be trusted. This counter-hegemonic idea of children not needing an adult to regulate their activity because they hinder their aspirations appeals to a young audience, as they recognize the freedom and individuality they are often deprived of due to authoritative figures and their strict rules. Hence, their acceptance of Stroud’s intended message results in many young readers having a dominant reading of the text, which is also fueled by the story’s approval of teenage behaviours.
When I first read “The Screaming Staircase” in early high school, I also interpreted it as a dominant reading because I agreed with Stroud’s unique representation of children. In his paranormal world, kids’ instincts are considered a vital component to the salvation of the country, and kids are even preferred as investigative employees over adults, causing “whole generations of children, like [Lucy], [to find] themselves becoming part of the front line” (48). To appeal to children even further, Stroud demonstrates how teenage traits like impulsivity and seeking validation, which are traditionally labelled as immature behaviour, can in fact yield positive results. For instance, Lucy refuses to delay the murder case for just one night even though she and Lockwood’s lives are endangered, simply because the owner of the haunted house “thinks [they’re] too young” and that if they do not “crack the case by tomorrow, she’ll take [them] off it and put Fittes or Rotwell’s on the job” (32). The kids’ determination to prove their strength and gain recognition supersedes their self-preservation, mimicking the typical adolescent mindset I also had when I would forcefully lift heavy objects to display my strength, knowing that I would pull a muscle, or when I would swallow incredibly spicy food to prove my tolerance but ended up with fiery ears and ulcers.Segue unclear
Although this adolescent trait of acting impulsively to gain validation is typically considered unsensible behaviour, Lockwood & Co.’s constant eagerness to prove themselves in society pushes them to complete tasks briskly, resulting in the prestige of the young agency. In fact, Lucy reflects that ever “since [they’d] begun [their] explorations, [her] confidence had slowly risen… [They’d] been careful, rigorous, even competent,” and it all “showed [her] what Lockwood & Co. might one day become” (207). Their hastiness and resolve to prove their talents and independence despite their juvenile age make them “competent” and encourage them forward. Hence, when I read this book as a fourteen-year-old, I greatly admired Lucy and her colleagues, and I agreed with Stroud’s representation of adolescent traits as tools to succeed in the teenage phase. His acceptance of my age-appropriate behaviours acknowledged me for who I naturally was. However, my reception of the book differs now, for my age has developed, and I no longer share many adolescent behaviours with Lucy, Lockwood, and George.Good segue
Rereading The Screaming Staircase while nearing legal adulthood changed my former dominant reading of the book into a negotiated one, for I now acknowledge the grave consequences of the sophomoric behaviour praised in the book. To be specific, Lockwood & Co.’s unfortunate burning of the house is considered a mild inconvenience because, as Lockwood puts it, “[the] house will have burned down, but at least it’s ghost-free” (43). The kids do not realize that their impulsivity results in the loss of a person’s house, and they believe that they will “totally offset the fact [that they] burned that woman’s house down” by simply “uncover[ing] the murderer and get[ting] justice for the girl” (125), who was the ghostly victim. This means earning €60,000 within a month, which, realistically, is not achievable. Because of this debt, Lucy Carlyle is not paid for a month (160), a significant circumstance that is brushed over in the text. Had this occurred in reality, bankruptcy would have struck the agency, and the employees would have had to quit—all because of the teens’ poor judgment and impulsivity. As an individual who will soon have to take legal accountability for my own actions, my interpretation of the book does not completely agree with Stroud’s intended message that adolescent traits like impulsivity should be considered favourable. However, I still find the story thrilling and captivating, and I believe it is an accurate representation of young teenagers. Stroud’s representation of children as strong and individual entities who use their adolescent traits as tools for success is a powerful concept that is not often portrayed in the media. The books I grew up with did highlight young protagonists and heroes, but there was always an element of parental or authoritative influence. The plot either followed children who explored the world and eventually sought protection from other adults after being kept in the dark by their own guardians, like The 39 Clues, or children who fought villains with the help of their guardians, like The Copernicus Legacy. However, Stroud presents a unique counter-hegemonic plot in which the characters defy authority and use their adolescent characteristics to progress in society, creating a story that empowers young teenagers to explore themselves and the world without limitations. Like me, young readers feel validated and acknowledged by Stroud’s representation of teenagers, as they are frequently shamed in reality for acting juvenile, even though that is who they are. The Screaming Staircase’s acceptance of children appeals to younger audiences and imprints feelings of worthiness, making it an unquestionably significant recommendation for young teenagers to read.
Work Cited
“Do I Need a Legal Guardian.” Ontario International College, https://www.oicedu.ca/show.php?contentid=184. Accessed 11 December 2023.Stroud, Jonathan. Lockwood & Co.: The Screaming Staircase. EPUB, Disney Book Group, 2013