The Governess In The Turn Of The Screw

Grose agrees with the Governess proves her sanity. This however is not true because Mrs. Grose is an unreliable source because of her protectiveness of the children and lack of intelligence. In the quote “I judged best simply to hand her my letter… [but she] simply put her hands behind her [and] shook her head sadly… My counselor couldn´t read!" we learn that Mrs. Grose is uneducated which, along with her protectiveness of the children, proves her unreliability. How can an uneducated person who is already extremely overprotective of the children be a reliable source. We also learn later that Mrs. Grose, in fact, never believed in the ghosts and was actually afraid of the governess all along. Because Mrs. Grose is an unreliable source and never actually saw the ghosts, this counterclaim is disproven. Some may say that children see the ghosts which proves the governess’ sanity, however, this is false. We never see any proof that the children see ghosts, so it is safe to say that the governess was pushing the belief of ghosts onto the children so that she doesn’t need to admit that she is insane. The governess also didn’t want Flora and Miles to meet after she questioned Flora about Miss Jessel because she didn’t want them to have a chance to discuss the outburst she had earlier. Miles is questioning her suspicion when he asks where Peter Quint is. When the governess points him out, Miles turns around shouting “Peter Quint-- you devil!”

Readers might wonder with whom she was in love. Then the Master told the Governess about the previous governess and her death (James 296). The readers probably want to know the reason of the previous governess' death. When the Master talked about the duties of the Governess, he required her not to contact him in any way (James 297). We do not know why he made that requirement. As the story continues, the readers have many more unsolved questions such as why Miles was dismissed from school, why the Governess could describe Peter Quint exactly though she never meet him, and why the Governess thought that ghosts wanted to catch the two children. Ned Lukacher thinks that "[the way James] has said something also becomes a way of not having said something else" (132). For instance, James revealed some hints regarding the reason Miles was dismissed. We know that "[Miles]'s an injury to the others" (304) and Mrs. Grose thought Miles was "no boy for [her]" (305). However, these hints do not help the readers to completely understand why Miles was sent away from his school. Instead, more questions are posed, such as how such a ten-year-old boy could injure other students and why Mrs. Grose thought about Miles that way. The readers can not easily find the specific and reasonable answers in the story, so they have to guess the answers based on their own

Through out the short novella, 'The Turn of the Screw,' by Henry James, the governess continually has encounters with apparitions that seem to only appear to her. As Miles' behavior in school worsens so that he is prevented from returning, and as Flora becomes ill with a fever, the governess blames these ghosts for corrupting the children, Miles and Flora, and labels them as evil and manipulative forces in their lives. But why is it that these ghosts only seem to appear to the governess even when the children are present at the time of the sightings by the governess? Evidence from the short story leads the reader to believe that the ghosts are not real but are merely the evidence of the fragmenting sanity of the governess.

Betty Parris’s considerable power throughout the first act is observed by her ability to single-handedly initiate chaos and hysteria within the town for her own personal benefit. This power is first witnessed following Susanna Walcott’s explanation concerning the possibility of a supernatural cause to Betty’s illness, leading Abigail to advise her Uncle about “the rumor of witchcraft [that] is all about: [She] thinks [he'd] best go down and deny it [himself]. The parlor’s packed with people, sir” (10). This is the first hint that others in the town believe in the presence and of the beginnings of the hysteria that follows. Betty started this rumor in the town by pretending to act sick so that she would not get punished for dancing in the woods.

One of the most critically discussed works in twentieth-century American literature, The Turn of the Screw has inspired a variety of critical interpretations since its publication in 1898. Until 1934, the book was considered a traditional ghost story. Edmund Wilson, however, soon challenged that view with his assertions that The Turn of the Screw is a psychological study of the unstable governess whose visions of ghosts are merely delusions. Wilson’s essay initiated a critical debate concerning the interpretation of the novel, which continues even today (Poupard 313). Speculation considering the truth of the events occurring in The Turn of the Screw depends greatly on the reader’s assessment of the reliability of the governess as a

8). This gratified looks that passed between them while they were alone encourages the reader to develop a sexual plot between the two. James takes this even further however. He writes, "One of these, for a moment, tempted me wit such singular intensity that, to withstand it, I must have gripped my little girl with a spasm that, wonderfully, she submitted to without a cry or sign of fright" (p. 41). Obviously, the governess has some sort of sexual feelings for the little girl. This is a product of her own failings to form a relationship with the man she dreams of. The ghost of Miss Jessel seems to be protecting the little girl though the tone of the book makes it appear the other way around. "The person was in black" as if she was "in mourning" at the time when she appeared (p. 31). The ghost could be in mourning because of the sexual desires the new governess has for the little girl and therefore is there to ward her off. This is also true for the other child in the house Miles.

In the governess's insane pseudo-reality and through her chilling behavior, she managed to bring downfall to Flora and Miles, the children of Bly. With compulsively obsessive actions, irrational assumptions, and demented hallucinations, the governess perceived ghosts bearing evil intentions were attempting to corrupt and destroy the children she had taken the role of care for. In reality, the governess herself brought tragedy to the children through her own selfishness and insanity.

Interpreting The Turn of the Screw by Henry James from a Marxist point of view brings about serious social class distinctions and consequences of violation within that code. Miles and the unnamed Governess’ relationship demonstrate the wrongdoing of social and legal norms. The Governess’ indeterminate social status leave her as a forbidden woman in Victorian society taking on the role of primary caretaker to children, while Miles embodies the character of the absent master to whom the Governess feels intimately attracted. Mile’s union with rebellious, symbol of threat, Peter Quint, ultimately possesses him and lead to the breakdown of the social hierarchy. The Governess and Mile’s connection display the

Shortly before the governess discovers Flora’s disappearance, she is distracted by the prowess Miles displays while playing the piano as he “played as he had never played,” and how she was left with “a strange sense of having literally slept at [her] post” (James 367). At this point in the novella, the governess has been bewitched into a sort of trance, missing Flora’s departure and essentially delaying the governess’ search for her. While searching for Flora’s whereabouts, the governess believes Flora may be near the banks of the Sea of Azof. Without proof, she ostensibly believes that Flora took the boat across the water, and when she is challenged with the disbelief that the child does not have the physical

Every time the governess is conflicted, her mind turns and is unstable. Even before Miles arrives at Bly, the governess questions his demeanor and is paranoid about his reason for dismissal from school. She assumes that he has done something evil and "that he 's an injury to others." (page 10). Mrs. Grose tries to persuade her that he wouldn 't be that way. However, she is yet unsure of Miles ' character and further discusses him with Mrs. Grose. The governess is still concerned about Miles ' wrongful ways, but when questioned if she 's afraid of him, she "gave way for the time to the apprehension of ridicule." (page 12). It is her paranoia that opens the door for negative thoughts and images to enter her mind.

The uncle tells the governess when she takes the job that he does not want to be bothered with what happens at Bly; he just wants the children to be taken care of. The uncle wants to live his life independent of the children and not have to worry about any emotional attachment to them. This creates a large void in lives of Miles and Flora as they lack the love and affection of a constant parental figure in their lives. The silence of the relationship between the children and their uncle creates the suspenseful mood because there is an expectation that at some point there will be an intervention by the uncle on the children’s behalf, but this never happens. Magnifying the tension in the story, the governess writes a letter to the uncle asking for help, but Miles burns the letter before it can be sent. When the governess attempts to break the silence in the novel and reach out for help, other characters prevent the truth from coming out. The silence and distance of the uncle coupled with the silence of ghost encounters are used to set up the tragedy. Whenever the ghosts make an appearance, there is no exchange of words or sounds; they just have an effect on the governess and her mind. This leads to the climax at the end when Miles dies. The governess and Miles finally communicate about the issues at hand, and the truth is too much for Miles to handle. The characters’ lack of communication and silence led to the tragic ending. If they had communicated and sought help, then the problems could have been dealt with earlier, but the uncle created the isolation that led to the

Ironically, the other present characters at Bly are also fragmented and desire to fulfill the Governess's desires, if the narrative is reliable. Mrs. Grose, who could very well slap the Governess back into

There are several points mentioned in the story telling governess is not reliable in whatever she is saying. Things like governess promising Mrs. Grose to write a letter to her master telling what was going on at Bly which was stolen by Miles, but she letter admitted that it contains nothing, and telling Mrs. Grose that the ghost of Miss Jessel wanted to posses Flora but the story tells that

Throughout The turn of the Screw by Henry James, the theme of ambiguous issues is constantly leaving the reader on their own. The ambiguity and uncertainty within this text causes the readers to come up with their own theories as to what the text really means. The ghost story perspective only adds to the infuriating vagueness. The title itself is about all of the twists within this story and basically foreshadows the confusion that the text will cause.

The very setting of the fireside at which Griffin's guests swap stories establishes an atmosphere with which many of us are familiar. We can all relate to sitting around a fire exchanging ghost stories. By employing this particular narrative frame James encourages the reader to abandon their scepticism and give themselves over to a belief in the ghosts. The reader shares in the eagerness of the guests to be frightened; to be delighted by horror. Upon seeing Douglas' distress at the thought of the tale he must tell, and its "dreadful - dreadfulness", one of the female guests actually cries, "Oh how delicious!"5