Gender Roles In The Turn Of The Screw By Henry James

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Firstly, gender roles is a prominent gothic element that can be seen throughout both novels. In the novel, The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, there is a Victorian era representation of the characters. This can be seen through the working women, social position of the characters and the dominance of men over women established in the novel. The characters that represent the working women in the novel are the Governess, Mrs. Grose, and the spirit, Miss Jessel. These women are good examples of the working woman in the Victorian era because they do the work and have the drive to earn money for themselves, all the while performing their jobs to the best of their abilities to secure their positions. The women in the Victorian era were starting …show more content…

The Governess and Mrs. Grose become worried that Quint may have influenced Miles, the oldest of the two children, and this is because of his social class. The social position of women in the Victorian era was that women of a higher class were not expected to work. There was not much else expected of women in the Victorian era, they were expected to stay home and care for the house and children, and not go out and find work for themselves. In this novel and the Victorian era, men were dominant over women. Women looked to men for guidance and approval. For example, when the governess was first brought to the estate in Bly, she was shocked that the master did not want to hear from her at all, regardless of this, she still thought that this was a way for the master to give her affection and approval. Another characteristic that shows the gothic elements of gender roles in The Turn of the Screw is the romance present in this novel. There is a forbidden romance that is displayed. This forbidden romance is between the Governess and the Master of …show more content…

Another characteristic of gender roles is the gothic heroine. A gothic heroine is a female character who somewhat defies the traditional ways of the people around her and fights the patriarchal culture. The heroine in this novel, the Governess, places herself in an imaginary world. She uses her imagination to escape and have her own freedom; as she does this she believes that she is not as innocent as she may appear. There are no “damsels in distress” that can be found throughout this novel. All the women know how to take care of themselves and rarely need the help of men. Although “An unknown man in a lonely place is a permitted object of fear to a young woman privately bred; and the figure that faced me was… as little anyone else I knew as it was the image I had in my mind”(James 310 - 311), this quote shows that the perspective on the relationship of men and women in this time period is that there is a threat of violence towards women at any moment. The Governess, after figuring out that there are ghosts pursuing the children, believes that she can save Miles and Flora from the destruction the spirits may cause

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