In Henry James’ novella, The Turn of The Screw, the governess’ love for her employer causes her to go insane. In order to become the best governess he has ever employed, and to defend the children and household better than they have ever before been defended, she subconsciously creates the obstacle of ghosts in Bly Estate for herself to overcome. Tragically, both for the children and for herself, her faux-heroism destroys her and causes her to make Flora sick, and to ultimately cause Miles’ death. According to Freud “______________________.” As a result of this, he believes women to be ____________. In The Turn of The Screw, the governess embodies Freud’s thoughts on female sexuality. Douglas states in the introduction that the governess …show more content…
She develops a hero complex in which she imagines herself to be “at the helm… [of] a great drifting ship,” (15) guiding the “lost… passengers,” to safety. Before her hallucinations even begin, the governess is already experiencing delusions of grandeur. The governess narrates that she “find[s] a joy in the extraordinary flight of heroism the occasion demand[s].”(41) She states that she “now saw that [she] had been asked for a service admirable and difficult; and there would be a greatness in letting it be seen- oh in the right quarter!- that I could succeed where another girl might have failed.”(41) If it can be assumed that she refers to the uncle when she references to the “right quarter,” that sentence can be read as the governess hoping to show the uncle her ability to please the uncle by undertaking his difficult task and proving herself to be superior to the other girls she knows of him …show more content…
Though she imagines herself to be heroic, the is incapable of seeing that this is not the case. Because the ghosts from whom she imagines herself protecting the children aren’t real, her interpretations of the children’s behavior are also untrue. When the kids act up and behave as kids, she imagines that they are becoming possessed by the ghosts. After the governess finds out from Mrs. Grose that Miss Jessel was both inherently feminine and able to express her sexual desires, the governess interprets this to be a reflection of her own inability to save the kids from corruption. The governess weeps to Mrs. Grose “I don’t save or shield them! It’s far worse than I dreamed. They’re lost!” (48) The governess failed to protect them from nothing! She only failed within her own reality in which she pictures the former governess as a lurking and corruptive force/ghost, as opposed to a mere figment of her own hysterical and jealous imagination. Later on in the novella, the governess exclaims to Miles that she “just wants [him’ to help [her] save [him]” (91). This is the first time in the book that the governess openly and explicitly tells a child that she believes him or her to be in actual physical danger. Miles reacts with anger and confusion, but the governess interprets this as a sign of his corruption, rather than a nonsequetor on her
The classic ghost story, the Turn of the Screw, is filled with loose-ends and ambiguity. Are the ghosts real or imagined? Is the Governess a heroine or anti-heroine? Are the children really as innocent as they seem? In the novel, Henry James rarely provides an in-depth character that the reader actually gets to know. From the young romantic governess, to the intelligent ten year old, James keeps his characters morally ambiguous in order to further the “Unsolved mystery” style.
Ever since the new governess shows up to the household, Bly, in The Turn of the Screw, the story of the residents’ lives change forever. Things go from peaceful, beautiful, and orderly to chaotic, ugly, and messy. Every step the governess makes seems to worsen things, but why? Is it the children making things go awry? Or could it be the ghosts messing with the balance of the peace? Or maybe, is it the one person who you would expect to trust the most who is doing the most damage. The protector is the destroyer. The savior is the killer. In The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, the governess is insane because all her actions from sleeping and sensing demons, to assuming far-fetched notions and being the hero in every situation demonstrates
Within The Turn of the Screw, Henry James uses the ghosts of Peter Quint and Ms. Jessel to examine Freudian coping mechanisms to demonstrate the base fragility of the human mind when faced with a sharp disparity between conception and reality. From the beginning of the primary narrative, the young governess is placed in an unfamiliar environment and given almost overwhelming responsibility over the two children under her care. Upon arrival to Bly, she forms certain expectations and conceptions of the children and her responsibilities thereof. The first and most prominent of these expectations is her role as governess and her responsibility to the children. The next conception is her initial belief in the perfect
The obscurity of the character of the Governess as a reliable narrator and sane person creates confusion and riddle in the story. Her first nights at Bly, the Governess listens "for the possible recurrence of a sound or two, less natural and not without but within, that I fancied I heard"
The manipulation of point of view through the narrators is what makes this novella a masterpiece; James’s use of point of view not only alters the scheme of a traditional ghost story but also connotes an effort to involve the reader in the story in order to question the narrator’s reliability. As said above, a first narrator introduces the reader to the story as well as explains the nature of it through a character named Douglas, but it is the presence of a second narrator what establishes a difficulty to the reader. The interior voice of the manuscript, so to speak, embodied in the figure of the governess, makes problematically decide whether the apparitions are real or mere delusions. This is because the governess' point of view does not provide conclusive evidence about her experience; hence, the conflict remains a mystery and open to the interpretation of the reader.
In the novel, The Turn of the Screw, there were moments when James had epitomized the governess as a delusional character. The governess had the belief that the cynical ghosts of her predecessor, Miss Jessel, and the previous valet, Peter Quint were after Miles and Flora to corrupt them. In this novel, the only cynical phantoms lurking in Bly were all in the depraved mind of the governess. Before the governess arrives in Bly, there were no ghosts mentioned that were supposedly lurking around town. In addition, while Mrs. Grose and the governess were in search for Flora, the governess had seen the ghost of Miss Jessel and had revealed to Mrs. Grose that she was in front of them, but in return, Mrs. Grose had stated, “‘What a dreadful turn, to be sure, miss! Where on earth do you see anything?’”
Because of the manipulation of point of view through the narrators, this novella is considered a masterpiece. Henry James’s use of point of view not only is an effort to involve the reader in the story in order for the reader to question the narrator’s reliability but also alters the structure of a traditional ghost story. As said above, a first narrator introduces the reader to the story as well as explains the origin of the story through a character named Douglas. Then, a second narrator is introduced; the interior voice of the manuscript, so to speak, embodied in the figure of the governess, who makes problematically decide whether the apparitions are real or mere delusions. This is because the governess' point of view does not provide conclusive evidence about her experience; hence, the conflict remains a mystery and open to the interpretation of the reader.
Turn of the Screw written by Henry James tells the story of a governess and her recollection of events at the country home of Bly. The story begins at a Christmas gathering where everyone is sharing different ghost stories around the fire. One man has a manuscript or diary of a former governess which details her experience at a “haunted house (302).” The audience begs for him to read it, and so he does. As soon as he begins to read the story, the book’s point of view shifts to the governess’s. Over the course of the governess’s interviews with her employer, she immediately falls in love with him. In an attempt to win her master’s approval, she becomes extremely protective over the children. She views herself as their guardian or rather their “hero” in shielding them from the ghosts that she assumes the children are communicating with. The question that strikes every reader is whether the ghosts perceived by the governess are real or not. This also questions the credibility of the governess’s narration. In reading Turn of the Screw, the governess is proven to be an unreliable narrator through her recollection of events at Bly. Because of the governess’s loves for the master and quest for heroism, her insanity is exposed through her hallucinations.
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 narrator. According to the “apparitionist” reader, the ghosts are real, the governess is reliable and of sound mind, and the children are corrupted by the ghosts. The “hallucinationist”, on the other hand, would claim the ghosts are illusions of the governess, who is an unreliable narrator, and possibly insane, and the children are not debased by the ghosts (Poupard 314). The purpose of this essay is to explore the “hallucinationist” view in order to support the assertion that the governess is an unreliable narrator. By examining the manner in which she guesses the unseen from the seen, traces the implication of things, and judges the whole piece by the pattern and so arrives at her conclusions, I will demonstrate that the governess is an unreliable narrator. From the beginning of The Turn of the Screw, the reader quickly becomes aware that the governess has an active imagination. Her very first night at Bly, for example, “[t]here had been a moment when [she] believed [she] recognized, faint and far, the cry of a child; there had been another when [she] found [herself] just consciously starting as at the passage, before [her] door, of a light footstep.” The governess herself acknowledges her active imagination in an early conversation with Mrs. Grose, when she discloses “how rather easily carried away” she is. Her need for visions and fantasies soon lead her to believe that apparitions are appearing to her. It is from this point on that she begins to guess the unseen from the seen, trace the implication of things, and judge the whole piece by the pattern. After the first appearance of Peter Quint, the governess begins to make infe...
As a whole, he points out how obsession drives the story from the selfless woman we know from the beginning of the book to the dangerous one we see at the end of the story. This is somewhat shadowed as the governess tries to defend her actions, but it is obvious how she becomes fed up with emotion and fear. It is this fear that changes everything and causes everything to fall apart. However, it is evident that it is all a part of the governess’s head, and through this she is driven by a sense of
In his 1948 essay, Robert Heilman explores the suggestion that The Turn of the Screw is a symbolic representation of the conflict between good and evil. Heilman interprets the apparitions of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel as evil forces. He explains that the ghosts only appear to the governess because evil lurks in subtlety before it strikes. It is the duty of the governess to "detect and ward off evil." She must protect the children from the awful ghosts. The governess describes Miles and Flora as beautiful little cherubs whose only fault is their gentleness (James, 18-19). Heilman views the children's beauty as a "symbol of the spiritual perfection of which man is capable." Heilman explains the ghosts' attempts to reach the children by explaining that evil forces will always try to conquer and possess the human soul. Heilman continues to draw from the descriptions of Miles and Flora to support his theories. He points out that the two children are described as having an "angelic beauty" and a "positive fragrance of purity" (James 9, 13). The governess describes them as if they are perfect and beautiful in every way. This repeated vision of beauty, radiance, and innocence parallels the image of Eden. The house at Bly also resembles this image, "I remember the lawn and the bright flowers..." (James 7). The governess makes mention of the "golden sky" and of Flora's "hair of gold," which Heilman believes connects Bly and Flora with these images of golden hues (James 7, 9).
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 inappropriate boundary crossed between professional duties and desirable futures as a sexually active individual. Through the two characters moments alone, the rising apprehensions end in the governess’s infringement of social status as she employs to a mysterious sexual relationship with Miles.
...o the ghosts’ presences is the governess, makes the readers question their trust in the narrator. As well as this Mrs. Grose doubts the claim that the governess is making and her scepticism suggests to the readers that we may not be able to trust her account of events. However, faith is restored when she describes Quint in such vivid detail when she had previously never known that he existed, “red hair, very red, close curling and a pale face, long in shape, with straight good features and little rather queer whiskers that are as red as his hair”. Jane also gains the readers’ trust when describing the alleged ghost in her room in such detail, “It seemed, sir, a woman, tall and large, with thick dark hair hanging long down her back...she took my veil from its place; she held it up, gazed at it long and then she threw it over her own head and turned to the mirror.”
Henry James's Turn of the Screw was written in a time when open sexuality was looked down upon. On the surface, the story is simply about a governess taking care of two children who are haunted by two ghosts. However, the subtext of the story is about the governess focusing on the children's innocence, and the governess trying to find her own sexual identity. Priscilla L. Walton wrote a gender criticism themed essay about the Turn of the Screw, which retells certain parts of the story and touches on the significance they provide for the sexually explicit theme. Walton's essay is accurate because James purposely put an undertone of sexuality and identity confusion in the Turn of the Screw.
In The turn of the Screw, the characters often communicated very indirectly with one another, hinting toward certain situations but never explaining them fully. At the beginning of this story, one of the first vague quotes, “he had been left, by the death of their parents in India, guardian to a small nephew and a small niece” depicts that Miles and Flora’s parents died in India (James 158). However, the details around their death are unknown and mysterious.