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Literary devices in turning of the screw
The turn of the screw summary
Who is the narrator in the turn of the screw
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In the famous novel, The Turn of the Screw, Henry James tells a story of a governess who
a bachelor hires to take care of his niece and nephew. Shortly after the governess arrives in
Bly, she starts noticing the appearances of a woman and a man. When the governess confides
with Mrs. Grose, she learns that they are ghosts and former employees of the Gentleman
from Harley Street. The governess begins to suspect that the children can see the ghosts as well
and tries to protect them. In the classic novel, The Turn of the Screw, the governess and the
children effectively reinforce the theme corruption of the innocent.
James uses many individuals to reinforce the key theme corruption of the innocent. The
first reference is to the Governess.
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Therefore, the reader witnesses a loss of innocence throughout the
story as the corruption of evil takes a prominent role in the story of the two children. The
governess opens a letter from Miles’ school, forwarded from the Gentleman from Harley Street
reading, “I went on: That he 's an injury to the others” (James 15). The governess speculates that
Miles is blameable of corrupting other children. Miles could have corrupted others sexually or
physically, but it is vague. Consequently, the word corruption is a euphemism, the reader is
left with ambiguity. Miles is a wonderful boy, withal he could not have done this
horrible deed. Therefore, the elucidation is that Peter Quint must have corrupted miles. If Miles’
behaviour got out of hand spending time with peter Quint, then it is a possibility that Peter did,
corrupt Miles’ innocence and is culpable for Miles’ behaviour. There are connotations
throughout the novel that Peter Quint’s corruption of Miles could have been of a sexual nature.
Furthermore, Where could Miles have acquired things he said, to have him expelled from his
school? Thus, Peter Quint either is having sexual discussions with Miles or Miles has
Miles Pruitt is the center of this story; he is going through life in attempt to avoid the hardships it throws at him. He has to cope with the misfortunes that come with love, and by the end of the story, Miles will finally come to realize that his decisions to go through life untouched will not pay off.
When being introduced to the characters, sometimes we learn about their appearance, personalities, profession, or history. Miles is a single man who does not have a successful love life. His first love, Carla Carpenter, was a distant girl (by choice) who ended up marrying Miles’ brother Dale. When Anna Thea Hayworth came along, Miles seems to fancy her but never did anything about it. He has nicknamed her Thanatopsis, but she married Wayne Workman, Staggerford’s principal. Miles does not get along with Wayne, probably due to his liking of Anna Thea. As for nonromantic relationships, Miles has is a friendship with the librarian Imogene Kite. Miles describes her as “too tall and bloodless to be attractive” (Hassler 29). On impulse, Miles kisses Imogene for no reason; this proves that Miles is desperate, lonely, and incapable of having clear feelings.
...of the ghosts will forever be a mystery, as well as the idea that James wanted to create a subliminal satire, mocking the fact that society saw all servants as one big chunk of lower class, comparable to animals and even ghosts in this case, yet the servants themselves created a hierarchy amongst themselves, ranking some servants higher than others. Everything is basically relative and is what each separate person perceives it to be, just as the answers to the infinite questions posed by The Turn of the Screw.
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James has been the cause of many debates about whether or not the ghosts are real, or if this is a case of a woman with psychological disturbances causing her to fabricate the ghosts. The story is told in the first person narrative by the governess and is told only through her thoughts and perceptions, which makes it difficult to be certain that anything she says or sees is reliable. It starts out to be a simple ghost story, but as the story unfolds it becomes obvious that the governess has jumps to conclusions and makes wild assumptions without proof and that the supposed ghosts are products of her mental instability which was brought on by her love of her employer
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is usually read as a ghost story in which the central character, the governess, tries to save the souls of two children possessed by evil. However, the short-story can be also analyzed from many different perspectives, as we come upon a number of hints that lead to various understanding of certain scenes. One of the possible interpretations is the psychoanalytical one, in which we interpret the events either from the point of view of the governess or from the perspective of the two children. I will concentrate on the problem of the governess who, restricted by her own problems and moral dilemmas, projects her fears on her pupils and in this way harms the children. What causes her moral corruption and gradual maddening lies deep in her psyche. Both the Victorian upbringing and the social isolation of a poor village tell her to restrict her sexual desires evoked by the romance reading. The result is tragic. The governess becomes mad and the children psychologically destabilized and scared of the adults. The story ends with the governess strangling the boy in a hysteric fit. The Turn of the Screw is a very popular work of literature, with reach history of critical interpretations where not much can be added, therefore my essay is mostly based on The Turn of the Screw. A History of Its Critical Interpretations 1898 1979 by Edward J. Parkinson.
He explains his knowledge of his wrong doings, in effect to one day receive forgiveness from the town of Laramie and the Shepard family.
At the beginning of the novel Brett has trouble taking responsibility for his actions, we see...
“Corrupt” is defined as causing someone and or something to become immoral, dishonest, or dehumanized. In Lord of the Flies by William Golding and “I Only Came To Use the Phone” by Gabriel Garcia, corruption of authority is a theme reinforcing the main idea that humans instinctually understand that savagery is necessary for survival. Throughout both stories the reader gets a substantial perception of the immorality and dishonesty as the animalistic patterns that humans instinctually have represent what the authors are intending to display. The authors, Golding and Garcia, depict the message that when the characters holding the power are corrupt, then all of those around the power will be corrupted as the characters like all humans will instinctually become savage. The authors reinforce this theme by describing the details of the characters, setting, and objects around the corrupted authority in a pessimistic manner.
In a criticism on Henry James’s story The Turn of the Screw, Strother Purdy suggests that large amounts of sexual passion may be assumed to exist underneath the surface of the narrative. Purdy says that under a Freudian interpretation of the story, the sexual element is easily recognized and is used as the whole source of the action. According to this theory, the governess wishes to impress her master because she is in love with him and, therefore, exceeeding her authority with the children. Although the governess only sees her master twice, Purdy refers back to what Douglas had said,” it was the beauty of her passion.” Since the master is not impressed by her initial and ordinary course of governessing, she must make up some life-threatening danger to the children so she can rescue them and win the masters love and affection. She figures the danger must be terrible because he told her he did not want to be bothered with matters dealing with the children. He basically tells her he cares nothing for the children. Purdy suggests the governess is unconscious in doing this because she is sexually repressed and cannot admit her sexual motives to herself
Smith, Nicole. "Critical Analysis of “Turn of the Screw” by Henry James with Literary Crticism in Context." Articlemyriad. (2011): 1-4. Print.
The characters in this novel entertain conflicting notions of morality and pride. Sometimes, these characteristics are at odds with one another, creating the immoral and "evil" characters. Other times, they cooperate to create realism in these people. The moral characters are good, but still have enough pride to be dignified, yet not arrogant. Sometimes, when the evil twins (or other halves) run amuck, things get out of hand and troubles abound. Though most of the time these troubles spring from the discrepancy between pride and morality, at other points, dignity and morality work hand in hand to create reliable and realistic characters.
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).
After Flora leaves her, the governess focuses all her attention on Miles. The reader already has some knowledge upfront that Miles has some negative quality to him, so his sexually seems less of a secret than Flora's. He was sent home from school for saying inappropriate things to boys that he likes. There is a strong possibility that Quint taught him about homosexuality in the past. However, Miles is also seen in a heterosexual light by the governess. “We continued silent while the maid was with us- as silent, it whimsically occurred to me, as some young couple who, on their wedding journey, at the in, feel shy in the presence of the waiter. He turned round only when the waiter had left us. 'Well- so we're alone!'” (p.113).
This book leaves it to the reader to determine whether the Governess is guilty or not, depending on its extremely ambiguous text. The Turn of the Screw is the definition of a mystery book. Although unlike the usual mystery books, the end reveals no definite answer to the reader. It only leaves the audience even more confused with their own theories. For the reader, the theme of ambiguous issues is a recurring problem and there is no possible way of finding out what truly happened.
Fortunately, they both have friends who help them in trouble. In the end, they both are saved by a prince who loves them very much and marries them. Both stories give the lesson to the young girls that the wage of being humble, enduring and good will get rewarded in the end while being wicked will get punished in the end. The children learn that whatever they do to someone will always come back to them in the end. For example, if they treat others fairly, the good will be returned to them, but if they treat the others unfairly, they will receive a curse or