Turn Of The Screw Marxism Essay

Henry James’ 19th century gothic novella ‘The Turn of the Screw’ explores the exploitation and violation of boundaries between social classes and the governess’s struggle for power through a Marxist lens. James tells the thrilling ghost story and tale of morbid psychology using Marxist themes and troubles of social status. When searching for Marxist ideologies in the novella, one must first analyse why the story was written. Published in Collier’s Weekly newspaper, ‘The Turn of the Screw’ was written over a period of twelve weeks between January and April 1898 at a time where stories of monsters and ghosts were popular in England and America. An increasingly common idea in the late Victorian era, James along with many other authors used this

It is known that around the time of publication, James had just signed for a house in Sussex and was planning on leaving London, and the writing of ‘The Turn of the Screw’ was undoubtedly a way of aiding his move financially, showing that although the story was intended to entertain, James is still a part of the superstructure trying to earn a living.

James’ lead character in ‘The Turn of the Screw’, the governess, plays a crucial role in the display of conflict within social hierarchy in the story. The authority of the governess shows that the story is centred around class; not only is she the author but her view of the world is distorted by class distinctions and regulations. The governess herself, along with Mrs. Grose and most notably the ghosts are a representation of the working-class members of Marx’s economic superstructure, the proletariat, whereas the master represents the bourgeois, the ruling class who holds influence over everyone else. In ‘Karl Marx’s Theory of History: A Defence’, Gerald Allen Cohen claims that “the proletarian is the subordinate producer who must sell his labour power to obtain his means of life” (Cohen, p.73), providing a Marxist explanation of the