Narrative Voice In The Turn Of The Screw By Henry James

Two more pertinent points are made by the author, in regards to the grandmother, follow in quick succession; both allude to further yet-to-be seen gloom within the story. O’Connor writes of the grandmother “[s]he didn’t intend for the cat to be left alone in the house for three days because he would miss her too much and she was afraid he might brush against one of the gas burners and accidentally asphyxiate himself” (1043) and of the way she is dressed “[i]n case of an accident, anyone seeing her dead on the highway would know at once that she was a lady” (1043). These two observations are innocent enough on the surface but provide true intent on the foreshadowing that O’Connor uses throughout the story. It is these two devices, irony and foreshadowing, that I feel are prominent and important aspects of the story and are evidenced in my quest to decipher this story.

narrator because we only know what she wants us to know, resulting in leaving out important facts. “I did write for a while in spite of them; but is does exhaust me a good deal---having to be so sly abut it, or else meet with heavy opposition.” (Gilman, p326) She is not honest about writing with her husband, and this proves that she is more than willing to tell her story her way.

(2) The narrator knows does not know very much about what is happening because in the story it states in paragraph one sentence one " It looked like a good thing: but wait till i tell you". When i read this I realized that the narrator could

This story was written in the first-person perspective. More specifically, the story is a dramatic monologue in which the narrator is responding to ambiguous questions asked by an ambiguous character. The narrator is a major participant taking part in the story as she is the main character, but she isn’t necessarily a reliable source of information because of her extremely emotional state of mind. She is repressing memories from the night of the incident and from her life in general, and this is shown when she says, “I hate to repeat it, my life” (41), and “I don’t want to talk about her” (43). The narrator is also highly unreliable because she isn’t even certain of the validity of the story she is telling. She says, “What? Did I say that?...Then maybe I do remember it, it’s all so confusing and…” (45). Because this story is first-person, we can know only what the narrator reveals. We don’t know the questions being asked of the narrator or the response of that person, and the narrator doesn’t always finish her sentences or thoughts, either. She drifts off and this is shown by the abundant use of ellipses. This is when the reader starts to speculate what is being left out of the narration. The narrator is repressing memories and refusing to talk about them, like when she says, “I don’t want to talk about it again” (41), so there is some

Throughout the 17 short stories in Tim Winton’s novella ‘The Turning’, there are a number of different language techniques that Winton has used to enhance the central theme. Some of the main techniques that Winton had used include; colloquial language, inclusive language and intertextuality. Winton had used these language techniques across two stories, Damaged Goods and Long Clear View to make the audience feel/think/ a certain emotion or thought.

2.How does the writer let us know that this is an unreliable narrator telling the story?

To start off, this technique is one of the mainstream characteristics of this book. Right from the first page, the reader is subtly warned of the fact that the narrator is an unreliable person and can’t be trusted. So, the

its

The second voice in the novel, according to Peach, belongs to a black kinswoman who narrates the sections introduced by excerpts from the primer (26). She is an omniscient narrator who is able to provide a perspective that Claudia could not have given. She has access to information that involves characters that are beyond Claudia's immediate range of experience (26). While Claudia's narration is confined to the present and does not attempt to enter the minds or houses of the other characters, the omniscient narrator moves freely into both of these areas (Bellamy 23). She takes the reader into the Breedlove home in "Autumn" and into Geraldine's house in "Winter," and she enters the minds and lives of Pauline and Cholly Breedlove and Soaphead Church in "Spring" and the mind of Pecola in "Summer." In order to make her story more convincing to the reader, the omniscient narrator uses firsthand sources, such as Pauline's fragmented monologues, Soaphead's letter to God, and Pecola's internal dialogue with her imaginary friend. Thus, the reader can be sure of the accountability of the narrator's story.

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

Written in third person limited omniscient, and filtered predominantly through Catherine. The unknown narrator slips effortlessly into free indirect disclosure, which adopts the tone and inflection of an individual characters voice. This technique allows the narrator to intrude into the narrative to offer advice, or to foreshadow the characters. However, the narrator frequently breaks from convention and addresses’ the reader directly.

While this text is set from a third person viewpoint, it also uses an interesting narrative technique, which is known as 'free indirect discourse' or 'free indirect style'. This is when a third person story uses certain features of first person speech. This style is different in the fact that introductory expressions such as, ‘she thought’, and ‘they said’, are not used. Using this technique allows a third person text to utilise a first person perspective, portraying the characters thoughts and words more directly.

Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw is written with one clear and true ending where Miles dies and the readers are left to guess the rest for themselves. Or is it? Right from the prologue, a reader may assume that Miles and Douglas are indeed the same person, but when the reader sees, “and his little heart, dispossessed, had stopped.” P.403 one dismisses that theory as lost, but it isn’t. Perhaps one ignore the idea because of many unclear allusions to discrepancies. James’ use of deliberate vagueness was intended to create a second plausible ending.

It also relays the point to the reader even though it is more roundabout than a simple statement. Clearly, the narrator's writing style differs from another kind used in the short story, what was written in the newspaper, "Pauline Dubourg, laundress, deposes that she has known both the deceased for three years, having washed for them during that period. The old lady and her daughter seemed on good terms-very affectionate towards each other. They were excellent pay. Could not speak in regard to their mode or means of living. Believed that Madame L. told fortunes for a living. Was reputed to have money put by. Never met any persons in the house when she called for the clothes or took them home. Was sure that they had no servant in employ. There appeared to be no furniture in any part of the building except in the fourth story." The account of Pauline Duborg is short and concise, relaying the point quickly and clearly so the reader is efficiently shown the observed

The drawing of narrative inferences by the reader is very important to interpret the work well. However, the author, while writing a story, can treat some incidents in detail and barely mention or even omit others. He may distort these incidents, may not observe chronological sequence, he can use messengers or flashbacks, and so on and so forth. The function of resorting to these varied narrative techniques is to emphasize or de-emphasize certain story-events, to interpret some and to leave others to inference, to show or to tell, to comment or to remain silent, to focus on this or that aspect of an event or character. The use of the unreliable is a very important and unconventional narrative technique used by authors in