The Short StoryThe Turn Of The Screw

Henry James’s “The Turn of the Screw” a young Governess is hired by a wealthy man who is the uncle to two children that live in Bly, the estate and setting in which the story takes place. In the ghastly tale by James, the Governess begins to notice things that are out of place. The old manor is home to a host of souls that have perished previous to her arrival, which leaves the governess on edge as she becomes more and more aware of the odd happenings in Bly. The story focuses on the haunting of the Governess by the former valet known as Peter Quint and the previous governess Miss Jessel.

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.

     Henry James was one of the famous writers during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. He was known as an innovative and independent novelist. One of James' novels, The Turn of the Screw (1898), has caused a lot of controversy among many critics, and each of them has had a particular interpretation. James' creative writing built a close connection between his novel and his readers. The reactions of the readers toward The Turn of the Screw can be researched psychologically by analyzing how James developed his story using questionable incidents, an unreliable narrator, unexpected changes, an interesting prologue, and effective images and words.

Joey R. Poole presents an intriguing story in “The Hand-Me-Downs.” Simon is a straight shooting kid that follows rules and does not ask many questions. But later in the story, the reader can tell that the violence surrounding Simon erodes his attitude. He begins to stand up to his brother and he begins to understand that he has free will. At the beginning of the story, the reader can tell that Simon is a typical innocent young kid but by the end of the story, the reader is convinced otherwise. Simon changes as the story progresses representing a dynamic character rather than a static character.

Savagery, insanity and murder, one would never think that “innocent” children were capable of such appalling things, but maybe we are wrong. In both Lord of the Flies, by William Golding, and The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, both of these authors wrote about children acting as just that and many characters became very similar to each other. Each society had potential in being successful, but both had major flaws that key characters discovered and then used to tear the fragile fabric that the society was built on apart. The biggest flaw in both of the societies was that they were controlled by fear; it drove them to the point of no return in which they would have never reached under normal circumstances. When the source causing people to

of human nature that are evil. In The Veldt, the Hadley children show their evil side

Motif of the Story: Fear and Peer Pressure have a big impact on a character's actions.

Throughout life, people often come across situations where they do not do want to obey the command of an individual with authority. However, regardless of how mistaken they believe the person in power truly is, these individuals ought not to disregard and escape from the situation, seeing as more often than not, one cannot escape reality. In a poem by Nathaniel Hawthorne, “Little Daffydowndilly,” the main character portrays a distinctly resigned persona when complying with the commands of elders. Consequently, by analyzing the boy’s amiable yet resignated aura, one can observe the extent to which his despise over a teacher sends him on a journey that ultimately teaches him he cannot escape his problems and that he must learn to cope with the instructions of elders. By taking a look at how Daffydowndilly “had never known to tell a lie in all his life,” the

Throughout the history of the psychological academia, from Aristotle’s investigation in the three souls to Sigmund Freud’s theorizations of the three parts of the personality, knowledge in the human psyche has been repeatedly invested in itself. Examined through such an understanding, The Turn of the Screw, especially draws on the influences of psychology of that time where humans were just beginning to uncover the true, innate nature of the human mind. In a story laden with ambiguity, there is no definite description behind any of the characters of Bly. Especially with the central character of the Governess, interpretations of her behavior are completely under the discretion of the audience; by viewing her character through a psychoanalytical

Situations can make people act in a way they would not normally. Whether it be being on a stranded island, like in Lord of the Flies by William Golding, or given eternal youth like in The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde, situations can bring out the worst in someone. It just goes to say that “every human being has the capacity to commit wicked acts” (Goldhill 1). Even the best of people can still be effected by a situation, much like how Piggy and Ralph in Lord of the Flies give into their instincts for a night and end up helping in the death of Simon, despite being the most civilized of the group of boys (Golding 151-153). When people are put into pressuring situations, it can cause their inner evil to come out.

Henry James' novel The Turn of the Screw is twofold. In the first chapter, the story begins at a Christmas party where guests hear the governess' tale of fright and fight. This story is referred to as “two turns” of the screw by an anonymous guest at the Christmas party because the reader asks if they want to hear a story about two children instead of only one (3). In the governess' account, it tells about her duty as caretaker of two wealthy children, Flora and Miles, who live at Bly, a large estate, with their unnamed and unseen uncle and Mrs. Groose, the housekeeper. He is never actually seen in the story because he tells the governess not to bother him.

The governess’ knowledge of Quint and Miss Jessel’s affair, despite their social class, gives the governess the idea of her and her employer’s possible relationship. The difference in the governess’ and her employer’s social standings compared to that of Quint’s and Jessel’s are quite similar, with Quint being the valet at Bly and Miss Jessel being the previous governess. The governess is “drawn to her employer...who has a higher rank than she, [so] she makes much of the illicit affair between… Miss Jessel and Peter Quint, a man of much lower class” (“The Turn of the Screw” 252). Mrs. Grose describes Miss Jessel as simply a “lady” and that Quint is “dreadfully below” her (James 185). Wilson continues to tie Jessel and Quint’s relationship with

The picture of Bly painted by the Governess pulsates with men who are not there; their absent presence agitates the Governess's anxiety over her own fragmentation. The master has abandoned her physically and emotionally, Miles has potential but is only a child, and Peter Quint is nothing more than air. Even though they are unavailable to her, the Governess's desire to be what these pseudo-men desire becomes the driving force behind her actions.

The Turn of the screw by Henry James is regarded as one of the most fascinating psychological thrillers of all time. Published in the late nineteenth century, this novella sets up a narrative story of a young lady who appears to have seen the ghost of the former dead employers of the place where she was working. In this novella Henry James combined drama, suspense, and mystery to make it one of the most preferred stories among the readers of all generations. The Turn of the Screw raises many questions, however: Is the governess going crazy? Is she really seeing the phantoms of those dead former state workers? Is she innocent? Is she the villain or the heroine of

The Governess is somewhat shocked when she hears that “her” angelic Miles was bad in the past, according to Mrs. Grose. Mrs. Grose explains that in the past Miles was “bad” and had lied often to cover up his relationship with Peter Quint (192). When she first noticed that “Quint and the boy had been perpetually together” she went straight to Miss Jessel (193). However, instead of Miss Jessel being professional and putting a stop to their relationship she tells Mrs. Grose to “mind her business” (193). Mrs. Grose also mentioned earlier that "It was Quint's own fancy. To play with him, I mean—to spoil him." She paused a moment; then she added: Quint was much too free…too free with everyone!” which exemplifies Quint and Miles’ relationship but also suggests that something inappropriate must be occurring (182). These are some of the quotes that make it so difficult to understand their peculiar relationship. The reader is left wondering what exactly the relationship between Peter Quint and Miles was; and what would Miss Jessel’s reason be for being rude to Mrs. Grose for Miles. If Miles and Peter Quint were simply friends, then Miss Jessel should have had no reason to hide it from Mrs. Grose. The Governess responds with “You reminded him that Quint was only a base menial?” which is odd because instead of her being stunned that there is a chance that Miles might be involved with an older man, she cares more about their