preview

The Turn Of The Screw Literary Analysis

Better Essays
Open Document

‘The Turn of the Screw’ (published 1998) and ‘Notes on a Scandal’ (published 2003), falls destitute to moral code, and the three women featured in the novels all have very little tribute to that, leaving an ambiguous immorality that communicates no real or clear moral purpose. The focal point of the three women’s’, as they descend into the selfishness of their own desires, is the consequences’ that are left behind – families devastated, children disturbed and moralities left to completely diminish. The essay will explore societies take on the female paedophile and obsession, subjects that all characters have in common, and whether or not the ambiguous take on these subjects by the authors make the immorality a downplayed force, or a clear communication …show more content…

Throughout ‘Turn of the Screw’ the governess and Mrs Grose assume that because of their high levels of external beauty, the children, Miles and Flora, are pure. Within the nineteenth century, many references towards beauty are found, external beauty was assumed to be connected to internal beauty, which in the modern day external beauty has very little correlation to internal beauty. Literary representations of physical beauty were the core representation of moral perfection, and if one were to be considered unattractive, it was often believed to be connected to moral turpitude. Miles are Flora are presumed to be good and pure by the governess and Mrs Grose because they are beautiful; from the outset, when Miles received his letter from the school revealing something is not quite right with Miles, they try to use their physical charm and virtuousness. Mrs Grose yells “Look at her!” when the governess decides Miles should be compliant; “look at him!” They do not want him to be disobedient or anything other than morally riotous because then that would not mean his beauty reflects his character, as they want it to be. When it is discovered that all is not to be, and it is exposed that the children are malevolent, the women become ecstatic and thrilled of the idea that evil could be associated with such loveliness – especially that of a child. The governess continuously comments on the children’s beauty and their possible sinful side. For example, she speaks of Flora with great passionate detail: “To gaze into the depths of blue of the child’s eyes and pronounce their loveliness a trick of premature cunning was to be guilty of a cynicism in preference to which I naturally preferred to abjure my

Get Access
Related
Get Access