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  • Essay / Looking for Love in The Turn of the Screw

    In “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James, the central character, the governess, feels so isolated that she will do whatever is necessary to ease this feeling. She decides the best way to do this is to be in love. Unfortunately, as it is located in Bly, such a desire is not possible to realize. When the governess realizes this, she begins to manifest her unrequited feelings in the form of ghostly apparitions. His point of view also plays an important role in how the reader observes the ghosts. Unconsciously, the governess has chosen to be an unreliable narrator; seeing fantastical ghosts participating in a romantic relationship allows her to feel part of it herself. However, when the governess has had enough of these ghosts, she turns to other characters to fulfill her aspiration. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay The governess sees ghosts in order to satisfy her longing to be in love. The young governess is immediately attracted to the “handsome, bold, and pleasant” (p. 7) single uncle of the orphaned children she is hired by. This overwhelming feeling was the initial motivation for her to accept the position of governess. Introducing the reader to the governess's most basic feelings shows the reader that this is one of her primary concerns at the time in her life when the short story begins. The governess's desire to be cherished by a man is induced by the uncle's “charming ways with women” (p. 7). Her kindness gives her a taste of how she would like to be treated in life. When the governess leaves to accept the position, she is at an underdeveloped age, with a background consisting of rural poverty and only one child-related position (as a schoolteacher) before the event in question. This results in a lack of knowledge about what she wants from life. The gentleman uncle gives him an “ideal” to aspire to. The governess is an unreliable narrator; her dreams of being in love become so realistic that she begins to see apparitions. Her first observation comes only a moment after she dreams of how it would be “as charming as a charming story to suddenly meet someone” (p. 19). The word “story” implies an innocent, childish and magical vision of the emotion she experiences, this choice of diction demonstrates her inability to manage emotion with maturity. When Peter Quint appears on the tower, her imagination takes over and gives her the "love" she has dreamed of since her arrival in Bly. The governess's mind shows Quint as a ghost because subconsciously she knows it is unreal and therefore unattainable, that he is a ghost is her rationalization of the situation – mental self-preservation. The governess's initial sighting of the second ghost, Miss Jessel, is of the same nature as her original sighting of Quint; our narrator wishes, or in the second case, “becomes aware that (the governess) has an interested spectator” (p. 35), before seeing him, leading the reader to conclude that the ghosts are manifestations of his thoughts. She sees the ghost in her mind and, through her imagination, is then able to transfer the image into a visual. In order for her to have a relationship with "Peter", the above describes the next logical step in her dream: allowing her mind to take over again and invent a "Miss Jessel". Miss Jessel and Peter Quint had “everything between them” (p. 39) according to Mrs. Grose, this supports the romantic relationship in which the governess conceives Quint to be involved. Miss Jessel represents what.