The Governess In The Turn Of The Screw By Henry James

Words: 1106
Pages: 5
Open Document
Outside reading paper Our lives are constantly filled with decisions; whether it is decisions on college or the future in general. There is always a constant inner turmoil about what to believe or what to choose, which leads to a conflict. In the novel “The Turn of the Screw”, by Henry James, The Governess is torn between the belief of the corruption of the children she cares for, Miles and Flora, or if she is making it all up. In the novel James uses The Governess to explain the conflicts of the expectations of women in Victorian Era and the idea of her sanity. The Governess ultimately impacts the work as a whole by embodying James’ critiques on society’s reaction toward mental health, the role of women in society, and the uncomfortableness …show more content…
The Governess occupation is oppressive to women showing societies that women are only good at caring for children. By placing The Governess in an oppressive occupation shows how James’ intended to use her in the novel. By putting her in a position that is pinned against her. Furthermore, by putting The Governess as the inferior role in society James uses this to his advantage. By putting her in this position this shows that she has driven to want to prove her wrong doings and havoc causes by the ghost. Lastly, this oppressive role the governess is in is her way to connect of that position by proving herself. However, in the novel none of the supporting characters in the novel, such as Mrs. Gross and the children’s uncle, do not believe her or want to believe her or help in her situation. This plays to the stereotype of the frailty of women and own they constantly need to be cared for as though they are unstable and need to be treated as dainty flowers that constantly need protection. Furthermore, the lack of concern expressed by the supporting characters shoes that they do to believe the governess and are inherently labeling her as insane and playing into stereotypes. This disconcerts for The Governess shows how the Victorian Societies is set on the oppression of women. The oppression of women can also be seen today by the reinforced idea that women should not be treated the same as their male …show more content…
James uses those characters to critique the close-minded Victorian society. Throughout the novel the governess begins to have fantasies about the children’s uncle sweeping her off her feet. This is an example of how taboo the situation may have been in the Victorian Era, because by having romantic fantasizes it reflects society’s disapproval for having such fantasies. This is validated when The Governess condemned herself for her feelings, shows the taboo nature of sexual desires in Victorian Era. Furthermore, James uses the mystery of why Miles got expelled from school as an underlying metaphor for telling his classmates obscene things. By having the dynamic of a little boy being possess by a ghost shows the interest and fear of the supernatural. James also shows how society is uncomfortable by sex when the ghost corrupts the children. The idea of innocence being corrupted is a major motif in James’s novel and it is evident in The Governess and the children by having them act strongly then their normal self’s shows that the power of rebelling and giving into desires never tapped into before can have an effect on oneself. The importance of having innocence be corrupted the characters can grow and James shows the importance of the false rumors of sex and sexual desire will send one to
Show More

Related Documents: The Governess In The Turn Of The Screw By Henry James

Essay On The Turn Of The Screw

Kat L. Van Deren College Prep English 6 March, 2013 The Turn of the Screw The phrase “turn of the screw” means to make a bad situation worse, especially in order to force someone to do something. The book “The Turn of the Screw”, written by Henry James, is about a bad situation escalating into a horrendous situation. This book is about a 20 year old woman who becomes a governess for two young children, whose names are Miles and Flora. She works for a man whose only rule is for her not to…

Words 1237 - Pages 5

Role Analysis: The Turn Of The Screw

Shereen Siewert Professor Ellen Bluestone Literature 500 13 March 2015 The Turn of the Screw: A Character Role Analysis Russian formalist Vladimir Propp identified seven possible character roles, called spheres of action, that are commonly found in Russian folk tales and other narrative works. Using Propp’s theory about roles, each character in the Henry James novella, The Turn of the Screw, can fit into at least one of Propp’s defined roles, though several characters fall into more than one category…

Words 1002 - Pages 5

Turn Of The Screw And An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is a ghost story, but then we come to see that it might not be that at all. Henry is an author who enjoys toying with his reader’s mind by giving them a narrator who isn’t so reliable. He presents the young governess, in this story, as trustworthy and then contradicts what he says in the beginning. In the short story, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge it has the same plot as the Turn of the Screw, where in this case, Ambrose Bierce, the author, makes it seem like…

Words 497 - Pages 2

Ghosts In Henry James The Turn Of The Screw

but The Turn of the Screw is still a source of debate among critics. Published simultaneously in the US and UK by Henry James in 1898, much of the early research on The Turn of the Screw focused on the question of whether or not the ghosts are real. Recent research, however, has shifted its focus to questioning what the ghosts can tell us about the Governess, Bly, class, and identity. Recent research points to the idea that there is something in the ghosts that represents the Governess; I contend…

Words 1050 - Pages 5

Pot Boiler Essay

Henry James's "The Turn of the Screw" was one of his great successes after his play, Guy Domville, was booed off the London stage. Because James wanted this book to be successful in order to bring himself together after the terrible disaster that his play had brought, he's given his book certain characteristics that make it more than just a gothic ghost story. The book does have the main characteristics of the gothic genre, however at times it moves away from the formula and surprises the reader…

Words 1105 - Pages 5

Daisy Miller And The Turn Of The Screw

Jacob Rodriguez American Literature II Daisy Miller and The Turn of the Screw February 19, 2015 Daisy Miller and The Turn of the Screw by Henry James are two stories alike only in the way they are told. In both stories the reader decides their own view of the characters personalities. Through their actions each character adds to what we know about them, but we know nothing of their past. Rather than focusing on the characters themselves James puts you into the mid of them. It is as if you were there…

Words 736 - Pages 3

Turn Of The Screw Analysis

The governess in Turn of the Screw by Henry James is the definition of a tragic hero. It is hard to see anything but a tragic end to her story. The governess seems to accept her madness as reality right away. After the second supposed haunting the young governess confides in her friend, Mrs. Grose about what she saw and the only way she describes the being at first is incredibly vague “‘I've been dying to tell you. But he's like nobody.’” (James 19). Than sensing the confusion of her friend, she…

Words 403 - Pages 2

Psychoanalysis: Unconscious Mind and William Empson Essay

several literary theories should be acknowledged, like psychoanalysis by Sigmund Freud and seven types of ambiguity by William Empson. Psychoanalysis and the seven types of ambiguity meet in terms of understanding the ambiguities in “The Turn of the Screw” by Henry James. Both theories contribute to thoroughly comprehending what these ambiguities in the story mean, according to society’s teachings. Psychoanalysis, originated by Sigmund Freud, breaks up the general human mind in to two categories: the…

Words 1213 - Pages 5

The Turn Of The Screw Allegory Analysis

reveals a meaning that is hidden throughout the story. Henry James masters this technique in the novel “The Turn of the Screw”. He uses the characters to reveal a supernatural theme. At the beginning of this novel, the reader finds themselves huddled around a campfire telling horrific tales. When the narrator chimes in with his atrocious tale, the reader feels as if they are in the midst of it all. The reader can feel the insanity of the governess, the evil running through Miles, and even the tense…

Words 1174 - Pages 5

Morally Ambiguous Character In Henry James's The Turn Of The Screw

attempts to do good, but at times shows hints of being more towards the antagonist’s side of the story. One who confuses the intended audience of a work to think more two-sided, allowing for twists and changes in the path of the story. In Henry James’s The Turn of The Screw, the Governess’s crucial role as an ambiguous character to act as both good and evil provides an effective backbone for the story’s plot, and the critical elements to successfully hook, or capture the audience’s attention. Through connected…

Words 781 - Pages 4