The Turn Of The Screw Analysis

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The governess arrives at Bly with the false notion that everything will be perfect and wonderful. What she doesn’t account for is the madness that flows through her head. Henry James gives these internal events a sense of excitement and suspense, similar to that of external actions. The book, The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, is written from the perspective of the governess. It is the retelling of events that happened to her ten years prior. Whether these horrific ghost stories are true or not is completely up to the reader. James brings the ghosts to life and makes the reader feel as if they are actually present, but in reality the governess is construing these images in her head. These internal events are given the sense of excitement, …show more content…
This time he is standing right outside the window looking in at her. The author provides more information than he did in the first instance. At the first sighting, the governess noticed the physical qualities, but overall it was just a man with no special significance. This time, however, the reader is given more insight into the governess’s feelings and how she perceives this man. She is startled when she sees him in the window and she now has an idea that the man is looking for someone other than herself. She describes the intruder in great detail and “found a touch of picture, I quickly added stroke by stroke” (23). Mrs. Grose identifies this man as Peter Quint. Curiosity and suspense are in great depth at this point. Peter Quint is dead so this must be his ghost. The author plants this idea in the reader’s head. There is no insight into anyone else’s mind, so the reader is tempted to believe everything the governess says. The governess is getting more and more focused on the ghosts and is trying to save the kids. The reader is drawn in through all of this suspense. Miss Jessel and Peter Quint are described in such great detail that it makes their ghosts seem real. The governess speaks as if this is completely sane and the children are actually in danger from these ghosts. The reader is still led to believe the governess. She speaks with such confidence and assurance that the ghosts seem physical and present. The reader is torn between what to choose because there is only one perspective. The governess argues time and time again that the ghosts are real and this forces the reader to want to believe these internal thoughts to actually be external
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