The Turn Of The Screw Literary Analysis

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Ashley Dann ENG 478 Dr. Sciolino Final Draft #1 September 18, 2014 The Turn of the Screw In Henry James classic novella, The Turn of the Screw, the ghosts of Peter Quint and Ms. Jessel haunt a young and inexperienced governess. Hired by the uncle of two orphans, the governess embarks on her first job at Bly, the uncle’s estate. His niece and nephew, Miles and Flora, captivate the governess with their overwhelming loveliness. Upon the governesses’ arrival she meets Flora and Mrs. Grose, the housekeeper. They spend several days enjoying their time together until a letter from Miles’s school comes pronouncing his expulsion. Thinking Miles to be a troublemaker, the governess worries about his arrival. However, her fears are assuaged when she meets Miles and reasons that the headmasters of Miles’s school are mistaken. Nevertheless, things begin to spiral downwards from then on. The governesses’ visions of Peter Quint and Ms. Jessel lead her to confront the children, whom she fears have been possessed by the spirits of Quint and Jessel. The governesses’ descent into madness is representative of the repressive culture of Victorian Era England. Instead of the governess admitting her attraction to the children’s uncle, she bottles up her emotions until it is too much and she explodes hurting…show more content…
The uncle is representative of the English gentleman. Wealthy, handsome, and of good social standing he unintentionally entices the governess. She bends to the uncle’s every whim no matter how strange it may seem, such as his rule that the governess is to under no circumstance contact him. While other might be wary of this rule, the governess still accepts the role of the children’s caregiver. The governess even threatens to leave her post when Mrs. Grose begs her to contact the uncle in regards to the deteriorating situation at Bly. The governess articulates

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