Character analysis

As I would like to think, the main apparitions that possess the country home, Bly are those that sneak in the corrupted personality of The Governess. There were no phantoms with cruel plans on the kids, Miles and Flora, just a fixated governess whose own illusions were significantly more harmful to the kids than any ghost.

The character I’ve chosen, The Governess, is an OTT, affected, and self-serving woman. She makes an extraordinary fight in which she will have an opportunity to demonstrate her own value, both to herself and to her manager (the uncle of the kids), by sparing the kids' souls from Quint and Jessel. Through her fixated endeavours, she causes Flora's mental illness and Miles' unfortunate death at such an early age.

The Governess isn’t really a thoughtful figure in my opinion. The author of the novel depicts her as a self-important, over-sensational, vain woman, caught by her sexual fixation on her manager.

After coming to Bly, she continues to assume control over the family. The Governess is so certain of her lifted up position that to her it appears to be just common that she ought to control each part of the kids' lives. Soon after she envisions ghosts, she accepts no one but she can be the one to spare the kids' souls. Undoubtedly, by sparing their souls she is attesting the magnified position she has presented to herself.

As I’ve mentioned before, The Governess comes from a poor background. I assume that she was raised with a learning of good and bad. I’d also like to think during this religious and moralistic era, she grew up realising that sexual yearning was a very big sin. In the novel, she tells Mrs. Grose that she instantly fell in love with the kids’ uncle after two meetings. I personally believe she lacked male attention throughout her younger years; also as she had so many siblings, her father didn’t really pay attention to her so she thought maybe her manager could fill that empty space for her in her life however this never happened and she learnt to accept this.

The Governess first sees Peter Quints’ ghost while she is outside, having some alone time and fantasising about the kid’s uncle. As she comes close to a tower on her way, she trusts that she will see him however her sexual craving finally bamboozling her, her psyche invokes the picture of a man in the dusk. Understanding that it can't be the uncle, she concludes that it is nothing but a ghost. Again, her sexual fixations are making her daydream and see things that aren’t real. Or are they? I personally can’t tell if she is hallucinating or not. Henry James just has us all confused.

Of course when The Governess arrives back at Bly, she tells Mrs. Grose exactly what she had seen in full description and on that proof, Mrs. Grose infers that it must be Peter Quint; whom was said to be a womaniser back in his days. Following on the novel, she sees another ghost, this time a lady. This female phantom is connected with a lake, indicating that it must be Miss Jessel, the ex-governess of Bly who in all probability committed suicide in the wake of getting to be pregnant with Quint's kid.

The description given by The Governess to Mrs. Grose doesn’t sound too persuading but she manages to fall for it. Mrs. Grose is said to be a poor, uneducated lady who thinks profoundly about Miles and Flora. She has a lot of respect for The Governess, therefore believes everything she says. Although she does feel as if the kids may be at risk, she thinks she has no right to question the expressions of her lady; this does a reversal to The Governess feeling too capable and trusting herself as she feels she is constantly right.

The governess’ behaviour results to the fear of the children. They’re both too young in order to comprehend anything going on around them. Miles and Flora feel as if they’re being forced into something and question The Governess commonly. The children believe she is trying to get something out of them however they don’t realise what. From perusing the novel, I feel as though The Governess needs the children to admit into have seeing the ghosts. Realistically, this won't happen on the grounds that she's the main individual at the country home who knows of their presence. Her behaviour is unpredictable, and this startles the children. At one point, The Governess sees Flora at the same lake she had seen the female ghost, Miss Jessel. She rushes over to Flora and asks her if she had seen anything. She’s certain that Jessel is attempting to possess Flora, and that the children clearly communicate with the ghosts. The Governess tells Flora, a 7 year old girl, that her dead ex Governess is present at the lake. This outcomes to Flora’s mental illness therefore she is taken to London with Mrs. Grose in order to be treated.

Miles is the only child at the country house. The Governess fears the same will happen to him as did with Flora, therefore confines him from going out. In order to protect Miles, she bans him from seeing his companions. She feels that it'd be more secure to regard him as her detainee. Miles is currently finished off from the world and practically feels discouraged. Again here, we see that the Governess is truth be told bringing about more damage to the kids than the genuine ghosts. She feels as though they are her obligation and she ought to do anything in her power to secure them. I think everything The Governess does is out of immaculate affection. She communicates her emotions and tend to the children in the wrong way; however I don't think she has any intentions to harm them nor physically or emotionally. The main impression we get from Miles in the novel is that he simply needs to escape from this wild Governess.

Mrs. Grose recommends it'd be ideal for The Governess to the let the children's uncle know of the occasions happening at Bly however she declines to do as such, as he particularly said he wouldn't like to be contacted. Despite the fact that she wouldn't like to disappoint her manager or seem to be irritating, she still writes this letter and places it somewhere safe. This letter by one means or another disappears, which means either Miles had taken it or Mrs. Grose. The Governess chooses to stand up to Miles about this letter and anticipates confirmation that it was he that took her letter. All through the novel, The Governess tends to weight everybody in the house to a considerable measure of things. It's undeniable to the reader that she gets a kick out of the chance to have her own specific manner, and needs everybody to think simply like her. She feels as though she's in control of everybody, and it's in her entitlement to act this way.

Right at the end of the novel, the same way The Governess pressed Flora into seeing Jessel, she does likewise to Miles, aside from now the results are exceptional. During tea, The Governess sees Peter Quint's apparition outside the window however imagines she can't keeping in mind the end goal to protect Miles. After long conversations, she feels as though she can't conceal it any longer and shouts out to Quint. Miles can’t see anything, beside that she has slipped absolutely into madness. The Governess begs Miles to save his life, however right that second he dies.

Now the question is why did Miles die? Did The Governess murder him with her incorrect hallucinations or was it everything else that had got to Miles emotionally? I trust Miles dreaded to live, particularly subsequent to seeing what had happened to his more youthful sister. Not having the capacity to get warmth from his guardians, or his uncle, or even getting expelled from school may have had a negative impact on him therefore his death may have had nothing to do with Peter Quint. Before his death he admitted to The Governess that he had stolen the letter. Miles could've felt to a great degree remorseful about this which could have been another factor of this death. He had a great deal to take in as an adolescent and I believe it's wrong to put all faults on The Governess. The Governess, herself trusted she saved his soul and spared him from Quint. Other readers may differ and think The Governess murdered him with her fixation and confusion. I think the consummation is left for the reader to settle on what they wish to accept. Henry James permits us to run any heading with this novel.