The Turn of the Screw (book)

This book (published in 1898) is by Henry James who’s known for writing fictions that imitate life. The turn of the screw is said to one of the most captivating and influential ghost stories of the century. It’s quite a mysterious book with many confusing twists and turns which took me a while to understand. I purchased this book from 'Waterstones' and read it over the Christmas holidays. I found that I had to re-read certain parts just to figure out what actually happened. What makes it even more confusing is the fact that the author himself doesn’t give any clues on what he intends the reader to believe.

Storyline:

It’s Christmas Eve in an old house and the topic of ghosts is brought up. A man named Douglas recalls a ghost story he once heard of first hand from his sister’s governess.

The actual ghost story itself is written from the perspective of the governess (a young unnamed woman hired by a bachelor to take care of his niece and nephew, Miles and Flora). As soon as she arrives in the country home, she starts seeing ghosts. She tells the maid, Mrs. Grose and learns that the ghosts are ex servants of the house named ‘Peter Quint’ and ‘Miss Jessel’ who had died more than a year ago.

The governess suspects that Flora and Miles can see the ghosts, but the children refuse to acknowledge the sightings. She’s worried for the children, especially when the ghosts appear inside the house but she doesn’t tell their uncle (her employer) as he asked not to be contacted. She also doesn’t wish to bother him as she was secretly in love with him.

As time goes by, the governess changes her mind and decides to write a letter to the children’s dad explaining the situation at home. Before however her letter can be sent off, it gets stolen. Flora falls ill and Mrs. Grose takes her away from home in order to be treated. The governess is now alone with Miles whom admits he stole her letter. The governess sees Peter Quint outside the window. Miles yells out his name, giving away the fact that he knows of the ghost’s existence. Unfortunately, the story ends when Miles dies from fright of seeing the ghost, Peter.

Characters:

The Governess - (chosen character)

Miles - 'we actually know very little about him – which is what makes him so mystifying and interesting. What we do know about Miles is this: he's ten, he's frighteningly smart and impossibly beautiful, and he's strangely savvy in the ways of the world. We also know that he may or may not have the capacity to be incredibly bad; his schoolmasters declare that he's so wicked he can't even come back to school. 

The cause of Miles's expulsion is one of the central mysteries in the plot; we find out at the end that he was kicked out merely for saying things, but it's up to us to imagine what he possibly could have said to other students that would merit such a punishment. One popular speculation on the nature of Miles's transgression is that he made comments of a homosexual nature to some of his fellow students. Whatever his punishable acts may be, this additional unknown only adds to the suspense and the intrigue of the story. Speaking of unknowns, there's the matter of Miles's death. His last words are mysterious: he calls out "Peter Quint – you devil!". We're not sure if he's referring to Quint as a devil or the governess herself. Furthermore, we don't know why Miles dies. It's possibly because the spirit of Quint leaves him, possibly because of the shock of all this uproar…and possibly because the Governess herself harms him…It's a mystery.

Flora - Flora is two years younger than her brother (she's eight), and is just as adorable; the two of them are often compared to angels, and their beauty is their most prominent quality. Both of them seemingly cast a spell on the Governess just by merit of looking the way they do. Flora meets the Governess first, and though we don't see as much conversation between the two of them, we know that the little girl instantly wins the affection and adoration of her teacher. However, once Miles enters the scene, Flora kind of falls by the wayside.

Flora is said to be only slightly less compelling than her fabulous brother – and that, we might guess, is simply because she's a girl. Miles's male-ness is what allows him to be forgiven time and time again by Mrs. Grose and the Governess, whereas Flora is the first to fall under suspicion. Notably, she's also dismissed by the Governess after the second lake incident, while the older woman stays with Miles to try and salvage him.

Miles and Flora

(no date) Available at:
https://vinnieh.files.wordpress.com/2015/12/miles-and-flora.jpg (Accessed: 3 February 2016).

Peter Quint - he is just all kinds of trouble. He's an evil spirit who’s come to haunt and/or possess little Miles. Not only is he a menacing ghostly presence, he’s also a walking symbol for a whole passel of terrors. First of all, Quint stands in for the social threat of the lower classes. In life, he was an ambitious servant, who, we’re led to believe, was a bit too big for his britches. Mrs. Grose tells us that Quint didn’t know his place, and that he was given too much power – once the children’s uncle left Bly, Quint took control of the house and its inhabitants. Quint’s character represents the breakdown of the highly structured social hierarchy that existed in James’ day.

Quint also represents another scary threat: sex. We know that he seduced the unfortunate Miss Jessel and that he spent far too much time alone with young Miles. Quint is described as handsome but dastardly, and he is seductive and frightening in equal measure. Basically, Peter Quint stands for everything the Governess is afraid of, and this sense of menace is his most distinguishing characteristic.

Peter Quint, Miles and the Governess

The turn of the screw (2012) Available at:

http://www.opera.co.uk/view-review.php?reviewID=34 (Accessed: 3 February 2016).

Miss Jessel - interestingly enough, though she is most certainly one of the two villains of this story we don't really know anything about Miss Jessel. We know some of her backstory – she came from a good family and worked at Bly as the children's governess before our narrator arrived on the scene. While at Bly, she had an illicit and possibly quite racy relationship with Peter Quint; this relationship was further complicated by their class difference. However, beyond this, we really don't know anything except her physical appearance – and even that's a little sketchy. All we know is that she – or at least her ghostly form – likes to wear black, often looks weighed down by something and is exceptionally beautiful.

Mrs. Grose - Mrs. Grose is a kindly, loving blank page. We know that she's been in the service of the family for a long time (she was a maid to the children's grandmother), and that she's deeply invested in the children. In general, she's really just a simple, kind, unquestioning soul; the Governess uses her both as a confidante and an informational tool, but Mrs. Grose doesn't ever act on her own. The Governess comments several times on the housekeeper's lack of imagination and her simplicity, marking her as a member of the stereotypical nonintellectual working class (she's also illiterate).

Basically, Mrs. Grose is around to aid the Governess, and turns out to be a loyal ally, albeit one that's not incredibly useful when it comes to action. Most of her significant scenes are simply discussions with the Governess, in which the latter lady gets information out of her, or confides what she's seen. It's also important to note that Mrs. Grose really doesn't want to believe that the children can possibly be at fault, and often questions the Governess's leaps in logic, until the very end, when she declares her allegiance to the Governess.

The Uncle - he is Miles and Flora's uncle which we don't know anything about. This includes his name, what he looks like, what he does, or what any of his motives are. All we know is the he's wealthy and handsome, and that these things alone win the Governess's heart from the moment she meets him.'

Text reference - The turn of the screw characters (no date) Available at:
http://www.shmoop.com/turn-of-the-screw/characters.html (Accessed: 3 February 2016).