In The Turn of the Screw, a short horror story by Henry James, a nameless woman narrates her experiences with two ghosts as a governess in Bly. Her beliefs and actions regarding the two ghosts, Miss Jessel and Peter Quint, have caused controversy about her sanity. The governess is insane because she sees things that other characters cannot see, experiences paranoia due to harmless ghosts, and designates her thoughts regarding the ghosts as more important over the welfare of the children, Miles and Flora.
The governess stands alone in her perception of ghosts, and this makes her insane. The initial rejection of the governess’s perspective happens when Mrs. Grose, Flora, and the governess are at a lake and repeatedly exclaims that Miss Jessel is present with them. However, Mrs. Grose and Flora were not able to see the apparition, and the housekeeper finally …show more content…
The governess’s job is to take care of the children; however, she neglects her responsibilities and instead focusses on her superstitions. In one instance, she actually hurts Flora when she “gripped [her hand] with a spasm” when in search of a possible ghost roaming outside at night (James 41). Her interest in the ghost exceeds her ability to look out for the children. If she were sane, she would have inspected the ghost without hurting Flora, but this is clearly not the case. Her insanity can be seen again during Miles’s unknown death during the climax. Instead of calling for help or panicking, the governess “was so proud” when Miles” uttered the cry of a creature hurled over an abyss” (James 87). The governess overlooks the fact that a child has died; rather, she is happy that her superstitious belief of Quint influencing Miles will never happen again. This clearly exemplifies insanity because she does not feel any remorse or regret over a dead child whom she was supposed to take care
The governess stands alone in her perception of ghosts, and this makes her insane. The initial rejection of the governess’s perspective happens when Mrs. Grose, Flora, and the governess are at a lake and repeatedly exclaims that Miss Jessel is present with them. However, Mrs. Grose and Flora were not able to see the apparition, and the housekeeper finally …show more content…
The governess’s job is to take care of the children; however, she neglects her responsibilities and instead focusses on her superstitions. In one instance, she actually hurts Flora when she “gripped [her hand] with a spasm” when in search of a possible ghost roaming outside at night (James 41). Her interest in the ghost exceeds her ability to look out for the children. If she were sane, she would have inspected the ghost without hurting Flora, but this is clearly not the case. Her insanity can be seen again during Miles’s unknown death during the climax. Instead of calling for help or panicking, the governess “was so proud” when Miles” uttered the cry of a creature hurled over an abyss” (James 87). The governess overlooks the fact that a child has died; rather, she is happy that her superstitious belief of Quint influencing Miles will never happen again. This clearly exemplifies insanity because she does not feel any remorse or regret over a dead child whom she was supposed to take care