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This will expose the psychological interpretation
and primary analysis of the main character’s behavior which personifies the
governess, and its effect to the children.
Parkinson (1979) interprets the theme of the story as a depiction of fear and insanity. Hence, the following
text will discuss and analyze essential passages and quotes from the book with
the intent of gaining a psychological validation to the issues vaguely
presented.
It will be apparent that the content of this review
will concur towards mental illness and the manifestation of a psychological
perplexity.
Character
Analysis
Douglas
The
man who was never mention in the story except he first introduce the beginning
of it to a couple of guest in the hotel on a Christmas Eve. He claimed that the
story is a written account of her sister’s governess.
The
Military Man
The
character is mentioned briefly in the story as the uncle of the children. He
charmed the governess into letting her think that by accepting the task she is
indeed giving him a big favor. He also made it clear that he will never be
bothered in any way regarding the children’s wellbeing. However, his role takes
a great effect on the story since he became the object of obsession and fantasy
of the governess.
The
Governess
A
young woman who left her home for the first time to seek employment and was
hired to take care of niece and nephew of a rich, handsome, charming military
man. She is inexperienced and having overwhelmed with her new task she became
anxious. Her attractions to her employer may have also caused her psychological
dilemma. She adored the children but later became the subject of her
suspension. The novel also affirmed the she is in love with her employer. Her
battle against evil profoundly suggests that she is losing her sanity. She is
determined to protect the children from the ghost of Peter Quint and Miss
Jessel but in the contrary made her a threat to the safety of the children.
Mrs.
Grose
An
uneducated servant who works with the family and takes care of the children.
Her character presents support and understanding to the governess. She would
listen to her descriptions of the horrifying events and would somehow in her
own understanding draws conclusion to her problem. Mrs. Grose often shows
suspicion and hesitation to assumptions but still holds the governess superior.
Her character often hinders the governess from corrupting the children with
terrifying revelation and at the end had saved Flora.
Miles
Miles’
character has been presented as either innocent or deceiving. The governess was
attracted to his brilliant display of appearance. He is radiantly responsive to
her classes and is active and full of charm. The governess has even made up her
mind the boy is an injury to others the reason why he was expelled from school.
But when the governess met him for the first time her opinion of him has
eventually change and she was charmed and second time.
However,
when she confronted him about her suspicion Miles told her that he can be bad.
This description of Mile’s character may have also been one of the governess’
hallucination and corrupt assumptions.
Flora
Flora
character may just be a depiction of innocence. The governess described her as
angelic and full of beauty. She is very responsive to her and even showed the
governess around the house and told her every secret. Mrs. Grose clearly loves
Flora very much and has always protected her from the governess. When Flora got
ill she persuasively asked the governess to allow taking Flora to see a doctor
in town.
At
some point in the story, the governess believes that Flora and Miles are
scheming and cunning. However, to what extend lies the truth could just be the
imagination of the governess and the children are just victims of her vicious
assumptions.
The story is about a young governess who
was hired to take care of a rich military’s nephew named Miles and his niece
named Flora whose parents died in an accident. She was charmed by his handsome
appearance and though she was hesitant at first, she then agreed to take the
responsibility. The task proved to be difficult for the young woman. After days
of her stay with the children in an old country house in Bly she was suddenly
plagued with ghost of the former valet named Peter Quint and an the former governess,
Miss Jessel. She was so convinced that the ghosts want to harm the children
that she watches over them with so much care and intent.
The children were nice and gentle to her
except when a mail came from her employer with an unopened letter from the
boy’s school head master informing them that Miles was expelled from school.
However, she did not tell her employer about the content of the letter since he
made it clear to her that she will never include him about the children’s
welfare.
The governess became very apprehensive.
She would often see the ghost of Peter Quint in the stairway and by the window
as well as the ghost of Miss Jessel. She
became very protective of the children and she always wanted them to be within
her sight. Later she was convinced that Miles and Flora were aware of the ghost
and that they themselves are plotting against her. One day she became very
hysterical when she found out the Flora left the house. She told Mrs. Grose,
the maid that Flora might be near the lake and she went to see the ghost of
Miss Jessel. When she finally saw Flora she asked her if she knew about the
ghost and indeed came to see it. But Flora became so scared of her and became
very ill until Mrs. Grose decided to bring the little girl to town to see a doctor.
The governess felt that she failed in
her task and was so determined to save Miles from the ghost of Peter Quint.
That afternoon, when they were having their lunch together she suddenly became
aware of the ghost of Peter Quint. She
became anxious, she was screaming at the ghost of Peter Quint to let the boy
alone. They she rushed to hold Miles very tightly protecting him from the ghost
but when the ghost disappeared, she finally realized that the boy had died in
her arms.
Personal Review
The following text are qoutes rephrased from the book “The
Turn of the Screw” as well as its
interpretations.
“When I entered the room, I became aware of a
presence of someone inside the room. Looking across the window I saw him…he had
already appeared to me. I turn cold. This time he is so near his body emerge
from behind the window. I suddenly realized that he came for someone. He wants
to hurt the children. Then impulsively I
went to take his place by the window. I need to take the place where he had
been and put my face against the window pane. And as if to show me how scared I
was, Mrs. Grose came into the room. Through her response, I had the full
recurrence of what I had just experience. She saw me as I have seen him. She
looked at me and back away, she beckoned for me to meet her but I just stood
there with so much thought but one, I wonder why she should be scared.”
The incident where the governess wondered why Mrs.
Grose was scared when she sees her behind the window is an indication that
perhaps the maid had indeed noticed a frightful display of qualities that the
governess is not conscious of.
The phrase indicated a disturbing revelation of the
psychological predicament reflected by
the main characters. The governess deliberately referred the apparitions
to evil. The story’s portrayal of good and evil ambiguously represents the
inner conflict of her character.
“It is believed the Flora saw the ghost of Miss
Jessel. Mrs. Grose was terrified and asked if Flora told me. And that’s the
horror! She didn’t say a word about it but I can see it in her eyes and I know
that she is absolutely aware of it.
Mrs. Grose thought that it was the same man that
appeared to me from the window. But no… it was not the same… it was someone the
girl knew and Mrs. Grose knew… it was my predecessor… Miss Jessel. She was
staring from across the lake. Mrs. Grose did not believe me and I told her that
if she ask Flora she will lie about it.
“I made Mrs. Grose believed of shocking things but
there was an acceptance of my dominance- my accomplishment and my
responsibility over the children. She has been so patient with my suffering.”
In
the story we obtain an understanding of the governess’ thoughts through the
reflection of Mrs. Grose character which often provides the reader with a
different perspective of the governess’ persona. The maid became aware of the
insanity and paranoia. However, having no education herself, she might have
gotten confused as well. In her point of view she is clearly aware that the
governess had proper education and she on the other hand doesn’t even know how
to read.
“one night as I was about to sleep I saw the ghost
of Peter Quint half way down the stairs. He stared at me intently but I refused
to back off until he vanished. After the incident I decided to see Flora in her
room. But she is not there. Her little bed was a mess and the curtains are
blown apart. I frantically search for her and finally found her hiding behind a
curtain. She looked extremely grave. She didn’t seem happy to see me. “
Flora’s
reaction to the governess indicates that the girl is scared of her. The display
of reproach may a have been an expression of fear towards to governess which
eventually made the little girl ill towards the end of the story.
“Flora is not a little child, she is an old woman”
When
Flora suddenly disappeared the governess anxiously searched for her. And when
Mrs. Grose uttered her objection that it is impossible that Flora can hide the
boat, the governess snap and told her Flora is not a child but instead an old
woman. This obviously shows confusion in her part. Every time the governess
encounters issues concerning the children’s welfare or at some point she feels
she is neglected by the children it was then that the apparitions would seem to
appear.
“I could hear him… Peter Quint. But it doesn’t
matter. I have the boy. I let go of the evil forever. I held Miles in my arms
protecting him from the ghost of Peter Quint. And when it is finally over I
heard a cry of the creature as if from deep within. I held the boy and as if
was just a dream at the end in the silence of the day his little heart
stopped.”
The
ending added a tragic twist to the story. For whatever the reason Miles died,
it is the purpose of this review to conclude that the governess may have
unintentionally suffocated him.
Psychological
Analysis of the Turn of the Screw
The
Turn of the Screw by Henry James is indeed a display of artistry. However, the
conflict within the characters and the interpretation of the story conceived a
lot of questions.
Parkinson
(1979) stated that The New York Times started a long discussion by phrasing
that the book purposely portrays a horrific and powerful display of evil and
how the humans are vulnerable to its influence.
However,
Wilson (1934) in his essay stated that Henry James tries to portray the Freudian
theory of repression. The ghosts seen by the governess are just figments of her
imagination and that they are repressed sexual desires. Others also claim that
the governess was losing her mind and she was the cause of the mental
disturbances of the children and even cause Flora to get sick. The questions
evolving the story are whether the ghosts really exist or it was just the
governess’ psychological confusion.
This
chapter discusses the psychological analysis of the story focusing on the main
characters. It will be perceived in the discussion that there is no evident
confirmation of the existence of the governess’ apparition.
Horowitz
(1991) in his journal defines interpersonal theory of personality as two
dimensional. That interaction between two people is considered reciprocal and
that each one influenced the other. The
governess certainly assumes that somehow his employer will reward her efforts
on raising the children. Each day she was overwhelmed with the weight of her
responsibilities and constantly struggles to take control of the children. Her
narratives reflect her uncertainty and her questioning about the past governess
and the valet may have showed an indication that she was comparing herself to
the previous governess who was also young like her whom her employer may have
fancied.
The
governess was entertaining the illusion that by some means her employer will
reciprocate her feelings towards him. Millon and Lerner (2003) discussed
Sullivan’s interpretation of Freud’s personality theory that is everything in
the human mind is cause by the relationship conceived through interactions with
others. This occur from the concept separation between interpersonal and the
intra-psychic which involve perception between fantasy and reality.
The
feeling of distress and fear emerge into paranoia as the children persistently
request the governess to write to their uncle and tell him to come to Bly.
Renner
(1998) affirmed that the story portrays a woman’s psychosexual dilemma and its
effect to the children. The story proves when the governess talks about the
ghost of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. How did she know of the former valet and
the governess? The journal established that she may have had a full knowledge
about them when Flora showed her the house and told her of the secrets. Besides
Mrs. Grose also provided her with a full description which she immediately
recognized.
Renner
(1998) further discussed the core reasons of her hallucinations to the fact
that the governess is a young woman who for the first time leaves her home to
seek employment. She then was received into the house of a gentleman of whom
she was charmed and romantically dreams about. The story also reflect the
details of the governess character, her religious background, her lack of experience,
apprehensions, fear, weakness and vulnerability to romantic emotions.
She
gives in to the seduction of the rich handsome man. The contradiction of her
innocence and her sexual desire produced a psychological dilemma. In her mind
she became aware of the sexual threat manifested by her bold and handsome
employer who has a way of charming young woman even though she only seen him
once. The conflict between being religiously conservative and her extreme
romantic desire certainly convey in her hallucinations.
The
images that she encountered are projections of her inner thoughts and her
expectations. Moreover, Henry James’ awareness of his sister’s sexual hysteria has
also showed an influence over his literary. Psychosexual disorder affects
intellectual women of good character perplexed with the conflict of their
desire and the confinement of social conformity cause then to repress their
emotions.
The
story has turn from a supernatural manifestation of ghost and apparitions into
a psychological fiction. Furthermore, Kashira (2003) suggested that if the
readers will perceive the man in the tower as a stranger and that his presence
in the castle would trigger a threat of sexual danger to a young woman having
been born in a Victorian era. The presence of a man in a lonely and isolated
place is a subject of fear to any young woman. He further argues that the
governess repression of her sexual desire neurotically made her hallucinate and
often confused her fantasy with reality
Reference: Horowitz, L.M.; Locke, K.D.; Morse, M.B.
(1991). Self-Derogation and the Interpersonal Theory. American
Psychological Association. Vol. 61, No. 1 68-79
James H. (2001). The
Turn of the Screw. The Electric Book Company
Kashira, Y.
(2003). Point of View in the Turn of
the Screw- the pursuit of the inner reality. Kawasaki Journal of Medical
Welfare. Vol. 9, No. 2, 65-71
Millon, T & Lerner,
M. (2003). Handbook of Psychology: Personality and Social Psychology.
John Wiley and Sons.
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