JamesJames' stories carried on earlier themes (Poe) of ghosts, mysteries, to unheard-of levels & scrutiny. He developed the theme that people fear what is unknown. He took these themes to levels that previous writers had not. His language is complex, full of nuance. (long sentences, passive verbs, etc.) Often because of his complexities, modern readers will not read his books because they are too lazy and it takes too much effort to read his novels. James continues with the previous themes of American authors: fear of the unknown and what lies beneath (people's motives), and he continues the scrutiny to higher levels. James addresses the question of communication between people:
James' consciousness arose from his perception of cultural and social differences. He was born into a privileged family in 1843, and he spent much time living and traveling in Europe. He lived in Paris, London, Geneva and Bonn, which caused him to appreciate European culture for its richness. His family hoped to raise their children to be more open to other cultures
Jamesian stories have little action; they exist mostly in the minds of the characters: There is no plot in his stories, but rather his novels take place in the mind, with aspects of motivation, interpretation and conjecture.
James created the Ficelle: a character who can register information only in his or her own way and terms -- a "one camera" view: The character can only interpret from his/her own inner thoughts.
James is the culmination of the 19th century literary tradition: he refined the ghost story genre by using the human psyche. He tried to figure out what people actually saw and what they are thinking.
James wrote about Americans who inherit money, move to Europe seeking education, society In his stories, it is necessary to read into characters, make inferences, to try to interpret
How important is plot? Not that important. Interpretation vs. Experience // Life vs. Imagination. James creates the feeling that the great drama of life is found in the cerebral, and that the lifeline of people is our analysis. This creates a question of whether or not plot is necessary for a good story.
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The Turn of the ScrewThis story is basically determined by the judgements of the reader. The plot is of little consequence because everything is ambiguous. This leaves the reader to draw his own conclusions, and the only way to draw conclusions is to make judgements based on past personal experience and ideas. Depending on the reader, characters' actions can be interpreted in countless ways. -- The governess can be seen as insane or as actually able to see ghosts depending on the reader's willingness to believe what she says -- One can assume that sexual tensions exist between the governess and Miles, the governess and Mrs. Grose, Miles and Quint, Mrs. Jessel and Flora, or one could believe that they don't. -- The children are either corrupted by the ghosts or acting innocently depending on judgements that the reader is willing to make about children's ability to act maliciously or their absolute innocence. -- The governess is either doing her best to protect children who are corrupted by ghosts, or stifling them and confusing them when they are simply acting as normal children would. Evidence for each of these theories exists in the text, depending on what the reader seeks or chooses to see. This reflects life in that people's relationships with one another are mostly determined by things that go unsaid. People's inferences determine how they view the world, which essentially constitutes their realities. In The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, the governess is the only person who can see the ghosts. The governess is, "young, untried, nervous" (p. 8), yet she is hired for a job of, "serious duties and little company, of really great loneliness" (p. 8); she is thrust into a situation where she is unprepared and inexpierenced. The governess begins to imagine that something is amiss at Bly when she receives the letter from Miles' school: the letter is vague, and does not specify the exact reasons of Miles' expulsion, merely that, "'he's an injury to the others'" (p. 17). This vagueness allows for the governess' suspicions to fester and create a certain suspicion and paranoia surrounding the children. Ê The moment immediately before the Governess sees Quint for the first time, she thinks to herself, "that it would be as charming as a charming story suddenly to meet some one" (p. 24) -- it is from her loneliness on Bly that the Governess creates the figure of Quint. Mrs. Grose only enables the Governess' delusions because she accepts everything the Governess says, likely because of the Governess' higher social rank. Even when Mrs. Grose questions the claims the Governess makes of ghosts, the Governess merely replies with: "'I know, I know, I know!' My exaltation grew. 'And you know, my dear!'" (p. 41). The governess also lives with, "an absolute certainty that I should see again what I had already seen" (p. 42); the governess exists with the conviction that she must protect the children from corruption: this corruption, however, exists only within her own mind. Even when she believes that she has cornered the children into telling her about the ghosts and their desire to meet them, they always respond with a logical response to her accusations; it is far more likely that the children are telling the truth than creating elaborate excuses for their behavior. When the Governess suspects that Flora has left the house to meet Miss Jessel, she presents the argument that the eight-year-old child has, alone, used the boat, "'to go over [the lake], and then has managed to hide it'" (p.113). Mrs. Grose naturally doubts this conclusion because it totally defies logic. Even when Miss Jessel "appears" to the Governess, Mrs. Grose is unable to see her. She says: "'What a dreadful turn, to be sure, Miss! Where on earth do you see anything?'" (p.118). The ghosts the Governess sees only exist within her own mind: they are illusions created from the loneliness and paranoia she experiences at Bly. Governess had a sheltered life until now. She was the daughter of a minister, and was swept away in London by the tall, handsome master. Implied sexuality all throughout the story -- possible abortion, homosexuality, pedophilia, affairs, etc. It is very ambiguous. The reader never knows for sure what Miles was sent away from the school for or if the children see the ghosts. The reader is never shown anything so the reader has to guess just like the governess. Governess first sees Quint on the tower. The tower is a phallic symbol. She sees Jessel across a lake which can symbolize the womb. Flora makes the mast in the boat by shoving a little stick into a knot-hole in the piece of wood she finds to be the hull-this is symbolic of sex. Horror story because of the things the ghosts may be doing to the children and because the reader may be taking part in these horrible things by inferring that they are really happening when they may not be happening at all. The story doesn't seem as horrible to us today as it seemed to people when James first wrote it. The children do not see the ghosts. The children, or at least Flora, does not seem to age or to lose her innocence until the governess seems crazy and calls her a "little unhappy thing" when she doesn't seem to see Miss Jessel. If Flora had been communicating and being corrupted by Jessel the whole time, when the latter was a woman and then when she was a ghost, the little girl would never have been so perfectly innocent. Miles gets kicked out of school for saying things to other students that are not appropriate, and it is implied that the ghost persuaded Miles to behave this way. The governess takes care of both Flora and Miles at Bly, and does her best to protect the children from the ghosts. Because of the supernatural, the once-innocent children have been exposed to the adult world. "It has made her [Flora], every inch of her, quite old." (p. 122) In Victorian times children were looked upon as pure and innocent. When Miles and Flora gain knowledge of the adult world, their youth is no longer apparent. Miles and Flora at Bly are like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. And the supernatural spirits (ghosts) provide the temptation, similar to the apple in the Garden of Eden. Like Adam and Eve, once Miles and Flora gain knowledge of adult conflict they cannot go back. In The Turn of the Screw, the reader is forced to infer if the supernatural is actually there. The governess could be the only one to see the ghosts. James does not specifically say if anyone else sees the two ghosts. However, There are many things hidden behind this simple plot. The "Screw" of the title has many different implications. It is a sexual reference, also, screws hold things together much like the governess. Screws represent twists and change; torture and insanity. It is human nature to gossip and yo come to conclusions that may be contorted due to false information or ideas. In The Turn of the Screw, rumors, ideas, and history are written out in the text but the reader has to interpret their meanings. Perception from the reader's standpoint plays a large part in this story. People have many different backgrounds and are raised differently; therefore, they come to different conclusions. Only the Governess sees the two "ghosts"; the children and Mrs. Grose do not. Throughout the story we are never given decisive evidence as to whether or not the ghosts are real. Because the story is written from the Governess' point of view, we are only presented with her ideas...that the ghosts of Mrs. Jessel and Peter Quint are real. In the beginning when the Governess discusses the ghost of Quint with Mrs. Grose, Mrs. Grose seems to lead the governess on about what the ghost looks like. The Governess does not really know what Quint looks like, but because Mrs. Grose gives an identity to the ghost, the ghost seems to be more real.The same goes for Mrs. Jessel. Mrs. Grose divulges an ambiguous description of Mrs. Jessel and based on this description and alluding to the idea that she died, the governess becomes unsettled. Mrs. Grose creates a foundation for the Governess' visions. Another thing that leads me to believe that the ghosts do not truly exist and that they are only a figment of imagination is that neither Mrs. Grose, Flora nor Miles claim to see these ghosts. When the Governess confronts Flora about the ghosts while at the lake, Flora denies seeing Mrs. Jessel and Peter Quint, as does Mrs. Grose. |
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Copyright December 12, 2007 Marie M. Furnary All rights reserved.