ipl-logo

Is The Governess Insane In Henry James The Turn Of The Screw

1114 Words5 Pages

Is the Governess Insane or Is She Being Tricked? Henry James created a number of famous stories during his time “The Turn of the Screw” being one of his most iconic ones. James is a very iconic writer for his day and even till this day with the structure of his writing. This short story has been read over, for more than 100 years and will continue to be read. Throughout this story’s time frame, there has been a lot of controversy over certain characters in the story and what is there position? When ghosts appear, why are some of the characters able to see them and the others cannot. My query on the book has probably been presented out more than once over the last 100 years. That either the governess is going insane because of recent events or is telling the truth. The question isn’t, if the ghosts are real or are they allusions but to direct it towards the governess, is she insane or are the kids are playing tricks on her? …show more content…

He also became fascinated with ghost stories after he went to numerous theatrical plays that involved multiple ghost or apparitions. There is reason to believe James wanted to portray the governess to seem insane but just enough them to question the idea. In earlier times past generation where a whole lot more religious than the generations today and because of that religious often presented itself in literally works. Also, the church played a big role in day to day to life with in jobs and the house hold. In the Victorian area, the woman never had much authority over the man of the house but if the man was not home, the woman did everything. They women did not even have rights over their own property. The church also looked down upon a family if the women became in control of certain roles of the house. This time frame was not pleasant to the women, it thrived in the literacy

Show More
Related
445 Words | 2 Pages

Power is said to corrupt anyone sadly not even children are immune. In The Crucible written by Arthur Miller tells a story about witchcraft which is based on actual past events that happened in Salem. In this story, Reverend Hale plays a very important role being one of the few who realizes that the witchcraft claims are a sham. It is interesting to see Hale as he is forced to deal with a major conflict, come to terms with his own motivations, and characteristics.

Read More
785 Words | 4 Pages

However, they were still suffering from equal rights with men. Women were only seen as “child bearers” and the head of the house, but rarely could make decisions about their pregnancy which often led to

Read More
1138 Words | 5 Pages

Women were not a part of a class, they were considered property. Men essentially owed their whole family. Men controlled the family and any property that they owned. Women had no power, authority, or voice in anything. If a man wanted to divorce his wife, he could do so.

Read More
80 Words | 1 Pages

In F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, “The Great Gatsby,” Daisy Buchanan struggles to free herself from the power of both Tom Buchanan and Jay Gatsby, whom both use their wealth and high standings as a way to dictate power over and impress others. Fitzgerald purposely develops Daisy as selfish and “money hungry” character when she chooses Tom, a rich man, over Gatsby, a poor man (who she was in love with), which establishes her desire for power that she never achieves.

Read More
563 Words | 3 Pages

Goody Putnam insisted that Nurse murdered all her babies. Putnam wanted revenge on Nurse for getting the things she was not able to obtain. In addition, Deputy Governor Danforth desired to continue be well respected. He wouldn’t listen to the wise adults’ explanation. If he does so, he would have to dismiss the charges and the people would be outraged because he had sign off many executions.

Read More
837 Words | 4 Pages

Women were treated a lot differently than men were. Men controlled everything that went on. They made all of the decisions, and women did not have a say over

Read More
1049 Words | 5 Pages

The governess’s sanity in Henry James’s Turn of the Screw is often disputed over in literature. Because the governess sees ghosts in the novel, she is often argued as insane. The definition of sanity proves otherwise, stating that it is the “state of being sound of mind or having appropriate judgment skills” (Psychology Dictionary). The governess is sane because she behaves rationally, protects the children above all costs, and is not the only character witnessing a supernatural presence.

Read More
1383 Words | 6 Pages

The novel, Turn of the Screw, by Henry James takes place in England and is told from the point of view of the Governess, whose sanity is questionable. The Governess is insane because throughout the novel, she is the only one who sees the ghosts, she is in love with the master, and she allows her desire to protect the children to drive her to insanity. First, the Governess is insane because she is the only character in the novel to ever have seen the ghosts. Early in the novel, the Governess claims she sees the ghost of Peter Quint, and immediately tells Mrs. Grose.

Read More
766 Words | 4 Pages

Thesis: Amongst the library of supernatural fiction and ghost stories written within the late 1800s, The Turn Of The Screw offers a direct commentary on the suppressed social fears of class change through the embodiment of ghosts. Introduction: Written in 1889, during the rise of supernatural psychical research and supernatural fiction, The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James tells the tale of a governess driven to insanity. The governess claims to have seen ghosts of the late governess, Miss Jessel, and the deceased valet, Peter Quint, on the grounds of castle Bly. The ghosts that she sees throughout the novella are not real and were created by the governess, due to the social pressures that she faced working at Bly. Her repressed desire to belong to a higher social class and her fears of trying to elevate her status were

Read More
889 Words | 4 Pages

John’s neighbors and friends all claim he is a good and noble man, and he is. Therefore, when he is accused of witchcraft, the court feared what the town may do. As portrayed on page 880 by Reverend Parris, “Judge Hathorne- it were another sort that hanged till now. Rebecca Nurse is n Bridget that lived three year with Bishop before she married him.

Read More
1165 Words | 5 Pages

Although the question still remains, abundant evidence suggests that the governess is in some form of deranged state. The governess is insane because she is the only person to witness the ghosts, she has extreme fear and anxiety and she is overly devoted to protecting her charges which causes her paranoia. On the other hand, many people argue that the Governess is sane, however these claims can be disproven because of strong quotes and in-depth analytical support. In the end, it is quite clear that the governess is suffering from a mental

Read More
387 Words | 2 Pages

Women in the 1600s to the 1800s were very harshly treated. They were seen as objects rather than people. They were stay-at-home women because people didn’t trust them to hold jobs. They were seen as little or weak. Women living in this time period had to have their fathers choose their husbands.

Read More
2035 Words | 9 Pages

Oftentimes, minor characters help to reveal a theme or contribute to the characterization of the protagonist. In the novel Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë, Helen Burns serves as a foil character to the protagonist, Jane Eyre. Throughout the novel, Helen’s docile and pious nature helps to emphasize Jane’s development from a passionate girl to a modest woman. Helen’s theological beliefs also allow her to serve as a foil character to Mr. Brocklehurst, the headmaster of Lowood Institution, and St John Rivers, a zealous missionary, in order to reveal how Christianity is used to control Jane. Compared to the male characters in the novel, Helen’s positive use of religion proves to be more effective in encouraging Jane to adopt Christian values.

Read More
1317 Words | 6 Pages

The governess progressively believes in things around her that are pseudo and assumed. Nobody else at Bly can see the ghosts that she claims even when the children tried to believe her, they just could not see the ghosts she could see. Things slowly but surely fell apart at Bly, and it seemed to start right when the governess made assumptions about the ghosts she had met. The governess had done many things at Bly, but proving her insanity is something she could not

Read More
1046 Words | 5 Pages

During this time “A woman's most important commodity was her virginity,” (Murphy 1). It was important to society that women were virgins before marriage and when married they were to have many children. When a woman was married she lost her rights to own property and business, their husbands became guardians over them and gained full control of all property, businesses and land they owned before marriage (Vann 1). Before marriage a woman had some control over her own life but as soon as she was married it was expected that the husband would take over and make decisions for

Read More

More about Is The Governess Insane In Henry James The Turn Of The Screw

Related Topics

Open Document