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The Insanity In The Turn Of The Screw By Henry James

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In Henry James’s novella, The Turn of the Screw, the governess’ sanity is commonly argued among the readers. Sanity is the “soundness and health of mind” while insanity is a “deranged state of mind usually occurring as a specific disorder” (Merriam Webster Dictionary). It is up to the audience to decide on whether the author intends for the governess to be sane or insane. Despite this controversy, the governess is insane throughout the whole story because she is a paranoid schizophrenic, possesses an obsessive personality, and is the only one who claims she sees the apparitions. The governess is clearly insane because her behavior shows the symptoms of someone who is a paranoid schizophrenic. A paranoid schizophrenic is one whose mind is not …show more content…

Despite this, the opposing side fails to realize that Flora wanted the governess to stop pestering her after their encounter by the lake. When she finds out that Flora is leaving Bly to live with her uncle, she tells Mrs. Grose, “What Flora wants, of course, is to get rid of me” (James 74). The governess’ words and actions eventually terrify Flora as a result of her insanity. It is certainly evident that the children are scared for her abnormal concern for them and want her out of the house. Others may also argue that the reason of Miles’ death was because he sees Peter Quint, but they do not understand that Miles dies because of how the governess handles him. When the governess attempts point out Peter Quint in the room, the author mentions how she “grasp[s]” him and “[holds]” him with passion (James 87). This may suggest that the governess is too rough when it comes to protecting Miles, and that she actually killed him. Her physical actions during this scene border violence - grasping and holding the boy and even shaking him. The governess is experiencing an emotional breakdown and holds Miles so tightly for so long that she suffocates him and kills him. Ultimately, the governess’ insanity drove Miles to his death at a young

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