Turn Of The Screw Ghost Essay

What are ghosts? A ghost is an apparition of a dead person that is believed to appear or manifest to the living, typically as a cloudy image. In Henry James’ novel, Turn of the Screw, the main character, the governess appears to be driven crazy by two ghosts. Taking place at a remote English country house, the governess becomes convinced that the two children, a young boy named Miles and a young girl named Flora, are communicating with a pair of malevolent spirits. It is said that these spirits are those of former employees of the house, a valet and a previous governess. In their life, the two had been discharged as forbidden lovers. As the spirits continue to visit the children, it hints towards Satanism and possible sexual abuse. Unfortunately,

The governess continually has encounters with these apparitions and they only seem to appear to her. As the novel continues, Miles’ behavior in school becomes bad to the point where he is prevented from returning and Flora becomes sick with a fever. The governess believes that all of the bad events happening are actions of the ghosts and blames them for corrupting the children. The ghosts are not real, but are merely the evidence of the falling apart of her sanity. The governess encounters the ghost of Peter Quint, the previously mentioned valet of the two ghosts. In chapter two, it was mentioned that Quint liked young, fair women as governesses. It is most likely that the ghost of the valet was a figment of the governesses imagination because just before the ghost appeared before her, she was fantasizing about the uncle with whom she is infatuated with. In her fragile mental state, she could have came up with this appearance. Perhaps as an outlet of her inability to release her sexual frustration, the governess becomes overly affectionate towards Miles and Flora. As a result, the governess is quite protective when it comes to the interaction with the children and the apparitions. While speaking of the ghosts, the governess says, “They want to get them [the children]” (47). She believes that the children can also see