The genre of horror became prominent during the beginning of the twentieth century, especially with Henry James’ writings. Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw is a horror story that creates a real sense of suspicion and terror. James’ stories were well known for his blunt use of ambiguity that transformed the interpretation of his story. In The Turn of the Screw, Henry James uses Ambiguity to show a sense of mystery ,and to leave the reader questioning the safety of the children with the suspicious governess. James’ Ambiguity lets the reader have their own interpretation about what is actually happening in the story.
How could the text be read and interpreted differently by two different readers? The Turn of the screw is a novella written by Henry James in 1898. This short ghost story is like no other; as it can be interpreted in more than one way. The main character is the governess. The governess is the narrator in The Turn of the Screw.
Within the Bly household as read in The Turn of the Screw, where the governess is the only person able to see ghosts, everything seems as it is falling apart. As the governess starts working at Bly, everything seems picture perfect, but is quite the opposite as the story progresses. As everything unfolds at Bly the governess seems to become progressively mentally incapacitated. As days pass by the governess believes she begins to see the ghosts on a daily basis, and she becomes so frustrated she accuses the children, Miles and Flora, of meeting with the ghosts. The children never admit to her accusations, which upsets the governess to sure a high degree that she even starts to blame the children of conspiring against her.
The Governess’ first encounter with the ‘ghost’ of Peter Quint happens whilst she is thinking about the uncle of the children, who she is highly infatuated with - she says she wishes to see someone who “would appear there at the turn of a path and would stand before me and smile and approve” (James 39). Not only is she seeking approval, but some believe the entire fabrication of the ghosts is a sort of challenge for herself, something for the uncle to reward her for; this is why she does not see the uncle there to congratulate her, but her subconscious creating something even more strange. “...[S]omething that is greater than merely following the master's orders and something that will perhaps yield a greater reward, once the master sees how she has been victorious.” says Poquette. The Governess may even be more prone to such hallucinations due to family lines, as we find out in a brief sentence that her father had an “eccentric nature” (James 86), suggesting she could have a history of mental illness in the
He talked with Quentin and Quentin conceded that he was with Margo 48 hours before Margo vanished. He talks secretly with him and later calls him after he has found the smaller than usual shopping center. That was based from the book, yet in the motion picture the criminologist showed up once just amid the time Margo vanished. In the book, Quentin thinks surrendered subdivisions or lodging improvements that were never completely finished are what Margo implies by paper towns. Whenever Quentin and Margo were little, they found a dead man in a pseudo vision, so now Quentin thinks Margo is covering up in one, and abandoning him pieces of information while in the motion picture, Margo and Quentin do locate the dead man, however the scene and the ensuing examination Margo does into his demise, is more about how she considers, with no notice of pseudo dreams.
Throughout the novel The Turn of the Screw, through careful word choice and plot structure, Henry James has readers wondering whether the ghosts alluded to in the story are actually present in the house or whether they are a creation of the governesses’ overactive imagination. Throughout the book, James conveys a certain level of ambiguity that keeps readers intrigued, long after they finish reading. In the 1961 film version of the book entitled The Innocence, director Jack Clayton works to convey the same amount of obscurity in a 100 minute film that James projected within his novella. Because of the cinematic effects used throughout the movie, Clayton more effectively portrays the ambiguity of the ghosts’ presence in comparison to James’ novel. In only one scene during the entire movie, Clayton depicts this sense of obscurity when Ms. Giddens, the governess of the family, is playing with Miles and Flora, the two children she looks after.
Within The Scarlet Pimpernel, disguise is a prominent theme. Whether literally, such as dressing oneself as a ugly old hag, or the concealment of emotions , disguise is heavily seen throughout the novel. Not only does Sir Percy Blakeney disguise himself in a variety of ways, his wife does as well.From the very beginning of the story to the end, disguise is key. The reader's first introduction to the Pimpernel is of him under the disguise of an old hag. “ ‘Sacre tonnerre,’ said the captain, ‘but is it feared that it was that accursed Englishman himself---the Scarlet Pimpernel’”(pg 15, Orczy).
They are two chief factors that make her an unreliable narrator; as such, readers must then question her every claim. And so begs the question: are the ghosts real? A deeper read into the governess’ situation—especially her separation from her family and employer, as well as her entrapment in a claustrophobic country home—answers that they are not. Instead, the aforementioned factors cause the governess to turn inward, to over-rely on her senses of power and pride. The apparitions, therefore, are a result of such overreliance.
The Turn of the Screw’s ending is considered ambiguous, in addition to being so abrupt and fast due to its syntax and punctuation. Miles addresses either the governess or Peter Quint, but his dialogue isn’t distinctly directed, the interpretations of the end are greatly changed based on his one line. The governess is shielding Miles from the ghost, and she decides that she can make Miles confess his knowledge of the apparition, “I was so determined to have all my proof that I flashed into ice to challenge him. “Whom do you mean by ‘he’?” “Peter Quint—you devil!” His face gave again, round the room, its convulsed supplication.
Despite his optimism, "custom and expectedness" profound established in his brain keeps him from tolerating Tess simply the way she is. He says he has "been cherishing" Tess, however he has never adored her as she seems to be. Later in the story Blessed messenger emigrates to Brazil to learn agribusiness and constructs his organization. Nonetheless, he gets himself cheated, experiences an infection, and has his organization and colleagues murdered in an awful and odd condition. At the point when Blessed messenger exhaustedly returns to Tess after she again progresses toward becoming Alecʼs courtesan, Tess still loves him.