In The Turn of the Screw Henry James writes a captivating story about a governess, housekeeper, brother, sister, and the two ghosts that haunt them. In the novella the governess joins the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, at Bly in order to help take care of the children, Flora and Miles, because their parents are deceased. The story is kept very ambiguous and left up to the reader to come to an assumption about the events that occur. It is told around a campfire by means of the governess’ own account of the events through her manuscript which were given to her friend before her passing. Soon after she arrived at Bly the governess begins to see the ghosts of the recently deceased employees and she believes the others can see them as well.
Before the 20th century the horror genre was not as famous, but started to become popular in the 20th century with what some people think, the help of Henry James. The horror in the book keeps the reader on the edge of their seat wondering what will happen next, which is why I liked it. Filled with this curiosity ambiguity is used so the reader has to make their own conclusion of the book. In The Turn of the Screw, Henry James uses ambiguity in his book so the reader can arrive at what they want to believe in but at the same time question what they think.
The Turn of the Screw: Insanity In The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James, a young governess begins seeing ghosts at the estate she is staying at, and she becomes suspicious of the seemingly perfect children she watches over. Many argue whether the governess is sane or insane - she is either a victim of real ghosts or a victim of her own mind. Merriam-Webster Dictionary states that the definition of insanity is “a deranged state of mind” and “unreasonableness”. The governess in The Turn of the Screw is clearly insane because she confuses fantasy from reality, she hallucinates, and she acts extremely irrationally. The governess is evidently insane because she confuses her fantasy from reality.
In Henry James’s The Turn of the Screw , the confidant plays a crucial role in the development of the book and several theories of what happens in the book. A confidant has a high sense of sensibility and the main character (In the case of this story, the governess), expresses their innermost and deepest thoughts to this person. The only person that could be the confidant in this case is Mrs. Grose, considering that she is the only person the governess really has to talk to at all.
Kylieann McFadden 11/1/17 Mrs. Kois Character Analysis Screwtape - A devil and the fictional author of The Screwtape Letters. Screwtape is an experienced tempter. He has been assigned, or perhaps , to give his nephew Wormwood advice about how to win the soul of an unnamed British man the Patient into Hell. Screwtape often refers to Wormwood, his nephew, with terms of endearment. By his own account, Screwtape has won many souls for Hell.
Having barely any previous knowledge about the role of a governess to a family, I assumed the only duty of a governess was to educate children. In other words, they were hired to homeschool children. I also believed that they had a set schedule on when to arrive and when to go home. It wasn’t until reading The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, that I became aware of the role governesses take on with children. In comparison, a governess in the late nineteenth century is similar to a nanny in our time; a caretaker who spends quality time with children.
The Bible says in James 2:19, “Thou believest there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.” Clive Staples Lewis, the author of The Screwtape Letters, “viewed human beings as being on the road of life progressing toward a state of heaven or hell” (Christensen 27). “Each moral choice [an individual makes] furthers [the individual] along the road and slowly changes [the individual] into a more heavenly of hellish creature” (qtd. in Christensen 27).
Skeptics have discovered much evidence to not believe in ghosts. “To the materialist and the professional skeptic - that is to say, people who do not wish to be disturbed in their belief that death is the end of life as we know it - the notion of ghosts is unacceptable. No matter how much evidence is presented for the reality of the phenomena, they will argue against it and ascribe it to any of several “natural” causes(Holzer VIII).” Skeptics use many different reasons to back up their arguments against the reality of ghosts, such as they saw a mirage, or a hallucination, or even that it is all a fake(Holzer IX). Skeptics can also retaliate the evidence gathered about electromagnetic fields being used by ghosts in their side of the argument
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, we’re introduced to the Small town of Salem, Massachusetts, 1692. The town is governed by a Theocracy which means god is the almighty ruler. After Betty, last living daughter of Reverend Parris, falls “ill” and panic breaks out as the Girls of Salem are to soon be accused of witchcraft. Once Tituba and Abigail “confess” that people in the town are witches the stage has now been set. Throughout The Crucible three categories of people show their lust for power over the theocracy that rules over Salem.
Despite their deeply religious values, the members of the Puritan Society in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible are equally as sinful as the rest of the world. The Puritans, known for turning to God when given any matter at hand, lay blame on the Devil, regardless of their contradictory values. By blaming on him for their wrongdoings, the Devil earns power through the Puritans restoring to involve him whenever any one thing goes wrong. Power is defined by one’s reputation, status, wealth, gender, and age; although the natural deciding factor of one’s power in the Puritan society is land, the Devil himself holds ultimate power. Despite the fact that he does not appear as a human figure, he controls the thoughts and actions of the Puritan society, serving as the ultimate threat.
In the book that handle is known as “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, goes into detail about what happened in the Salem WItch trials in the duration of 1692. Miller used the Red Scare as motivation to write the book. In the book Abigail and some of her friends are dancing in the woods, when Mr. Parris ( her uncle) catches them. At this point Betty, Mr. Parris daughter and Abigail’s cousin, faints.
The Yellow Wallpaper Main Character Mental Health Deterioration “Asylums. Electro-Shock Therapy. Skull drills. Pills. Exorcism.