What Are The Ghosts In Henry James The Turn Of The Screw
Argumentative Essay In Henry James’ novella, The Turn of the Screw, an ambiguous ghost story is told by a man named Douglas. The story was given to Douglas on a manuscript by the woman who wrote and lived it many years before. The governess and narrator of the ghost story was hired to work at a country home named Bly to care for two children. Everything is going well for the governess at her new job until she begins to see apparitions. Many argue that the governess has gone insane and hallucinates the ghosts, while others believe that the ghosts that appear to the governess are really there. Which is true?
While Henry James leaves readers with many unanswered questions that requires the audience to infer a lot a things, there is enough
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His ghost is first seen on the roof of Bly in the towers and secondly outside of the dining room window. The governess is clueless to who the mysterious man at Bly is. At first, she is sure the man was just a visitor or trespasser and even goes as far as to ask the staff about the man. After her second encounter, she finds comfort in Mrs. Grose, one of the other employees at Bly, by giving her an adequate description of the mysterious man she saw. Without thinking twice, Mrs. Grose knows exactly who the governess has described. When the governess witnesses the first appearance of the ghost of Miss Jessel, she goes to Mrs. Grose once again to consult with her about her experience. Although the governess makes the implication that the ghost is in fact Miss Jessel, Mrs. Grose agrees to the possibility that it could be the ghost of the former governess. The governess is reliable because she describes the ghosts of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel without having met them or seen them in any way. Another point to validate that the governess did witness apparitions is that she was not the only person at Bly aware of their presence. The children, Flora and Miles, give off the impression that they can see in the ghost many times throughout the book. During the scene where Miss Jessel first arrives, once the governess has spotted the ghost Flora begins to play and sing more aggressively as to distract
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