Article #209-1 | Gutenberg Articles

Excerpt

Excerpt from The Turn of the Screw, by Henry James

I had no drop again till the next day, for I was carried triumphantly
through the following hours by my introduction to the younger of my
pupils. The little girl who accompanied Mrs. Grose appeared to me on
the spot a creature so charming as to make it a great fortune to have
to do with her. She was the most beautiful child I had ever seen, and I
afterward wondered that my employer had not told me more of her. I
slept little that night—I was too much excited; and this astonished me
too, I recollect, remained with me, adding to my sense of the
liberality with which I was treated. The large, impressive room, one of
the best in the house, the great state bed, as I almost felt it, the
full, figured draperies, the long glasses in which, for the first time,
I could see myself from head to foot, all struck me—like the
extraordinary charm of my small charge—as so many things thrown in. It
was thrown in as well, from the first moment, that I should get on with
Mrs. Grose in a relation over which, on my way, in the coach, I fear I
had rather brooded. The only thing indeed that in this early outlook
might have made me shrink again was the clear circumstance of her being
so glad to see me. I perceived within half an hour that she was so
glad—stout, simple, plain, clean, wholesome woman—as to be positively
on her guard against showing it too much. I wondered even then a little
why she should wish not to show it, and that, with reflection, with
suspicion, might of course have made me uneasy.

But it was a comfort that there could be no uneasiness in a connection
with anything so beatific as the radiant image of my little girl, the
vision of whose angelic beauty had probably more than anything else to
do with the restlessness that, before morning, made me several times
rise and wander about my room to take in the whole picture and
prospect; to watch, from my open window, the faint summer dawn, to look
at such portions of the rest of the house as I could catch, and to
listen, while, in the fading dusk, the first birds began to twitter,
for the possible recurrence of a sound or two, less natural and not
without, but within, that I had fancied I heard. There had been a
moment when I believed I recognized, faint and far, the cry of a child;
there had been another when I found myself just consciously starting as
at the passage, before my door, of a light footstep. But these fancies
were not marked enough not to be thrown off, and it is only in the
light, or the gloom, I should rather say, of other and subsequent
matters that they now come back to me. To watch, teach, “form” little
Flora would too evidently be the making of a happy and useful life. It
had been agreed between us downstairs that after this first occasion I
should have her as a matter of course at night, her small white bed
being already arranged, to that end, in my room. What I had undertaken
was the whole care of her, and she had remained, just this last time,
with Mrs. Grose only as an effect of our consideration for my
inevitable strangeness and her natural timidity. In spite of this
timidity—which the child herself, in the oddest way in the world, had
been perfectly frank and brave about, allowing it, without a sign of
uncomfortable consciousness, with the deep, sweet serenity indeed of
one of Raphael’s holy infants, to be discussed, to be imputed to her,
and to determine us—I feel quite sure she would presently like me. It
was part of what I already liked Mrs. Grose herself for, the pleasure I
could see her feel in my admiration and wonder as I sat at supper with
four tall candles and with my pupil, in a high chair and a bib,
brightly facing me, between them, over bread and milk. There were
naturally things that in Flora’s presence could pass between us only as
prodigious and gratified looks, obscure and roundabout allusions.

“And the little boy—does he look like her? Is he too so very
remarkable?”

Explanation

**Detailed Explanation of the Excerpt from The Turn of the Screw by Henry James**

Henry James’ The Turn of the Screw (1898) is a novella often categorized as a ghost story, a psychological thriller, or a study in ambiguity. The narrative follows an unnamed governess who is hired to care for two orphaned children, Flora and Miles, at a remote estate called Bly. The governess soon becomes convinced that the children are being haunted—or corrupted—by the malevolent spirits of two former servants, Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. The novella is framed as a first-person account, leaving readers to question whether the governess is perceiving real supernatural events or descending into paranoia.

This excerpt comes early in the story, shortly after the governess arrives at Bly and meets Flora for the first time. The passage is rich in psychological tension, foreshadowing, and ambiguous imagery, setting the stage for the uncanny events that follow.

Key Themes in the Excerpt

Innocence vs. Corruption
- The governess describes Flora in almost divine terms—"angelic beauty," "radiant," "one of Raphael’s holy infants"—suggesting purity and innocence. However, this exaggerated idealization foreshadows the later question: Is Flora truly innocent, or is the governess projecting her own desires onto the child?
- The contrast between Flora’s apparent perfection and the governess’s growing unease (her sleeplessness, her suspicion of Mrs. Grose, the faint sounds she imagines) introduces the central tension of the story: the possibility that evil lurks beneath surfaces of beauty.
Isolation and Paranoia
- The governess is alone in a grand but eerie house, a setting that amplifies her psychological state. Her excitement ("I slept little that night—I was too much excited") borders on mania, and her hyper-awareness of her surroundings (the "faint summer dawn," the "first birds," the imagined "cry of a child") suggests a mind already primed for suspicion.
- Her observation that Mrs. Grose is "on her guard against showing" too much happiness implies a hidden tension—why would the housekeeper need to restrain her joy? This plants the first seeds of distrust between the two women.
Class and Power Dynamics
- The governess is acutely aware of her social position. She notes the "liberality" of her treatment—the fine room, the "great state bed," the mirrors in which she can see herself "from head to foot"—as if she is being given privileges beyond her station. This could reflect her insecurity or her suspicion that something is expected of her in return.
- Her relationship with Mrs. Grose is carefully negotiated. The housekeeper’s deference ("prodigious and gratified looks, obscure and roundabout allusions") suggests a power dynamic where the governess, though technically in charge, is still probing for control.
The Supernatural vs. the Psychological
- The governess’s mention of "a sound or two, less natural and not without, but within" is the first hint of the supernatural. The ambiguity—was it real, or did she imagine it?—is central to the novella’s horror.
- Her later question about Miles ("And the little boy—does he look like her? Is he too so very remarkable?") is loaded with foreboding. The answer (which we later learn is that Miles is not like Flora) will deepen the mystery.

Literary Devices and Stylistic Choices

Unreliable Narration
- The governess’s perspective is subjective and possibly delusional. Her excessive praise of Flora ("the most beautiful child I had ever seen") feels exaggerated, making the reader question her judgment.
- Her sleeplessness and hypervigilance ("I rose and wandered about my room") suggest an unstable mental state, which James uses to blur the line between reality and hallucination.
Foreshadowing
- The "faint and far" cry of a child and the "light footstep" outside her door prefigure the ghostly appearances of Quint and Miss Jessel.
- The governess’s suspicion of Mrs. Grose’s restrained happiness hints at the later revelations about the housekeeper’s knowledge of the estate’s dark history.
Imagery and Symbolism
- Light and Darkness: The "fading dusk" and "faint summer dawn" create a liminal, uncertain atmosphere, mirroring the governess’s psychological state. The "four tall candles" at supper contrast with the "gloom" of her later reflections, symbolizing the tension between clarity and obscurity.
- Mirrors and Reflections: The "long glasses" in which she sees herself "from head to foot" may symbolize self-scrutiny or the doubling of identity—a theme that recurs when the governess later sees the ghost of Miss Jessel as a dark reflection of herself.
- Flora as an Angelic Figure: The comparison to "Raphael’s holy infants" is ironic, as Flora’s apparent innocence will be called into question. The religious imagery also ties into the novella’s themes of moral corruption and the loss of Edenic purity.
Ambiguity and Subtext
- The governess’s question about Miles—"Is he too so very remarkable?"—is deceptively casual. The word "remarkable" could mean extraordinarily beautiful or disturbingly strange, foreshadowing Miles’s later expulsion from school for unspecified "evil" behavior.
- The "obscure and roundabout allusions" between the governess and Mrs. Grose suggest that there are secrets being kept, reinforcing the novella’s atmosphere of concealment.
Diction and Tone
- James’s prose is dense and intricate, with long, winding sentences that mimic the governess’s obsessive thought processes. Words like "beatific," "liberality," and "serenity" contrast with the underlying unease, creating a tone of uncanny beauty—something too perfect to be trusted.
- The shift from excitement ("a great fortune to have to do with her") to paranoia ("a sound or two... not without, but within") mirrors the governess’s descending spiral.

Significance of the Passage

This excerpt is crucial because it establishes the governess’s psychological framework before the supernatural elements fully emerge. Key points include:

The Governess’s Idealization of Flora
- Her extreme admiration for Flora sets up the later conflict: if Flora is so perfect, how could she be corrupted? The governess’s inability to reconcile Flora’s innocence with the possibility of evil drives much of the story’s tension.
The First Hints of the Supernatural
- The "cry of a child" and the "light footstep" are the first suggestions that Bly is not as peaceful as it seems. These moments plant doubt: is the governess perceiving real ghosts, or is her mind fabricating threats?
The Governess’s Isolation and Authority
- Her newfound responsibility for Flora ("the whole care of her") gives her power, but also isolates her. The more she invests in her role as protector, the more she risks losing perspective.
The Introduction of Miles as a Mystery
- The governess’s question about Miles is the first mention of the boy, whose absence (he is not yet at Bly) and later behavior will become central to the horror. The fact that he is not like Flora suggests he is already marked as different—perhaps corrupted.
The Governess’s Suspicion of Mrs. Grose
- The housekeeper’s restrained joy implies she knows more than she lets on. This sets up the dynamic where the governess must decide whether to trust Mrs. Grose or see her as part of the conspiracy.

Conclusion: Why This Passage Matters

This excerpt is a masterclass in psychological suspense. James does not rely on overt horror; instead, he builds dread through the governess’s perceptions—her excitement, her sleeplessness, her creeping suspicions. The passage establishes:

The uncanny beauty of Bly and its inhabitants, which feels too perfect to be real.
The governess’s unreliable perspective, making the reader question what is truly happening.
The themes of corruption and secrecy, which will drive the plot forward.
The ambiguity that defines the novella: Are the ghosts real, or is the governess projecting her fears onto the children?

The real horror of The Turn of the Screw lies not in the ghosts themselves, but in the governess’s mind—and by extension, in the reader’s uncertainty about what to believe. This passage is where that uncertainty begins.

Questions

Question 1

The governess’s description of Flora as “one of Raphael’s holy infants” serves primarily to:

A. establish Flora’s literal religious devotion as a counterpoint to the secular corruption of Bly.
B. underscore the governess’s artistic sensibility and her ability to perceive divine beauty in the mundane.
C. foreshadow Flora’s eventual role as a martyr figure who will sacrifice herself to purge the estate of evil.
D. highlight the governess’s naivety in assuming that childlike innocence is incompatible with moral ambiguity.
E. create an ironic contrast between the governess’s idealization of Flora and the latent unease beneath the child’s apparent perfection.

Question 2

The governess’s observation that Mrs. Grose is “on her guard against showing” too much happiness most strongly implies that:

A. Mrs. Grose resents the governess’s authority and is suppressing her true feelings of professional rivalry.
B. the housekeeper is concealing her knowledge of prior misconduct at Bly, fearing the governess’s judgment.
C. Mrs. Grose’s restrained demeanor reflects an unspoken awareness that the governess’s excitement is premature or misplaced.
D. the governess is projecting her own anxieties onto Mrs. Grose, misinterpreting ordinary reserve as suspicious behavior.
E. the housekeeper’s happiness is performative, masking a deeper indifference to the children’s well-being.

Question 3

The passage’s repeated emphasis on the governess’s sleeplessness and her nocturnal wanderings functions most significantly to:

A. illustrate the physical demands of her new role, contrasting her exhaustion with Flora’s serene energy.
B. suggest that the governess’s perceptions are heightened by fatigue, rendering her an unreliable observer of events.
C. symbolize the governess’s subconscious resistance to her employer’s expectations, manifesting as restlessness.
D. foreshadow the supernatural intrusions that will later disrupt the household’s routine during nighttime hours.
E. expose the governess’s burgeoning obsession with control, as her insomnia mirrors her inability to “rest” in her assumptions about Bly.

Question 4

The governess’s question—“And the little boy—does he look like her? Is he too so very remarkable?”—is most effectively interpreted as:

A. a genuine inquiry into Miles’s physical resemblance to Flora, reflecting her desire to categorize the children neatly.
B. an attempt to elicit Mrs. Grose’s complicity in concealing Miles’s troubled past, using innocuous language as a probe.
C. a moment of dramatic irony, where the governess’s casual tone contrasts with the reader’s foreknowledge of Miles’s corruption.
D. an expression of the governess’s anxiety about her ability to manage two children, given Flora’s already overwhelming perfection.
E. a rhetorical device to assert her dominance over Mrs. Grose, framing the question as a test of the housekeeper’s loyalty.

Question 5

The “liberality” of the governess’s treatment at Bly—her fine room, the “great state bed,” the mirrors—is most plausibly intended by the employer to:

A. compensate for the governess’s lower social standing, ensuring her compliance through material comforts.
B. distract her from the estate’s darker history by overwhelming her with superficial luxuries.
C. reflect the employer’s genuine generosity, which the governess misinterprets as a veiled expectation of silence.
D. emphasize the governess’s isolation, as the opulence of her quarters separates her from the rest of the household.
E. instill a sense of indebtedness that will later make her more susceptible to psychological manipulation or self-doubt.

Solutions and Explanations

1) Correct answer: E

Why E is most correct: The governess’s comparison of Flora to a "holy infant" is steeped in irony, as the passage’s undercurrent of unease (her sleeplessness, the "faint and far" cry of a child, her suspicion of Mrs. Grose) undermines the child’s apparent perfection. This contrast between idealization and latent dread is central to the novella’s ambiguity, where beauty and corruption are intertwined. The other options either misread the religious imagery as literal (A), overstate the governess’s artistic perception (B), or impose a narrative arc not yet evident (C). Option D is plausible but less textually grounded than E, as the governess’s naivety is not the primary function of the comparison.