Narration in The Turn of the Screw Essay - 1606 Words

Narration in The Turn of the Screw Henry James makes the governess the narrator because she keeps the readers’ interest by also being involved in the story as a main character. However, being involved on this personal level, it can make the governess exaggerate at times and be over-emotional. Her determined and curious nature makes her an ideal candidate to explore the mysterious happenings, however her imagination keeps the reader in suspense, as we are never sure how much she has exaggerated the story. This also adds tension as the full picture is never revealed. This choice of narrator is therefore challenged by Susan Hill’s description that a narrator should be ‘unimaginative and straightforward’ as the governess’†¦show more content†¦James makes us think that there is something unusual about this, because the governess is imagining the master appearing like that to tell her she’s doing a good job, so her imagination becomes reality. However, it soon becomes clear that this was not the person she was imagining appearing, as he is not wearing a hat, something no gentleman would be without in Victorian times. Also it is dusk when he appears, and all of the birds stop singing and the scene is described as ‘stricken with death’ all of which create a suitable atmosphere for a spectre to appear in. The governess’s reaction to the sighting is to stand transfixed on the spot, as she cannot believe that her imagination may have become reality. She is scared, as it says she ‘stood stricken to the spot.’ However, she cannot take her eyes away from him, possibly because she doesn’t know whether he is real or a figment of her imagination. Also the fact that they are unchaperoned, and that Peter Quint is not wearing a hat, seems to shock her most of all, as she says ‘An unknown man in a lonely place is a permitted object of fear to a young woman privately bred.’, meaning that because they are alone together, and he is wearing no hat; a sign of familiarity, she has a good right to be scared. Henry James includes two ghosts, to increase suspense and tension, because of their relationship, suggesting that because they were colleagues, they may be plotting to do somethingShow MoreRelatedThe Governess in The Turn of the Screw Essay1110 Words   |  5 PagesOne of the most critically discussed works in twentieth-century American literature, The Turn of the Screw has inspired a variety of critical interpretations since its publication in 1898. Until 1934, the book was cons idered a traditional ghost story. 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