Essay On The Governess In The Turn Of The Screw

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The governess in the novella The Turn of the Screw by Henry James has a questionable character. She explicitly states that she sees apparitions of past Bly residents, making her an honest narrator; however, there are times when her rationality is uncertain. The governess is insane because the ghosts she sees stem from her hallucinations, her excessive anxiety drives her to madness, and the other residents cannot see the ghosts. The governess is insane because the apparitions are just figments of her imagination. More specifically, they are a result of her lust for companionship. According to PsychologyToday, hallucinations form as a result of unconscious wants or desires. Likewise, the unnamed narrator in the prologue notes that the employer seduces the governess, but she never sees her employer again. As a result of this, she begins to conjure up images of other people in her mind. These hallucinations begin when she takes a stroll outside and imagines someone flirtatiously smiling at her. It was not long, however, until she felt "the sense that [her] imagination… turned real” (James 15). When describing this man to Mrs. Grose, she refers to him as a remarkably handsome gentleman, indicating that she felt attracted to him. Mrs. Grose believes that the ghost is Peter Quint; however, neither the man nor the encounter is real because the governess later finds out the man is dead. Because she is unable to distinguish reality from her desire-driven fantasy, she is insane. This is not the only encounter …show more content…

The ghosts she sees are a part of her imagination, and they get into her head, causing her to go mad. Neither Mrs. Grose, Flora, nor Miles can see the ghosts. Although Mrs. Grose testifies her story, the reader cannot trust her corroboration because she is an unreliable character. Her subtle lunacy at the beginning explodes into pure insanity after having imaginary encounters with

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