Supernatural and Psychology in Turn Of The Screw

A detailed Summary of Supernatural and Psychology in Turn Of The Screw

The notion of psychology and the supernatural is related in The Turn of the Screw.

Psychology here refers to the governess's unconscious state of mind in the novel. The supernatural here refers to the apparitions of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel. Throughout the novel, only the governess and no other characters can see them. The ambiguity of Henry James creates the question of whether the supernatural is real, or are they psychological manifestations of the governess. After examining the novel, there are many signs that the "ghosts" are a manifestation of the governess's emotional instability and anxiety.

There are many instances where the governess shows signs of instability in her emotions. After all, she comes from simple, cloistered background, "the youngest of several daughters of a poor country parson". And at such a young age of twenty, it is a formidable task to be given so much responsibility of taking charge of the entire household to the "fluttered anxious girl out of a Hampshire vicarage". With such overwhelming responsibilities, her emotional instability is seen when she first came to Bly. She remembers it through "flights and drops, a little see-saw of the right throbs and the wrong". She also shows her awe at the gr

In the Victorian days, governesses belong to a class that is neither here nor there, giving rise to a lot of anxiety in them. They are supposed to be a lady, but yet they are not of the same position because they are of employment. As Millicent Bell noted:

and surrounding, showing great pride and anxiety in her new position. As Douglas puts it: "she was young, untried, nervous".

The governess's psychological state is not very stable. She lusts after the Master as she is a young girl "easily carried away" by the charms of the Master, and due to the fact that the only fact she can please him is not to bother him, she cannot fulfil her desire for him. The result is the manifestation of the supernatural apparitions in the form of Quint and Miss Jessel, which represents what the governess wants but denies due to the restrictions of the society at that time. Thus the supernatural is not real, but just a creation of the psychological mind of the governess.

Ned Lukacher "'Hanging Fire': The Primal Scene of The Turn of the Screw"

For the governess, Quint is actually the Master's double, dressed in his clothes and, accustomed to take the Master's privileges, "free" with those in his power, especially young women like the governess and her predecessor. He is the creation of the combination of the governess's unconscious confusion between her desire for the Master and her desire to please him in the way he wanted it, that is to not to see him. She desires after the Master, but cannot have him. The confession of Mrs Grose that Quint is dead causes further anxiety to her confusion. Thus Quint becomes the representation of what the Master is not. A dark, menacing creature who seduces, and possibly ruined Miss Jessel.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 1580
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels