Turn of the Screw

A detailed Summary of Turn of the Screw


It is only after reading past the first thirty pages of Henry James' The Turn of the Screw that the plot begins to thicken. Perusing through the first chapters, it is easy to make the assumption that all is well on the quaint England grounds where the novel is set. Even after the first apparition, where the deceased butler of the estate appears, one can lean toward forgiving and forgetting the evil causing the trouble. However a turning point appears as the story progresses, in a passage depicting the second apparition.

Up until this point in the story, the characters' have gone about their daily rituals with an air of nonchalance. The unspeakable sudden death of the first governess hangs heavily in the air, but it is never discussed in the open. Much is implied in the conversations between the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose, and the narrator, but an admittance of the presence of evil does not occur. It is only when the whispered tales of the first governess' untimely death prove true that we are given the element of fear in a story that contains so much fantasy. When on a walk with the smaller of her pupils, the appearance of the second apparition forces our narrator to come to terms with the reality of h


literary value. A first element to touch on are the actual words used in the paragraph. The repetition of the word "waited" leads to a feeling of apprehension and suspense. Sentences containing phrases like "within a minute", "after some seconds" and "small clock ...should have ticked out the right second" all depict how James used the method of time delay in drawing out the entire process. It may very well have taken ten seconds for the Governess to see the body and look at Flora playing, but through a series of words, the sequence stretches to an undefined length of time. Time is important in this paragraph, because it is a turning point in the story. James helps a reader to identify this by spacing it out and causing it to be viewed in a type of slow motion.

This passage also demonstrates both the innocence and ignorance of Flora and the protective nature of the Governess. Their reaction to evil reveals a good amount about their character. Flora had "turned her back to the water", proving her unaware to what was occurring behind her. She didn't utter an "innocent sigh either of interest or alarm" and continues to play unscathed. The Governess does react to the apparition, in a way that can be related to the maternal instinct of any woman. Her first thoughts are "straight toward little Flora". It is she that possessed the fear of the evil corrupting the child, as her "hear

Some common words found in the essay are:
James' Screw, Frehdmen's Diagram, , significant passage, passage increasing, mast justifying, death governess,

Approximate Word count = 934
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

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