After reading The Turn of the Screw, it can be hard to decide what to make of the book and how to take it. Many interpretations have been offered and the two most polar opposites belong to Harold C. Goddard’s “A Pre-Freudian Reading of The Turn of the Screw” and Robert B. Heilman’s “The Freudian Reading of The Turn of the Screw.” The two disagree mainly on how the Governess perceives the ghost and rather they are more a figment of her imagination or an actual real entity touched by more than just the Governess(comma) and each use textual evidence and common scientific knowledge of the day to prove their point. When reading the text on close analysis and James own feelings on the story it becomes clear that this is not a case of mental break
…show more content…
In regards to the feelings of the Governess for the Uncle, Heilman believed that this was simply added in to give reason to why she works so hard to keep the manner running smoothly and the children properly attended to. In reply to other characters not being able to see the ghosts he points to the fact that Mrs. Grose (whose name itself implies no sense of imagination and base simplicity) is too simple minded to understand the ghosts. However, even she comes around into believing in the ghosts after hearing what Flora says and the words she uses (James, 74). How would the girl learn these words if Miss Jessel was a simply a figment of the governess’ imagination? In regards to the children he refers to the book and James’ preface by which he mentions, “James says that he wants to evoke a sense of evil: one of his basic ways of doing it is the suggestion, by means of the symbolic refusal to acknowledge the ghosts, of a sinisterly mature concealment of evil,” (Heilman, 180). Heilman wholly believes in the existence of these ghosts and their nature with children as a key component for story to work on a level that expresses moral …show more content…
At the climax and the confrontation between Miles and the governess, it is he and not she that first asks if, “It’s he,” (James, 84). Again it is Miles and not the governess that follows this up by finally expelling the name of the demon that the governess had tried so hard to make Miles admit to when Miles yells, “Peter Quint – you devil,” (James, 84). If Miles never saw or had contact with Peter Quint how would he know his significance to the governess? He must have had prior dealings with Quint that had him fearful. Her following dialogue is her effort to expel the demon’s hold over the boy and when Miles finally expels the demon he lets out an unhuman cry and then dies. The significance of the cry helps to point that this was not a hallucination but a true demon that made a noise the boy could not have
In regards to the feelings of the Governess for the Uncle, Heilman believed that this was simply added in to give reason to why she works so hard to keep the manner running smoothly and the children properly attended to. In reply to other characters not being able to see the ghosts he points to the fact that Mrs. Grose (whose name itself implies no sense of imagination and base simplicity) is too simple minded to understand the ghosts. However, even she comes around into believing in the ghosts after hearing what Flora says and the words she uses (James, 74). How would the girl learn these words if Miss Jessel was a simply a figment of the governess’ imagination? In regards to the children he refers to the book and James’ preface by which he mentions, “James says that he wants to evoke a sense of evil: one of his basic ways of doing it is the suggestion, by means of the symbolic refusal to acknowledge the ghosts, of a sinisterly mature concealment of evil,” (Heilman, 180). Heilman wholly believes in the existence of these ghosts and their nature with children as a key component for story to work on a level that expresses moral …show more content…
At the climax and the confrontation between Miles and the governess, it is he and not she that first asks if, “It’s he,” (James, 84). Again it is Miles and not the governess that follows this up by finally expelling the name of the demon that the governess had tried so hard to make Miles admit to when Miles yells, “Peter Quint – you devil,” (James, 84). If Miles never saw or had contact with Peter Quint how would he know his significance to the governess? He must have had prior dealings with Quint that had him fearful. Her following dialogue is her effort to expel the demon’s hold over the boy and when Miles finally expels the demon he lets out an unhuman cry and then dies. The significance of the cry helps to point that this was not a hallucination but a true demon that made a noise the boy could not have