The Turn of the Screw by Henry James - Essay Example

of the Teacher English of the Concerned 2 December The Turn of the Screw- The Intermingling of the Believable and the Deceptive There is no denying the fact that The Turn of the Screw written by Henry James happens to be both an enervating as well as a deeply engrossing ghost novella. Actually published in 1898, this immaculate work of ghost fiction still does enjoy much interest and following. The Turn of the Screw does tend to differ from other works affiliated to the same genre in the sense that it is open to varied and diverse interpretations and conclusions. It does not happen to be a ghost story that wrenches the readers’ interest by the inclusion of gross elements like blood curdling episodes and enervating shrieks and action on the part of the ghosts and apparitions. Rather the horror style of Henry James does differ from the other fiction writers in the sense that it happens to be sophisticated and subtle that inculcates the element of horror in the narrative with much finesse and craftsmanship, thereby allowing the readers to exercise their imagination while perusing a work of fiction that is disturbingly open and inconclusive in terms of climax. In The Turn of the Screw Henry James resorts to a combination of the usual elements of a ghost narrative and his unique ability to engage the imagination of the reader through subtle suggestions, to present his peculiar brand of horror. Even while attempting a cursory perusal of the text, the readers simply cannot help noticing the astute way in which Henry James subscribes to a range of narrative devices to facilitate a disturbing as well as fabulous rendition of the psychic elements within the story. As per Jeffery Williams, “The frame of the Turn of the Screw figures a different scene, the conditions not as fatally serious, but nonetheless as urgent, coding the story primarily in terms of entertainment and an overwhelming curiosity (Williams 112).” It goes without saying that the events and actions within the narrative are so arranged to cull out the desired emotive response on the part of the readers, without leaving any scope for the superfluous and the gross. For instance the governess’ narrative begins with the observation that, “I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops, a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong (James 12).” These lines bring in an element of expectation within the narrative without resorting to abject horror and intimidation on the part of the writer. Such astute comments on the part of the governess and other characters do command a weight in the sense that they present the way characters react and act, in the meantime bringing forth their moral and dispositional traits. As it gets very evident from the given line, the element of horror is introduced slowly but steadily in the narrative to titillate the senses of the readers, without resorting to any abject presentation of the blood curdling horror. The writers presents the governess’ first encounter with the absurd as, “That was exactly present to me- by which I mean the face was- when, on the first of these occasions, at the end of a long June day, I stopped short on emerging from one of the plantations and coming into view of the house (James 26).” With the direct encounter of the governess with the imminent horror as expressed in this line, the plot in the novella gets dense to arouse the expectations of the readers as to the future course of action within the story and the eventual turn that the narrative will take. The way the characters in the story are presented, as in the case of Flora, “She expressed in her little way an extraordinary detachment from the disagreeable duties, looking to me, however, with a great childish light that seemed to offer it as a mere result of the affection she has conceived for my person... (James 20)”, make the readers readily strike a bond with the characters and they simply cannot help being concerned about as to what will eventually happen to them. This line aptly conveys that the syntax resorted to by Henry James is not only complex and invigorating, but rather it pushes the unsuspecting readers to eke out the exact meaning of any word so as to arrive at a solid and sure conclusion. The tone resorted to by the writer while unravelling the governess’ manuscript at no time appears to be lacking in veracity and truthfulness, while keeping the plot tout and solidly retaining the fictional framework of the narrative. The assertions of doubt evinced by the governess as, “Was there a “secret” at Bly- a mystery of Udolpho or an insane, an unmentionable relative kept in unsuspected confinement (James 30)”, do keep the readers on their toes, immersed in an environment of suspense and spookiness, irrespective of the fact that the narrator expects them to believe that they are witness to a real life ghost story being read from a real manuscript. This assertion of doubt expressed by the governess in the given line clearly shows that the tone within the story is so exploited that it makes the readers believe that they are experiencing a real and factual scenario, while tactically diluting the fact that the readers are actually being subjected to a plausibly biased view point of the governess as she says, “We lived in a cloud of music and affection and success and private theatricals (James 63).” This ambivalent attitude of the governess expressed in this line amply conveys that the unique treatment of the characters in the story serves a twin purpose. On the one side the writer manages to create a narrative person that stands to be factual and honest, while at the same time allowing him to play with the sense of disbelief and doubt of the audience by imbuing the character of the governess with much lack of trust and veracity. It would not be wrong to say that the mansion at Bly happens to be a pivotal setting in the narrative, “The place, with its grey sky and withered garlands, its bared spaces and scattered dead leaves, was like a theatre after the performance- all strewn with crumpled playbills (James 87)”, as the writer would simply not have been able to wrung out the desired impact without bringing in this apt setting amidst which the ploy unravels itself. Much of the action in The Turn of the Screw takes place in the grounds of Bly, which is an awe-inspiring private estate located in Essex. Bly is imbued in the mindset of the governess as an ever present and looming setting, as she notes, “I got up and looked a moment, through the twilight, at the grey pool and its blank, haunted edge, and then I took, back to the house, my dreary and difficult course (James 123).” These words clearly convey that Bly is not merely a sterile and lifeless edifice, but rather it very much happens to be a part of the overall psychological framework of the entire plot. It is the cut off and remote situation of the mansion at Bly that aggravates and enervates the governess’ mindset as she asserts, “It was all the romance of the nursery and the poetry of the schoolroom (James 26).” It is the secluded and remote location of Bly that plays on the mindset of the governance and allows the element of horror takeover her sensibilities. The other thing that reader could not help noticing is the recurrent exploitation of symbols and symbolic imagery in the story, as Hoffman says, “Depth or expansion is achieved by the use of symbolism, and it is this method which lifts the story above the level of an elaborate anecdote (Hoffman 99).” The recurrent usage of the light imagery in the novel as the governess says, “as the light faded- or rather, I should say, the day lingered and the last calls of the last birds sounded, in a flushed sky, from the old tress- I could take a turn into the grounds and enjoy, almost with a sense of property that amused and flattered me (James 26)”, is indicative of the pristine innocence of the children that is abjectly vulnerable to corruption and influence. However, as the governess gets convinced of the corruption of children, the earlier association of the light as in the above lines with something pure and soothing readily degenerates to something bleak and dreary. The symbolic presentation of the two children as the custodians of innocence that are so vulnerable to corruption juxtaposed against the saviour like image of the governess simply accentuates the element of the ambiguity and the unbelievable in the plot. It is indeed true to say that the craftsmanship of Henry James in The Turn of the Screw lies in mixing both the believable and the deceptive to give way to a fictional space that is open to all conjectures and surmises. It is this technique of presenting the believable in the backdrop of what is doubtful and imaginary that imbues the ghost element in the narrative with much of its strength and credibility. Thereby, The Turn of the Screw happens to be a predominantly psychological ghost story, where the varied elements of the narrative art tend to give way to a haunted space that is as much a psychological creation as an outcome of the paranormal events taking place in the plot. This peculiar narrative technique allows Henry James to strike a chord with the dark recesses of the human psyche. Works Cited Hoffman, Charles G. The Short Novels of Henry James. New York: Bookman Associates, 1987. Print. James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw. New York: The Modern Library, 1991. Print. Williams, Jeffery. Theory and the Novel. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Print. Read More