Comparing The Governess In Henry James's The Turn Of The Screw

Cleaning, cooking, and taking care of children are simple tasks for women in the current era, however, for women in the 1800’s, it was too much to handle. Since these women were believed to be incompetent, it was expected of them to master only one household chore and hire servants for the rest. Since their incompetence prohibited them from managing the pressure of responsibilities, women were not usually allowed in powerful positions. In The Turn of the Screw, the governess, a young and inexperienced woman, assumes the responsibility of two children and of an entire estate. All of these accountabilities result in the mental instability of the governess. In Henry James’s novella, he demonstrates the inability of females to be in a powerful
Although this specific situation is unknown to the reader, the governess feels, “the impulse to add, ‘I’m rather easily carried away. I was carried away in London!’” (James 8). Considering that the governess’s exchanges in London most likely required less responsibility, yet, since she is a female and still got “easily carried away,” it is not possible that the governess will be able to handle her new responsibilities. Even though it is obvious that the governess is incapable of holding her position simultaneously with her mental stability because of her incompetence as a woman, James feels the necessity for the governess to voice this problem herself. Consequently, apart from the governess’s inexperience and young age, “it is her ‘state of mind’ that she, and thus we, are first of all concerned with” (Lydenberg 42). Before arriving at Bly, the governess’s mindset is already unbalanced, which she is aware of and decides to share with Mrs. Grose and the reader. Inevitably, this causes Mrs. Grose and the reader to be cautious of the governess’s future motives and actions. Additional pressures of the well-being of children and the running of an estate will only further the governess’s unstable mentality. Irrefutably, the governess’s new responsibilities wreak havoc on her mental capacity, which leads to hallucinatory
Grose and she feels the need to save Flora. In order to save Flora from the neurotic governess, Mrs. Grose tricks the governess into believing that, “‘it’s you who must go. You must take Flora.’” [Mrs. Grose] did speculate. ‘But where in the world–––?’ ‘Away from here. Away from them. Away, even most of all, now, from me. Straight to her uncle’” (James 74). In Mrs. Grose’s successful attempt to protect Flora, the governess suggests taking Flora to her uncle. The uncle is not only Flora’s last adult family remaining, but also a man who will be able to sustain any new responsibilities without becoming neurotic and putting the child’s life at stake. However, Mrs. Grose, “at least became suspicious enough, toward the end of the tale, to separate little Flora from the governess and save her life” (Cargill 241). Without Mrs. Grose there to separate the two, the governess could emotionally or physically harm Flora into admitting that she too sees the hallucinations. Instead, the young girl is sent off to live with her uncle who will take care of her, amongst other responsibilities, without a slight hindrance to his mental state. The governess could not accomplish this, simply because she is a woman, and now suffers hallucinations and paranoia that others see her delusions and lie about