The Theme Of Insanity In Henry James The Turn Of The Screw

Henry James, the author of “The Turn of the Screw”, never meant for the short story to be more than a regular ghost story. In fact, he himself often called it a mere fairy tale. Nevertheless, the short story has become a the source of literary debate that centers around this question: are the ghosts the governess sees real ghosts, or are they simply a part of her wild imagination? There is evidence to go along either side, but it is apparent that most evidence leads to the fact that the governess is indeed insane. The governess should be considered insane because she herself hints at the possibility of her madness, and she is the only one that plainly admits to seeing the ghosts. There is evidence in the novel that perhaps the governess is simply seeing things as a figment of her imagination, and she herself considers the possibility of her insanity. She says that if the ghost sightings continued for any longer, her sanity could “have turned to something like madness” (James). This is important to note because she says this after the first of the ghost sightings, and little does she know that there will be more to come. Thus, after she has more occurrences
with the ghosts, her sanity gradually deteriorates into a sense of madness, like she has predicted herself. However, after the first couple sightings, several weeks go by with no more ghostly encounters. It would make sense to say that fewer ghost sightings would have calmed her down, but it does not. She would continuously think about it and how it influences the people around her, such as the children. The governess can be viewed as insane because she recognized early on that these ghostly events might lead to her madness, and it did. Another reason that the governess can be considered insane is the fact that she is the only character that has ever plainly stated to have seen the ghosts.
At one point in the story, the governess thinks that she will be vindicated when the ghost of Miss Jessel appears to her and Mrs. Grose. The governess feels a “thrill of joy at having brought on a proof” because she assumes that Mrs. Grose can see the ghost, when in fact, she cannot (James). This is a huge hint that the governess is simply insane because she is the only one who actually sees the ghosts, and she is happy that the ghost appeared among both the governess and Mrs. Grose. In fact, this incident does manage to make Mrs. Grose feel frightened. Since the governess is the only character who can actually see the ghosts, she must be considered
insane.