Theme Of Ambiguity In The Turn Of The Screw

The True Villian On the surface, Henry James’, “Turn of the Screw” has all of the qualities of an innocent old-fashioned ghost story, but underneath there is much more. The use of ambiguity appears frequently throughout the novel and the reader is left to decide a lot on their own; Are the ghosts real? Who can actually see the ghosts? Which characters can the reader really rely on? These questions can be answered in a variety of different ways, but who is to say which answer is the correct one? The biggest case of ambiguity appears at the very end of the ghost story with the death of Miles. With the stroke of the loss I was so proud of he uttered the cry of a creature hurled over an abyss, and the grasp with with I recovered him might
It is clear that the governess is insane because throughout the entire story she acts impulsive and erratic. Wilson even states that the governess is, “a neurotic case of sex repression, and that the ghosts are not real ghosts but hallucinations of the governesses” (88). This helps clarify for the reader that the ghosts are not real and that the supernatural activity is just a figment of the mad governess’ imagination. This theory may justify the cruel and unusual actions of the governess but it does not distract the reader from the fact that she killed Miles, whether it be physically or emotionally. Wilson even enforces his strong argument by saying “..it is a not infrequent trick of James’s to introduce sinister characters with descriptions that at first sound flattering...” (88). Without this information one may be misled because the governess is described as sheltered, intelligent, protective, inexperienced and innocent; qualities that one would never expect of an insane murderer. Wilson’s input aids the reader in figuring out that she is not a heroine for her valiant attempts to keep the children safe she is instead the antagonist of her own