Use Of Diction In Henry James The Turn Of The Screw

It is very common for writers to use literary devices as tools to help convey important concepts in their work. In the novella, The Turn of the Screw, written by Henry James, James uses literary devices to prove the existence of ghosts. The author uses diction in order to create a creepy and mysterious atmosphere, and imagery to depict the supernatural events that occur in the country house, Bly. In The Turn of the Screw, the author uses diction to help prove the existence of ghosts in the novella. To begin, James describes Bly to be big and old to set up a mysterious atmosphere, “No; it was a big, ugly, antique . . . embodying a few features of a building still older” (James, 17). The author uses diction to create a mysterious atmosphere which helps the readers feel a sense of uneasiness. Furthermore, by creating this atmosphere the readers can foreshadow the supernatural events that will occur. Then the author depicts a supernatural event that two characters, the governess and Miles, experienced,
For instance, James depicts one of the many encounters the governess had with the supernatural, “One step into the room had sufficed; my vision was instantaneous; it was all there. The person looking straight in was the person who had already appeared to me” (35).The author uses imagery to help prove that the supernatural events the governess experienced are truly real. Imagery helps readers to create a mental image and to better understand what the governess is experiencing. In addition, the author describes one of the people the governess saw as “a women in black, pale, and dreadful” (35). By using imagery the author successfully establishes that the apparitions cannot be another alive human. James uses the words “pale” and “dreadful” assure the readers that the apparitions are ghosts (35). The author proves the existence of ghost in the novella though the use of