Summary of the work - Sykalo Eugen 2023

Short summary - The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is an enigmatic novel that is widely regarded as one of the most complex and multi-layered works of literature in the English language. The novel explores the themes of innocence, corruption, and the supernatural, and is set in the late 19th century in England.

The story is told from the perspective of an unnamed governess who is hired to take care of two children, Miles and Flora, at a remote country house. At the beginning of the novel, the governess is excited about her new job and eager to take on the responsibility of caring for the children. However, she soon begins to experience strange and unsettling occurrences. She sees the ghostly figures of a man and a woman around the grounds of the house, and she becomes convinced that they are the spirits of the former governess and her lover, who both died in mysterious circumstances.

As the novel progresses, the governess becomes increasingly obsessed with the idea that the ghosts are trying to possess the children and corrupt them. She becomes convinced that Miles in particular is in danger and that she must do everything in her power to protect him. She becomes more and more isolated from the other adults in the house, who dismiss her claims as the product of an overactive imagination.

The novel is divided into two parts, with the first part focusing on the governess's arrival at the country house and her initial encounters with the ghosts. In the second part of the novel, the governess becomes more and more fixated on the idea that the ghosts are trying to harm the children. She believes that the ghosts are trying to possess the children and corrupt them, and she becomes increasingly unstable as a result.

The novel reaches its climax when the governess confronts the ghost of Peter Quint, the former valet who had a relationship with the previous governess. She believes that he is trying to take Miles away with him, and she tries to stop him. In the end, Miles dies in her arms, and it is left ambiguous as to whether his death was caused by supernatural forces or by the governess herself.

One of the key themes of the novel is the idea of innocence and corruption. The governess believes that the children are innocent and pure, and that the ghosts are trying to corrupt them. However, as the novel progresses, it becomes clear that the governess herself is becoming more and more corrupted by her obsession with the ghosts. Her fixation on the idea that the ghosts are trying to harm the children leads her to become increasingly paranoid and unstable, and she ultimately causes the death of one of the children.

Another important theme of the novel is the idea of the supernatural. The ghosts in the novel are never explicitly explained or proven to be real, leaving the reader to decide whether they are a product of the governess's imagination or whether they are genuinely supernatural. This ambiguity adds to the eerie and unsettling atmosphere of the novel, and invites the reader to question the nature of reality and the limits of human perception.

The Turn of the Screw is a masterful work of literature that blurs the line between reality and illusion, and challenges the reader to grapple with complex themes of innocence, corruption, and the supernatural. James's masterful use of ambiguity and psychological complexity creates a haunting and unsettling atmosphere that lingers long after the novel has been read. The novel has stood the test of time and is still widely read and discussed today, and continues to captivate and intrigue readers with its enigmatic and thought-provoking narrative.