Protecting Miles and Flora in The Turn of the Screw Essay -- Henry Jam

Protecting Miles and Flora in The Turn of the Screw â€Å"I saw my service so strongly and simply. I was there to protect and defend the little creatures†¦Ã¢â‚¬  The governess sees it as her duty to protect Miles and Flora. What do they need protection from and how does Henry James illustrate this in his novel â€Å"The Turn of the Screw†? Henry James’s ‘Turn of the Screw’ can be interpreted in many different ways. He constructed his novel in order to make allusions to sexual topics, (without stating anything explicitly) madness, ghosts and the Victorian society. In this essay I will be analysing each of the above in order to make a conclusion as to what I think the children need protecting from. As for the ghosts being present or not, this can be argued. A point arguing the ghosts are present is in the introduction of the story. The man telling the story said he knew the governess and he credits the story with being a real ghost tale and the governess as being a real hero. Another point suggesting the ghosts are present is that when the governess â€Å"sees† Peter Quint she is able to go back to Mrs Grose with a fairly full description of him, even though she had never actually met him whilst he was alive. Another aspect of the novel that shows the ghosts exist is the vocabulary used to describe Miles and flora. They are called ‘cherubs’ and have religious connections made saying they are ‘angelic’. The governess sees Flora as ‘so very remarkable’ and ‘the most beautiful child ever seen†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢. The children seem to be too perfect. Flora is described as being the most perfect child yet so many supernatural things occurs it is quite unbelievable that she is so very sweet and innocent. Going onto a point suggesting the g... ...s or over imagine, for example, when she sees Miles looking up she instantly is convinced he is not looking at her, but just above her and at a person and that person is Quint. Could the governess be 100% sure that Miles was looking above her and not at her? As I think the governess is mentally unstable, the next step I see her taking is protecting her sexuality and safety. The governess produces an â€Å"image† which is the female ghost of Miss Jessel. This allows Peter Quint and Miss Jessel to be sexually involved and the governess protecting herself. This leaves me to say, that the ghosts are a part of the governesses imagination. I think this because I do not find the governess a reliable narrator. If anything the children need protecting from it is from the governess and her unstability. I think this is what brought about her unbalanced behaviour.