"The Turn of the Screw"

Paper Summary:

This paper analyzes the psychological aspects introduced in James' novel. It explains that James was a contemporary of Freud and "The Turn of the Screw" was written at the birth of modern psychology, and it serves as a stern warning to society about the corruption of innocence, sexual repression and abuse, and the mental and emotional abuse of children.

From the Paper:

"One of the major themes of The Turn of the Screw is the corruption of innocence by evil. The children are seen as the primary "innocents" in this story that are corrupted by a number of outside "evils." The children may be seen as helpless youth that come under the influence of corrupted adult influences. These children have experienced terrible ordeals, with the death of their parents, and many of their associates. As each painful event occurs in their lives, the children become more exposed to pain and lose their innocence. The Governess, as narrator, believes that the ghosts of the former caretakers of the children are the sources of corruption, which may be a metaphor for the children having been abused by their former caretakers, and the lingering memories of that experience being the destruction of their innocence. The Governess, however, is actively abusing them by obsessing over the ghosts and tormenting the children because she suspects them of being under evil influence. It is also possible to interpret the Governess as being as innocent as the children, perhaps even more so. "The governess' youthfulness and inexperience are important to note, and the suggestion is that the age difference between her and Miles is no greater than that between her and Douglas." (Chase) The Governess may also be an innocent being, and perhaps the children are actually the source of corruption at work; after all, why have so many involved in their lives died? This may touch, intentionally or not on the part of James, on one aspect of child abuse which is so common: blaming children for having been abused."

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