The Turn of the Screw
Henry James
Contributed by Cinderella Domino
Themes
Themes are described as ideas that dominate a particular piece of literature. In almost all cases, pieces of literature will be centered a theme or a number of them.
Paranormal vs Paranoidal

Are Peter Quint and Miss Jessel paranormal phenomena or manifestations of a paranoid mind? The ability (or inability) to distinguish the real from the unreal is a central issue in The Turn of the Screw—and sometimes in life itself. 

Alienation

The Turn of the Screw is a story of progressive alienation for the main character. First, circumstances separate her from her family in Hamphsire, then from the her employer in London, for whom she has a strong attraction. After she sees the apparition of Miss Jessel at the lake in the presence Mrs. Grose and Flora, the housekeeper and the little girl both declare no such image exists. Mrs. Grose says, “She isn’t there, little lady, and nobody’s there—you never see nothing, my sweet." Flora tells the governess, “I think you’re cruel. I don’t like you!" Mrs. Grose and Flora then return to the house, leaving the governess sobbing in painful isolation. At the end of the novel, Miles dies, leaving the governess alone to confront her ghosts. 

Need for Attention

The narration suggests, but does not explicitly say, that the governess suffers from a frustrated desire to be noticed by her employer, the handsome young uncle of Flora and Miles. Harboring such a desire, according to one interpretation of the story, could have caused her to imagine the ghosts so that she could become a heroic protector of the children. The young gentleman would then think highly of her for keeping the children from harm. But even before she sees the ghosts, she betrays a need to be noticed, as indicated in the following passage from Chapter 3 in which the governess is taking a leisurely evening walk on the grounds of Bly. Note the use of publicly in the last sentence.

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