Turn of the screw chp. Breakdown nd summary – Flashcards

The novel opens with a scene that shows men sitting around a fire and narrating stories. It is Christmas Eve. One of the men named Griffin has just finished relating the experience of a child possessed by a ghost. Another member of the group, named Douglas, volunteers to narrate a more exciting story about two children haunted by ghosts. However, he asks for a few days time, as he has to wait for the manuscript of the tale to arrive from home. In the mean time, he introduces the narrator of the story as a lady who had served as a governess to his sister. In the past, the lady had accepted the offer as a governess to two orphaned children, as she was charmed by the personality of her employer, who was the uncle of the two children. She had also agreed to his condition, that is, she would not trouble him with the affairs at Bly and handle her responsibility on her own. The script of the story arrives a few days later but Douglas postpones telling the story. However, when the guests pester him to narrate the tale, he agrees to read the manuscript.

The governess undertakes the journey to Bly in a special coach. As she nears her destination, she is full of apprehension. However, she forgets her fears as soon as she meets her little ward, Flora, who wins her over. The charming girl welcomes her teacher with open arms. Even Mrs. Grose expresses joy at meeting her and extends her hand of friendship. Thus the governess gets acquainted with her companions who tell her everything about the house. Flora takes her round the house and familiarizes her with the interiors. The governess is happy to be in such a big but old- fashioned house and visualizes herself to be in a wonderland with the little girl as her fairy.

The governess receives two letters by post: one from the master of the house and the other from the headmaster of Miles' school. Her employer informs that he was sending her a letter from the headmaster of Miles' school as he did not have the time to read it. The governess is torn with doubts and thus, postpones reading the letter. Finally, when she musters up the courage to read it, she is puzzled by its contents. The headmaster writes that it is no longer possible for him to keep Miles in his school and therefore he was dismissing him from the institution. This comes as a great shock to the governess and she shares the news with Mrs. Grose. Since the headmaster has given no explanations for his action, she questions Mrs. Grose about the conduct of Miles. The housekeeper assures her that Miles is as well behaved as his sister. During the course of their conversation, the governess learns that the former governess, Miss. Jessel, had died mysteriously after resigning from her job and leaving Bly. She also becomes aware of the existence of a man who was an employee at Bly and who had an eye for attractive ladies.

Miles arrives at the appointed hour and surprises the governess with his innocence and charm. He is a lovable child and shows no trace of evil or bad behavior. The governess is sure that they have made a mistake in school. With this thought, she decides against mentioning the letter to either Miles or her employer. The housekeeper shares her view and promises to help her in her future endeavors. The governess starts taking lessons for Miles and Flora who are good students and give her no cause for complaints. Both the children trust her completely and their dependence on her also makes her protective towards them. She therefore begins to feel responsible for their welfare. In her free time, she either indulges in day - dreaming or goes for walks. During her walks she always thinks about her employer and fondly hopes that he would make a surprise visit to Bly to encourage her efforts. One afternoon she goes out for a stroll and as usual she is thinking about her employer. Just as she comes out of the plantations, she catches a glimpse of the man of her dreams standing atop the tower. On watching intently, she is disappointed to find that he is not the master but somebody else, who is dressed like him. The thought disturbs her as she keeps gazing at the figure till dusk. The figure also stares at her but moves away after a short while.

Even after the figure disappears, the governess remains rooted to the spot, lost in contemplation. She believes that Bly has a hidden secret as mentioned in the 'Udolpho mysteries.' Dwelling on such thoughts she loses count of time and it is dark when she enters the house. Mrs. Grose looks relieved on seeing her. She gives some excuse for being late but does not mention the apparition to the housekeeper. For days after the incident, the vision continues to haunt the lady. She keeps dwelling on it and comes to the conclusion that, someone has tried to play a cruel joke on her and that the apparition has not appeared again, because the man must have got scared. Setting her thoughts aside, she starts attending to the children and their work and is happy to find them cheerful and responsive to her commands. Flora is adorable and she also does not find any fault in Miles' behavior. She feels antagonistic towards the school authorities for dismissing Miles from the school. She finds the boy too gentle and sensitive for reproach. On a particular day it rains heavily, thus restricting their customary visit to the church in the morning. The governess talks to the housekeeper and decides to go to the church in the evening if it stops raining by that time. As per their plan, she gets ready in the evening to go to the church, but suddenly remembers that she has left her gloves in the dining room. She goes to the room to pick up her gloves and finds them on a chair near the window. As she bends down to pick her gloves from the chair, she sees the face of the same man who had stared at her from the tower. This time his face is against the glass window. She realizes that the man is looking not for her but for someone else, maybe the children, and she runs out to catch the culprit. However, on reaching the spot, she does not find anybody. She looks for him outside and waits for him to reappear, but the man does not come back. In desperation, she presses her face against the window and looks into the room in the same manner as the man had done. Mrs. Grose who enters the room at that very moment, is shocked to see a face on the window. The governess is puzzled at the reaction of the housekeeper.

Looking at the face of the governess on the window, Mrs. Grose looks perplexed but goes out to meet her. She inquires about the governess' strange behavior and looks astonished when the governess explains the matter to her. The governess further tells Mrs. Grose that, she has seen the man not once but twice and that she is afraid that he is looking for the children. Thus, in order to safeguard the house against the intruder, she decides to stay back in the house instead of accompanying Mrs. Grose to the church. When the housekeeper asks her to describe the man, the lady portrays him as a red - haired, red whiskered, lean but handsome man, wearing the clothes of a gentleman. The housekeeper turns pale and identifies the man to be Peter Quint, the former valet of the master. She also tells the governess that in the past he had stolen the master's clothes, and that is probably the reason why he was looking like a gentleman. When the governess inquires about his present situation, Mrs. Grose informs her that he is dead.

The apparition at the window troubles the governess and the housekeeper. When the governess declares that it is Miles that the ghost was looking for, Mrs. Grose is shocked but not surprised. In the past, Peter Quint had looked after the children and thus he used to exercise his influence on them. He was an evil man who possessed many vices. He had taken liberties even with those who were higher in status to him, that is, the former governess of Bly. Mrs. Grose had been aware of his vices but she had not complained about him to the master, as her employer hated people telling tales. The governess is responsible for the security of the children, and therefore takes great care to protect them from the evil influence of the ghost. One day, she takes Flora out to play and Miles stays behind, relaxing on a cushion, to read a book. They stop near the lake and Flora gets engrossed in playing. Just then the governess observes a figure on the other side of the lake. The image appears distinct to her eyes and she is afraid that Flora might see it. However, the child is unaware of the apparition and is busy fixing wooden blocks, with her back to the lake.

Immediately after returning home, the governess relates her experience to Mrs. Grose. She affirms that the children are aware of the ghosts and are influenced by it. She believes that Flora was aware of the apparition but had not mentioned it to her. As she describes the apparition to the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose guesses that the apparition was of Miss. Jessel's. During her conversation with Mrs. Grose, the governess becomes aware that the former governess was molested by Peter Quint and that the lady had left the premises in disgrace. Later, she had died mysteriously. This piece of information disturbs the governess and she is afraid that, both Peter Quint and the former governess might have cast an evil influence on the children. -This chapter reveals more about Peter Quint and Miss. Jessel. Peter Quint was a lecherous man who had lured many young women. He had taken advantage of the youth of Jessel and played around with her sentiments. Miss. Jessel also appears to be a woman of easy character. Instead of being a responsible guardian to the children and being a guide to them, she had flirted with Quint. Both these characters had influenced the children through their evil ways. This is the reason why the governess is afraid that the children are already corrupted by such evil influence.

The governess keeps thinking about the queer happenings at Bly. At times she talks about it to Mrs. Grose. Even though she had not personally met Peter Quint or Jessel, she is sure that she has seen only their ghosts. She is happy that the housekeeper tends to agree with her. As for her work, she attends to it with discipline. She interacts with the children but at the same time, she observes them carefully to see whether they know anything about the ghosts. However, the children behave normally and belie her suspicions and this leaves the governess very confused. To ascertain her view, she questions Mrs. Grose about the friendship between Quint and Miles. When she hears that Miles had been close to Quint and had knowledge of his affair with Jessel, the governess jumps to the conclusion that Miles has acquired evil characteristics. She decides to wait and observe. -The governess starts looking at the children with a biased eye, after she learns about their association with the disreputable former employees of the house. Even though the children are courteous and cheerfully participate in the activities, the lady tries to pick out lapses in their behavior. Thus, instead of having a positive attitude towards her students, she exhibits a negative attitude towards them.

Days pass without any happenings of consequence. During this time, the governess involves herself in work and keeps the children occupied. At times she wonders whether they can detect her suspicions about them. Both the children are intelligent but Miles is more perceptive and absorbs things easily and reacts instantaneously. He is sharp and baffles the governess with his answers. Flora is also very talented. He and Flora thus work in harmony and compliment each other. One day after Flora goes to bed the governess reads Henry Fielding's novel Amelia. Engrossed in reading she loses sense of time and place. Suddenly, she hears some movement outside her door and becomes alert. She opens the door and walks towards the staircase. She notices the figure of Peter Quint, in the landing, standing and staring at her. From such a short distance, he looks quite frightening. The governess remains rooted to the spot and stares back at him. After a while, the figure moves away into the darkness. -The ghosts of Peter Quint and Jessel come to haunt the governess whenever she is doing her work responsibly and being a positive influence on the children. The ghosts seem to appear at such times to test her confidence and halt her progress in work. Now again, the figure of Peter Quint appears after the governess had experienced days of harmony with the children.

When the governess returns to her room, she is shocked to find Flora missing from her bed. Instead, the curtains are pulled up over the bed to give the impression of someone being in bed. However, Flora appears from behind one of the curtains and relieves the anxiety of the governess. When questioned, she tells the governess that on finding her missing from bed, she had looked out of the window to spot her. The governess is not convinced with the girl's answer but keeps quiet. For several nights after this incident, the governess is on her guard. In the nights, she walks out of her room to check out for intruders but that is only after ascertaining that Flora is fast asleep. On one such errand, she finds a female figure sitting in a crouching position on the landing of the stairs. However, before she can check as to whom the lady is, the lady disappears. The incident that shakes the equanimity of the governess takes place ten days after the appearance of the ghost of Peter Quint. One night, she wakes up suddenly to find Flora missing from her bed. She notices Flora standing and looking the window. The governess goes out of the room without disturbing the girl. She enters one of the lower rooms and looks out of the window. What she sees outside shocks her! Little Miles is standing outside and looking up at someone above. -The governess is visited alternately by the ghosts of Peter Quint and Jessel. A few days after the appearance of Peter Quint, she finds a woman resembling Jessel, sitting in a crouched position in almost the same place. It is as if the ghosts are taking turns to torment her.

The next morning, the governess relates the events of the night to Mrs. Grose. The housekeeper listens attentively, trying to believe what the governess is saying. She finds it difficult to believe that the children are capable of such wickedness. She observes them walking down together, in perfect harmony. Miles is reading out a story to his sister and leading her on protectively. The governess also tells Mrs. Grose about her meeting with Miles after she had seen him standing in the dark and looking up. She had gone out and brought the boy inside and then led him upstairs, after which she had questioned him about his behavior. Miles had been very forthright in conveying his intentions to her. He told her that he had tried to play a trick on her and had therefore projected himself as 'bad.' Flora had co-operated with him by standing near the window, to attract the attention of the governess. The governess had acted just as Miles had intended her to act and become suspicious. The governess feels foolish and at the same time more confused after hearing the words of the boy.

Once again the governess tries to convince Mrs. Grose about the evil influence on the children. She relates to her that Miles had not only justified his action but also conveyed that he was capable of such attitude. She concludes that the school authorities could have taken objection to the boy for such insolent behavior. Mrs. Grose is still unable to believe that the children are bad and is only concerned about their welfare and security. She shares the anxiety of the governess that, the children might be under the shadow of the ghosts. She is worried about the safety of the children and requests the governess to seek the help of the master of the house. She wants him to come and shelter the children against the evil. However, the governess refuses to write to her employer as she had promised to keep him out of the affairs at Bly. She is also afraid to tarnish her reputation in front of him by telling him that she is unable to manage the situation. Hence, she asks Mrs. Grose not to inform her master.

For sometime, nothing of significance happens. Neither the governess nor the children talk about the unpleasant events of the recent past. In fact, the children show more interest in learning about their teacher and her family back home and take great joy in listening to her stories about herself. Seasons change and life goes on peacefully. The governess does not have any more encounters with the ghosts, though she keeps contemplating on the idea that, the children are aware of the ghosts. However, since the children never talk about the spirits or express any knowledge of them, she does not find any reason for accusing them. They only ask about their uncle and express a desire to meet him. They even write letters to him but the letters are never posted. Life thus continues at an even pace. The governess pursues her work with dedication and Miles and Flora share a good rapport with her. They give her no cause for complaint. Thus, the lady showers her affection on the children in spite of their strange behavior in the recent past. - As the children exhibit strange behavior, she starts doubting their innocence and suspecting them of communicating secretly with the evil spirits. Thus her mind becomes prejudiced against the children even though she still loves them. She starts detecting the devil in their angelic presence.

One bright morning, as they all walk towards the church, the governess wonders why the children have tolerated her for so long. Being young, they must have longed for freedom and enjoyment but had given in to her wishes and obeyed her orders. They have not protested against the regime that she has set for them. As if to challenge her thoughts, Miles voices his views. He refers indirectly to her hold over them and expresses a desire to be free to go around with the boys of his age. He thus requests her to send him back to school. The governess, taken aback at his request, is at a loss to explain to him about the decision of the school authorities to dismiss him. Seeing her helpless and indecisive, Miles asks her to call his uncle to resolve this problem. He volunteers to write a letter to his uncle.

The mind of the governess is in turmoil. How can she resolve the problem of Miles? She finds it very difficult to tell him about his dismissal from school and is angry with him for creating this situation. The governess also believes that he is aware of her discomfiture. She decides to write and call back her employer, even though it would put her in an awkward situation. She does not want to meet Miles again, before resolving the problem and therefore decides not to accompany the others to the church. Suddenly, she feels the need to escape from the whole situation and run away from Bly. With this intention, she returns back to the house to pack her bags. As she enters the study to pick up her things, she is shocked to see Miss Jessel sitting on a desk and looking at her with melancholic eyes. The governess speaks to her harshly and the ghost disappears.

Mrs. Grose and the children return from the church but refrain from questioning the governess about her absence. The governess is disappointed by their response, especially by the silence of Mrs. Grose and she asks the housekeeper to explain her strange behavior. Mrs. Grose confesses that the children had asked her to keep quiet since they believe that their governess might like to be left alone. However, at the same time, the housekeeper is unable to describe the children's reaction to her disappearance. The governess now tells Mrs. Grose about her meeting with Miss. Jessel. To enhance the effect of her encounter with the ghost, she concocts a story that Jessel had wanted to share her tormenting experience with Flora. Mrs. Grose is shocked to hear this. Thus, when the governess informs her that she has decided to call back her employer, Mrs. Grose is happy that her master will come to rescue the children.

The governess sits down to write the letter but is unable to do so because her mind is restless. She sits listening to the lashing rain outside and later walks out of her room. When she nears Miles' room, she becomes aware that the boy is still awake. Miles welcomes her and makes her feel comfortable and then tells her that he was thinking about her attitude towards him and Flora. When the governess questions him about his school, he evades giving a reply and only insists that, he wants to go back to school to be in the company of boys of his own age. He wants her to call back their uncle and tell him about his problem. The governess assures him that she will do everything for his well being. Then she asks him about the past at Bly and he becomes silent. To divert the attention of the governess and frighten her, he lets out a shriek after putting off the candle.

The governess writes the letter to her employer, but keeps it in her pocket, to post it later. In the mean time, she gets busy teaching the children who give her no cause for complaint. They do their lessons well and impress her with their intelligence. Miles outshines in every activity. One day, after the lessons, he starts playing the piano. His notes are so melodious that the governess is absolutely spellbound. Listening to the music, she forgets time and space. Suddenly, she becomes aware of her surroundings and discovers that Flora is missing from the scene. When she asks Miles about it, he is unable to help her. The governess believes that the children have tricked her. She searches for Flora all over the house but does not find her. She comes to the conclusion that the little girl has gone to meet Jessel, while Miles might have an encounter with Quint. With this thought in mind, she asks Mrs. Grose to accompany her in her search for Flora. However, before leaving, she keeps the letter on the table so that Luke can post it later.

The governess leads Mrs. Grose towards the lake, as she believes that Jessel would make her appearance there. As they are walking towards the lake, they find a hidden boat. The governess surmises that it could have been used and left by the little girl. When they reach an open ground surrounded by trees, they find Flora playing with a copse. She is surprised to see them without their hats but welcomes them heartily. She also inquires about Miles. However, she gives no explanation for her visit to the lake. When the governess feels disappointed with the girl's response, she asks her about Miss. Jessel.

As soon as the governess utters the name of Jessel, Flora is startled. Looking at the little girl, Mrs. Grose lets out a shriek. At that instant, the governess notices the apparition of Jessel on the other side of the bank. She is happy that she is justified in accusing Flora. However, when she asks Mrs. Grose to look towards the ghost, the housekeeper looks distraught, as she sees nothing there. Even Flora denies seeing anyone and accuses the governess of being cruel. She now looks frightened and asks the housekeeper to take her back home. Mrs. Grose agrees to take the little girl back home, as she too feels that the governess was imagining things. The governess feels dejected, as she is afraid that she has lost her hold over the child. Thus, she sits there through the night, brooding over her plight. By the time she enters the house, it is dawn. When she goes up to her room, she notices that Flora's things have been removed from the room. She learns that the girl has moved into the quarters of the housekeeper. Looking forlorn, she settles down near the fireplace where Miles joins her.

Early next morning, Mrs. Grose comes to meet the governess to inform her about Flora's illness and that the child had a restless night. She had kept reiterating that she has not seen Jessel and that she does not want to see her present governess. The housekeeper also tells the governess that Flora has talked about her in a deploring manner and that she wants her to go away from Bly. The housekeeper looks helpless as she conveys Flora's message. The governess is distressed to note Flora's attitude towards her but decides to give in to her wishes. However, she asks Mrs. Grose to take Flora away to her uncle and she decides to stay back at Bly to keep an eye on Miles. The housekeeper is happy with the suggestion of the governess, as she too feels the need to get away from Bly. She is concerned about Miles and expresses her fear that Miles has stolen the letter that the governess had kept on the table. The governess promises to tackle Miles and deal with the situation accordingly.

After Mrs. Grose and Flora depart from Bly, the governess is left alone to deal with Miles. The servants and the maids seem to be aware of the developments at Bly, as they curiously look at the governess. The governess tries to regain her self-control in order to face the situation at hand. She does not see Miles when she comes to have breakfast. She learns that he has finished his breakfast with his sister and Mrs. Grose and has gone out for a walk. The governess realizes that Miles needs to enjoy his freedom before confronting her. She recollects the events of the past and her present situation and considers the changed circumstances as another turn of the screw. Miles comes down for dinner. As long as the maids hover around, they hardly talk to each other. Miles only remarks about Flora and her illness. The governess assures him about the health of his sister and he becomes quiet. After dinner, the maids leave and they are left alone. Miles remarks that, they are alone at last.

Now that Miles and the governess are alone without the intrusion of 'others,' they become conscious of each other's presence. Miles conducts himself admirably, though he appears uneasy and keeps looking out of the window, as if to spot something. He tells the governess that he is happy to enjoy his freedom at Bly. The governess informs him that she had stayed back in order to make him reveal everything. Miles feels cornered and tries to get out of the situation by telling the governess that he has to meet Luke immediately. The governess lets him go but only after asking him whether he has picked up her letter from the table.

Face to face with the governess, Miles confesses his crime. He has stolen the letter from the table, read it and burnt it too. He had wanted to know what she had written about him. Miles thus satisfies her with his answer, but she does not let him go as promised earlier. She probes him further. She asks him whether he has also stolen things in school had got punished for it. Miles denies her accusation but confesses that, he has behaved badly with some boys and they might have spread the word to the teachers. As he bares his heart to the governess, she notices the figure of Peter Quint at the window. She is startled but hides her reaction from Miles. She also prevents the boy from seeing the apparition by holding him in a warm embrace and keeping his back to the window. To the relief of the governess, the figure disappears after a while. They continue talking and once again the figure appears at the window. Now the governess panics, and in her excitement, she curses the figure. Miles is now alert and asks her whether she has seen the ghost of Jessel. In reply, she points towards the window. Miles is not able to see anything, but he guesses the apparition to be that of Peter Quint. He calls him a devil, then lets out a shriek and falls down.