The reality of the ghosts in Henry James' Turn of the Screw

Turn of the Screw

Henry James' Turn of the Screw is a psychological drama abut a governess who claims she sees ghosts. Whether this governess actually sees ghosts, or they are just a figment of her mind is never told for certain and it is up to the reader to draw their own conclusions. There have been many who have commented on this issue including Harold C. Goddard, Bruce Robbins, and Robert Heilman.

Harold Goddard takes the view that the ghosts are the hallucinations of an insane mind. But even if they are not real, he asks "Are Peter Quint and Miss Jessel a whit less mysterious or less appalling because they are evoked by the governess' imagination?" (Goddard 32) Bruce Robbins takes an unusual view in that he sees the story in terms of Marxism, or class struggle. He stated that "it is the governess' relations with the ghosts that leas us to the very heart of the story's reflections on social hierarchy." Finally, Robert Heilman views the story as a conflict between good and evil, the ghosts are evil and "the children are the victims of evil." (Heilman 1991) Good is represented by the governess and her desire to protect the children.

It is my opinion that the ghosts are real and not imaginary or symbolic of class struggle. The main reason that I make this claim is the fact that, while the governess seems to become more disturbed as the story progresses, she is able to accurately describe the physical appearance of Quint. The governess may be the only one who sees the ghosts, but she is not the only one who seems to be effected by them. Flora becomes sick and must leave the residence, and Miles actually dies.