Rebellion in Turn Of The Screw Essay

Henry James was born in a time where social class and physical appearances where held in high esteem, (Wikipedia). James being a modern writer rebelled from these ideas in his writings. Examples of this rebellion can be found in how his characters act in his novel The Turn of The Screw.

In Jamess time ones class determined, how one dressed, spoke was treated by others, their level of education and his job was all determined by class. James has his characters both rebuke and follow the rules of class in the novel. For instance, the governesss class situation is complicated. She is put in charge of the house, even though Mrs. Grose has more seniority than she does. But sense the governess comes from a higher class, she is put in charge. The relationship between Miss Jessel and Quint something that would not have happened in Jamess era because social classes did not mix. Miss Jessel, a governess, should never have mixed with a valet such as Quint. Another way that Quint violates the class structure is that he dresses in his masters clothes. People of his class in the Victorian era were not permitted to do so. Also, class affected the governess choice of employment; because although she had received some education, she was born to a poor country parson (James 7). Despite having some education her birth into a lower class family made it impossible to take the path of the higher class women and either continue their education or marry into money. But having the education made it unsuitable for her to take a position as a washerwomen or house cleaner. The mix of education and low class influenced her decision to take the job as a governess. It also is Jamess way of showing how the emphasis on social class is unfair to those how are qualified for better jobs or more education but can not have either because of their class.

Physical appearances also play their part in the novel. People of lower class were often categorized as unattractive in one way or another; or that they had a certain look that made them differ from those of higher classes. For example, in the book the governess can tell that Quint, despite the fact that he is wearing a gentlemens clothes, is never-no, never!-a gentleman, (James pg 37). Physical appearances also were thought to determine a persons character. Both children are thought to be serene, innocent and gentle because of their outer appearance. When the question of whether Miles is evil or not arises, the governess ignores it saying, Look at him. (James 22) the thought that someone so innocent looking could be evil confounds her. As the novel progresses and her conviction of the childrens malevolence grows, she is shocked because surly two children who appear nave and pleasant can not be evil. At the time, features were thought to reflect the soul within. Pleasant features reflected kind souls, and evil was only found in those who were ugly. The idea that beauty could hide evil was unheard of at this time. This way of thinking was installed in the governess making her susceptible to the childrens innocent looks.

Jamess ideas on social class and physical appearances truly make him a modern writer. His way of looking at the topics is one that came after his time and went against the popular ideas of his age.

Bibliography

"Henry James." 2010. Biography.com. 18 Oct 2010, 05:22

James, Henry. The Turn Of The Screw. New York: Random House Inc, 2008. Print.

Lakeland, Paul. "Child's Play." Commonweal 136.6 (2009): 28+. General OneFile. Web. 28 Sept. 2010.

Wikipedia contributors. "Henry James." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 18 Sept. 2010. Web. 26 Sept. 2010.

Wikipedia contributors. "Modernist Literature." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 19 Sept. 2010. Web. 27 Sept. 2010.