The Turn of the Screw
The Symbolic Color of Black in The Turn of the Screw In The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, black clothing worn by the ghosts of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel foreshadows evil and darkness throughout the novel. Throughout the novel, James creates a character that is "in the dark." The phrase "in the dark" means to be without knowledge. The character "in the dark," Mrs. Grose, is the only character throughout the novel that cannot see the evil ghosts; Mrs. Grose's inability to see the ghosts plays a major role in the novel. Black clothes that are worn, in American culture, symbolize death. Two of the six main characters are ghosts; they are always dressed in black. Mrs. Grose is the housekeeper at Bly, the haunted mansion where the novel is set. Mrs. Grose is a very illiterate woman; she in unable to read and write. Because she is lacking this knowledge, Mrs. Grose cannot see the ghosts; her mind is not able to take her to that higher level of imagination. To develop an imagination, one must read and paint pictures in their mind of descriptions in the reading. Mrs. Grose becomes familiar with the term "ghosts" because it is so often used by the two children and the governess. Although she is familiar with the term
The clothes worn by Peter Quint and Miss Jessel are also symbolic because they let the reader know that the characters are dark and evil. The children and the governess are smart because they were very well educated. James describes Miss Jessel's and Peter Quint's clothing throughout the novel. "ghosts," she doesn't have an idea of what the word means. This line clearly shows that James's use of color in the black dress gave the governess an evil and dark feeling when she saw Miss Jessel. The following line found in the book Modern Critical Interpretations, refers to Mrs. Because their minds were so advanced, the governess, Miles, and Flora were able to see the ghosts; Mrs. All three were born wealthy children with smart ancestors. there, there, there, and you see her as well as you see me!' 'What a dreadful turn, to be sure, miss! Where on earth do you see anything?' 'You don't see her exactly as we see?' 'She isn't there, little lady, and nobody's there-and you never see something, my sweet!'" (70-71). The following lines show his interpretation of the symbolic black dress: "The old lady [Mrs.
Common topics in this essay:
Miss Jessel,
James's Screw,
Miles Flora,
Henry James,
Peter Quint's,
Critical Interpretations,
Ned Lukacher,
miss jessel,
black dress,
black clothing,
throughout novel,
color black,
children governess,
Quint Miss,
peter quint miss,
quint miss,
clothes worn,
grose's inability,
peter quint,
quint miss jessel,
Peter Quint,
black dress haggard,
dress haggard beauty,
familiar term ghosts,
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Acceptance Essays
