Study
Questions and Essay Topics
Study Questions
1. Is the governess
the heroine or the villain of
The Turn of the Screw?
2. How does the
phrase “the turn of the screw” apply to the governess's tale?
Suggested Essay Topics
1. How does James imply that
the governess resembles a ghost?
2. The governess's letter to
her employer is very important to Mrs. Grose and so important to
Miles that he steals it. Yet the governess is hesitant to write
this letter. Why is this letter so significant?
3. Before his heart stops, Miles
shouts out, “Peter Quint—you devil!” Who is being named the devil?
4. Give two different interpretations
of the scene in which the governess and Mrs. Grose find Flora by
the lake and argue for one interpretation over the other.
5. Give two significant examples
of James's use of deliberate ambiguity and offer two different interpretations of
each example.
