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Introduction:
The Turn of the Screw is a horror novel by Henry James. It was published in 1898. It is about a governess who is hired to look after Miles and Flora. However, uncanny things start to happen and that leads to the governess finding out that there are ghosts in the estate. Flora and Miles get involved with the interactions of the ghosts which soon would cause more troubles in the estate.

Plot:
On Christmas Eve, a group of friends gather around a fire. One of them, Douglas, reads a manuscript written by his sister’s former governess. The manuscript tells the story of the governess being hired by a man to take care of his niece and nephew after their parents died. The boy, Miles, goes to a boarding school while his sister, Flora, stays at a house in Bly, cared for by the housekeeper, Mrs. Grose. The uncle doesn’t want to be bothered with the children and leaves everything to the governess. When Miles comes home for the summer, the governess receives a letter saying he was expelled from school. Miles doesn’t talk about it, and the governess is afraid to ask. She thinks there might be a dark secret behind his expulsion but is too fond of him to investigate further. Soon after, strange things start happening on the estate. The governess sees a man and a woman she doesn’t know, and they seem to be ghosts. They come and go without anyone else noticing. The governess learns that the previous governess and another employee had a close relationship before they died. She believes the children can see the ghosts and are being influenced by them. One day, Flora disappears while Miles is playing music. The governess and Mrs. Grose find her near a lake and the governess is convinced she was talking to the ghost of the previous governess. The governess sees the ghost too, but Mrs. Grose doesn’t. Flora denies seeing the ghost and refuses to see the governess again. The governess decides to send Flora away with Mrs. Grose to protect her from the ghost. When Miles is alone with the governess, he confesses that he was expelled from school for something he said, but he can’t remember what it was. The ghost of the other employee appears at the window. The governess protects Miles, but he tries to see the ghost. The governess tells Miles he is free from the ghost’s control, but then she realizes that Miles has died in her arms.

Analysis:
The novel is a horror fiction with ghosts and death. The novel has an interesting plot as it shows frequent appearances of interactions with ghosts and humans. It is also questioning how Miles had died when he was trying to see the ghost but Flora was alive after speaking to the ghost. It is amusing how the governess didn’t let Mrs. Grose take both Flora and Miles, but just Flora. The one main question that can’t find the answer to is if the ghost is associated with Miles and Flora’s actions and behaviors. One of the pieces of evidence that the ghost is associated with is the governess saw Flora talking to the ghost near the lake. Another clue is that Miles wanted to see the ghost even though the governess didn’t let him. Usually, children about Miles or Flora’s age would be scared and intimidated upon hearing a rumor of ghosts roaming around where they are staying. However, they were very calm about their interactions with the ghosts. It is also peculiar how Flora didn’t tell anyone about the fact that she had encountered the ghosts many times. From all the commotions about the ghosts and Miles’ death, it is predictable that the governess would have many traumas and troubles on that matter. For example, she could live with the fear of having ghosts near her, or have difficulty sleeping due to the idea of ghosts coming out when she’s sleeping. It is also predictable that Flora would do something to get involved with the ghosts and would be in despair when she hears the news of her brother’s death. From then on, she would probably make some distance between herself and the ghosts.

Conclusion:
The Turn of the Screw is a horror and ghost fiction novel by Henry James. It was published in 1898. The novel brings out the eerie features of the interactions between ghosts and humans. The governess shows the odd behaviors of the children and their response to her after getting involved with the ghosts in the estate. The governess and the children have gone through a lot of events where the children are encountered and get involved by and with the ghosts.