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Example research essay topic: Turn Of The Screw Miss Jessel - 1,389 words

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In Henry James' novella The Turn of the Screw we are presented with an unreliable governess that tells a story about a haunted mansion. The novella is so ambiguous that at the end the question still remains: do the ghosts exist or is the governess going wildly insane? The film version, directed by Jack Clayton is much less ambiguous, but with evidence of both sides. The Innocents leans more toward the fact that the ghosts do exist and the children are possessed, although they might not realize it. This is a scary approach because the children seem so helpless at the hands of these apparitions.

The governess is no saint though, as she has her bizarre hallucinations. The combination of the ghosts truly existing with the fact that the governess is becoming terribly eccentric really raises the suspense factor. This film succeeds because it makes the viewer think about what is going on and then come up with his or her own conclusion. There are some scenes that support the side that the governess is completely out of control and it's all in her head. There is a scene in the beginning of the film that gets the viewer's attention right away. Miss Giddens is coming to the mansion for the first time and she sees Flora and they become acquainted.

While they are speaking the governess hears a voice calling "Flora, Flora. " Flora actually hears nothing at all and she smiles as if nothing has happened. This is strange and the viewer immediately knows that something is wrong with the governess because she hears voices in her head. Monica Sullivan agrees with the fact that the governess is crazy and unreliable: "Miss Giddens gets more and more paranoid about the ghosts and although we SEE ghosts, we see them through the increasingly unreliable eyes of the governess. And as for the precocious behavior of the children, isn't it a childhood obligation to drive ANY new authority figure out of her mind?" (1) "Sullivan is correct in her reasoning but the children aren't just being children. There is something else definitely going on with these strange kids other than tormenting their governess. Brian Koller describes it as "sinister aspects to their personalities. " (1) There is another scene in the film that points out the lack of sanity on Miss Giddens part.

When she is playing hide and seek with children and she goes off by herself she starts to hear these loud, strange noises that go on for a couple of minutes. These noises are very loud and if they were real then someone else would have heard them and inquired about it. But this is not the case. These weird sounds are coming from deep down in the governess' own mind. The film clearly strays toward the fact that the ghosts do exist and that they possess the children somehow. There are some scenes that prove the ghosts exist and then there are scenes that prove the children are possessed by the spirits of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel.

In the beginning we hear Mrs. Grose tell Flora to "ignore strange noises because they only make you worry. " This leads the viewer to believe that the ghosts do exist because even Mrs. Grose knows they exist. When the governess sees the figure of Peter Quint on the tower she goes to investigate and she finds little Miles on the top of the tower where she originally saw Quint.

This is a strange scene because Miles has birds all over him, on his head and arms and it just seems very strange. It seems like some kind of supernatural phenomenon is happening. There is also the scene in which Miss Giddens sees Miss Jessel crying at the podium. This scene is the best evidence for the argument that the ghosts do exist because the governess walks over to the podium after Miss Jessel is gone and she sees tears all over it.

Where else would these tears come from? Jeffrey Frentzen clearly believes in the supernatural interpretation stating that this film is a "compelling yet simple ghost story. " (1) The film's main focus is on the fact that the children are very strange and they seem to be possessed by the evil spirits. Upon her arrival, the governess is told by Flora that souls that don't go to heaven just walk around. This is a creepy statement from a little girl who seems to know something about the supernatural world.

Another example of Flora's odd behavior and powers is that she foreshadows Miles' arrival home after his expulsion. She would have no way of knowing this unless she was told by the governess or Mrs. Grose and they don't even know yet. There is one scene in particular that illustrates the possession theory. Miles finds Miss Giddens sitting down and he comes from behind her and starts to actually choke her.

He does it with a smile on his face but it is an extremely sinister smile. Miss Giddens becomes upset because Miles is hurting her and he doesn't let go of her until Flora comes into the room. The scene in which the governess and Mrs. Grose speak about Peter Quint is good evidence to support the possession theory because the children start laughing uncontrollably during this conversation.

It's like the actual ghosts are just laughing at the caretakers's timidity. Shortly after this Miles recites a poem to Mrs. Grose, Miss Giddens, and Flora. He speaks of his "lord" and how he is coming back from the grave. Miss Giddens is horrified while Flora and Mrs. Grose pay no attention.

Not only does Jeffrey Frentzen believe in the ghost interpretation but he also believes that the children are possessed. "Miss Giddens gradually believes that these innocents may be possessed by the spirits of a former governess and her lover, over the objections of the friendly housekeeper. " There are two scenes that portray the possession theory best. One is when the governess comes into Miles room at night and finds a dead bird under his pillow. The bird's neck had been broken. This child must have been possessed by some evil to do this horrible deed. The second scene is the gazebo scene with Flora and the governess. It seems that when Flora is dancing she is doing it for someone - Miss Jessel.

Flora only becomes worse as she starts going insane herself. Flora, the sweet and innocent, starts screaming uncontrollably and letting out language that a nine year old shouldn't know. It seems again that she is possessed by some evil. I want to point out a scene that is very ambiguous and could be argued for each side. The last scene of the film with Miles and the governess is very strange. After Miles finishes screaming at Miss Giddens, he and Quint begin to laugh in unison and then Miles unexpectedly throws his turtle threw the window.

So here it seems like Quint exists and Miles is doing as he is told - they are in this together. But then it seems like Miles sees Quint outside and he drops dead from the sight. This would lead the viewer to believe that Miles was frightened to death by something that he had never seen before. If this is true then Miles and Flora are just satanic children. In the end the film version of James' The Turn of the Screw is ambiguous but not nearly as much as the book. There is evidence in The Innocents to support both the supernatural and the psychological interpretation, although it clearly leans toward the fact that the ghosts do exist and that they possess the children.

This is not to say that the governess is fine though because she is absolutely out of her mind. This is a wonderful thinking man's movie because the viewer is constantly going over the scenes in his / her head trying to decide what is actually going on. Works Cited Frentzen, Jeffrey. The Innocents (1961). 1996. web 3 - 14 - 02 Koller, Brian. Review for The Innocents.

web 3 - 14 - 02 Sullivan, Monica. Movie Review: The Innocents. 2001. web revs 3 - 14 - 02 The Innocents. Dir. Jack Clayton. 20 th Century Fox. 1961


Free research essays on topics related to: governess, miss jessel, peter quint, turn of the screw, film version

Research essay sample on Turn Of The Screw Miss Jessel

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