The critical debates surrounding Henry James's The Turn of the Screw are a product of the intentional ambiguities written into the text. The psychological thriller centers on a housekeeper who, after assuming the position of a man she has fallen in love with, encounters what she believes are apparitions of the house's former servants. Believing they are in danger, he responds by taking on the role of hero to the children in his care, but his credibility is quickly called into question when it is apparent that no one else sees his visions and that his actions are, in fact, , putting children in a position of danger. James's novella has been seen by some critics as a ghost story that places the Governess in the role of the evil villain; taking into account his numerous acts of heroism in the story, I believe this is a misreading of the tale. Narrative reflexivity blurs the line of credibility in the story leaving the reader to wonder which narrative voice to trust, but throughout the story the Governess's motivations remain clear. He claims to protect children and his heroic character belies the accusation that he is acting evilly. Her actions call into question her sanity, but throughout the novel the governess's attempts to protect the children disprove the theory that she is the villain of the novel. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssayIn his critique of James's ghost story, "His Ghosts, His Other Selves, Those Parts of Ourselves," R.P. Blackmur claims that the housekeeper is the true and intentional villain of the story. He claims that his ghosts are, in fact, hallucinations, and his desire to turn them into reality simply stems from a “bad conscience” (Blackmur, 184). It is impossible to read Blackmur's essay without taking note of his choice of diction. He is leading his readers to assume that the Governess is possessed when he says, "nothing must stop the energy within her, for that energy is creative" (185), and that she "is now driven by an energy that is suited to this lonely and friendless place that must not be interfered with” (185). Here, she is giving birth to something within her that she has no control over, as if it were a separate entity that cannot be stopped. , and her repeated use of the word "energy" serves to add a supernatural element to her argument. She successfully argues that she is ultimately to blame for destroying the children and then refutes the popular Freudian criticism of the tale, which is the main argument used by critics to show that the governess is mentally unstable. Blackmur's perspective on the story, combined with his repeated labeling of the governess as possessed and as a witch, are used to cause the reader to assume demonic possession of the governess. While I agree with Blackmur's observation that ghosts are hallucinations, I refute her antiquated hypothesis that she is somehow possessed by a bad conscience. In contrast, the governess's acts of heroism towards the children and the tale's misleading narrative framing demonstrate that she is not a villain with an evil conscience, but a mentally unbalanced woman who experiences hallucinations and carefully crafts her tale to make it seem believable. The narrative reflexivity within the short story serves to add confusion and suspense to the text. The prologue places the reader in an aristocratic party atmosphere with friends competing to produce the best ghost story. It is through Douglas that the story of the housekeeper is read and his introduction gives thetone to the rest of the story. In setting up the story, Douglas tells his guests: “No one but me, until now, has ever heard of it. It's just too horrible” (TOS 1). This is the reader's introduction to the suspense to come, Douglas's introduction of the Governess in the prologue is intended to lend verisimilitude to her character, he describes her as "terribly intelligent" (TOS 2) and says that the only reason that she told him her story is because she liked it. These are the tactics used by James to make the Governess seem like a credible source from the beginning of the story; the reader is required to believe her and is put in the position of revealing her story through actions that show her intended heroism and declining sanity. The governess's actions speak to her attempt at heroism and against Blackmur's theory of a "bad conscience" throughout the novel. This is evident in the way he talks about children after his first interaction with an apparition: “They had nothing but me, and I… well, I had them. I was a screen: I had to stay in front of them. The more I saw, the less they would see” (TOS 27). He shows exhilaration when playing the role of hero, which is not in accordance with the temperament of a witch who needs “the vicar to exorcise her if not hang her” (Blackmur 185). By calling herself a “screen,” she demonstrates that she sees herself as a person who transparently offers refuge, wears a mask, and is aware that she does not show her true identity to children, but reflects the mentally unstable reality that exists within her to them. The Governess's intent is to protect the children, and although her actions call into question her mental state, James's constant descriptions of her naivety combined with her unwavering desire for heroism put to rest Blackmur's claim that which he is acting through demonic possession. The housekeeper's heroic nature and questionable credibility appear in the passage after her first meeting with Peter Quint. Although she has just emerged from a frightening experience, she applauds herself and seems to enjoy the situation she imagines herself in when she says, “I don't know how to put my story into words that are a believable picture of my state of mind; these days I could literally find joy in the extraordinary flight of heroism that the occasion required of me” (27) His use of the phrase “extraordinary flight” gives a superhero quality to his heroism, making his actions seem unreal and unreliable. By acknowledging his need to put his story into words and his questionable state of mind, he shows that he is reflecting and thinking about the best way to make his story seem real and he needs to create the his story in a way that makes it seem believable; it is this passage that forces the reader to question his credibility and sanity for the rest of the story. As the story progresses, more examples are given that force the reader to question the sanctity of the Governess. Upon arriving at Bly, she compares the house to a ship when she says: Wasn't it just a storybook that I had fallen asleep to and dreamed about? NO; it was a large, ugly, ancient but comfortable house, incorporating some features of an even older building, half moved and half used, in which I felt we were almost as lost as a handful of passengers on a large ship at sea. drifts. . Well, strangely enough, I was at the helm! (9) This passage marks the novel's initial foreshadowing of ruin; it depicts the children as shipwrecked in their own home, in need of rescue, and the Governess imagines being able to save them. The word “strangely” juxtaposes the idea of ​​the Governess as a hero by making it seem, 1983