BETWEEN DUTY AND SEX
写给未来的自己&造福全人类。
In the story of The Turn of the Screw, Henry James uses the perspective of a governess to disclose her haunting experience in a country home. In the beginning of the story, the governess was persuaded by the charming owner of the house to look after his nephew and niece, Miles and Flora. However, her encounters of keeping running into the ghosts of the dead valet Quint and dead predecessor Miss Jessel break the peace of the house. In order to accomplish her duty of being a governess, the governess gained a responsibility of protecting the children and finding of the truth. The kids and also Mrs. Grose, however, do not support and understand her actions and behavior in seeking the truth. In the end, her insistence in her duty even scared Flora, which resulted in her illness and also consequently cause the final death of Miles. The value of the book is more than the story itself but also on the narrator’s language. In the novel, Henry James uses the symbol of “duty” to imply the governess’s overwhelming care for the children which goes over her responsibility of her job. By using the word “duty”, the governess’s action of protection can be explained because of her bond with the innocent children and her crush on the handsome employer. This essay will be emphasized on how the symbol of duty becomes the reason that the governess go beyond her responsibility as a normal employer which cares too much about Flora and Miles. Moreover, the essay will also focus on explaining how the duty implies the governess’s admiration towards her employer.
The word “duty” comes up as an explanation and reason for the governess every time she intends to instruct and protect the child. The word “duty” is explained by OED as “The action and conduct due to a superior.” In the story, as the landowner employs the governess, the employer and the kids who represent as a higher class, own the superior power and duty to provide food, shelter and safety for the governess. However, the job obligation of the governess is to instruct and accompany the kids. The kids have to listen to her and learn all knowledge from her. From this aspect, she has a superior power over the kids as a governess. This new duty, which is a new power for the governess, enables her to control and protect the kids even as a lower class people to the family. The change for the governess identity, from a lower class society girl to a governess in the upper class society, gives her a strong sense of responsibility to the kids. This idea can be testified by her experience when she met the ghost of Quint for the second time.
’‘The flash of this knowledge—for it was knowledge in the midst of dread—produced in me the most extraordinary effect, starting, as I stood there, a sudden vibration of duty and courage. I say courage because I was beyond all doubt already far gone…but I took in the whole scene—I gave him time to reappear.’‘ (20)
From this sentence we can see that, by contrasting to the feeling of “dread”, her mind has a “vibration” of duty to confront the ghost and protect the children after she got the “knowledge” the ghost is not finding her. Moreover, she is even waiting for the second time for the ghost to reappear. Here, the use of word “duty” becomes a reason that the governess gave herself to seek the truth. Such a word got repetitive also when she tries to report the story to Mrs. Grose. “Mrs. Grose at last turned round, and there was still more in her face. ‘I couldn’t have come out.’ ‘Neither could I!’ I laughed again. ‘But I did come. I’ve my duty.” (23) From these two passages we can see that, even though it’s the upper class’s duty to protect the peace of the house for the governess, the governess generates herself a duty to protect the house, which was not her duty at all. Compared to Mrs. Grose’s indifference to such story, the governess shows her extra and extreme attention to the peculiar things happening around and explains to herself and Mrs. Grose the reason she is doing this is her “duty”. My focus from now on will be on where does such duty comes from and why.
Firstly I observe the reason for her carrying this duty is her bond to the children stimulates her to become a good guard and protector of the shelter and the children. She protects the kids because of her responsibility towards the two children. As the analysis above shows, the title of governess results in her inferior position to her employer and the kids. However, now she is having a right to “rule over” the higher class kids and get them all under her protection. Such a feeling of being able to generates her bravery to protect the kids. According to the governess, she think: “We were cut off, really, together; we were united in our danger. They had nothing but me, and I- well, I had them.” (27) This sentence points out her intention to protect the kids because they “had nothing but me”. She generates the strong sense of responsibility to guard them from harm. Moreover, in the story, after the governess has the suspicion that the ghost is chasing after Miles, she thinks:
‘’I had an absolute certainty that I should see again what I had already seen, but something within me said that by offering myself bravely as the sole subject of such experience, by accepting, by inviting, by surmounting it all, I should serve as an expiatory victim and guard the tranquility of the rest of the household. The children in special I should thus fence about and absolutely save.‘’ (25)
In this sentence, the word “expiatory” becomes a really interesting point. The word explanation in OED of “expiatory” is “to extinguish the guilt of one’s sin”. Such use of word represents her guilt of unable to solve all the strange things around her for the children. Although she thinks that she is a victim who suffers in this matter, she is also thinking that she owes the kids if she can’t figure the things out. Here she recognizes herself as “brave” indicates her proud of being a guard for the kids and household. She even thinks she has the ability to “fence” and “save” the children, which two words imply her sense of heroism. Moreover, in the whole story the governess has nothing related to the ghosts, however, she implies that it is her guilt which destroy “the tranquility of the rest of the household”. Such sentence also makes me think of the children’s uncle when he said that he wanted nothing to be reported and bothered.
By getting the hint from the above sentence, I will further go on to discuss the governess’s hope to impress the employer and being accepted by the upper class. By using the symbol of duty, the writer implies the governess’s ambition to be accepted and rewarded by the higher class society. In the beginning of the novel, when the governess first meets her employer and takes the job, only by holding her hand and thanking her, “she already felt rewarded.” (6) This sentence shows the inequality between the positions of the two. In the governess’s mind, being thanked by the charming and wealthy employer a reward. Such sentiment shows the governess’s preoccupation of her lower class standing. When being positively rewarded by the upper class people, she feels like getting closer to their life. Moreover, she feels rewarded is not only because of the recognition from upper class, but also because she is being awarded by the man she likes, the charming and wealthy landowner. In the story, her crush on the good-looking man is also a reason she takes the job. As a result, when she has the haunted experience, instead of being afraid, she generates a sense of excitement because she sees it as a chance to get closer to her charming employer.
‘’I scarce know how to put my story into words that shall be a credible picture of my state of mind; but I was in these days literally able to find a joy in the extraordinary flight of heroism the occasion demanded of me. I now saw that I had been asked for a service admirable and difficult; and there would be a greatness in letting it be seen—oh in the right quarter! —that I could succeed where many other girl might have failed. It was an immense help to me—I confess I rather applaud myself as I look back! —that I saw my response so strongly and so simply.‘’ (27)
The word “flight” shows the rapidness of the rising joy, which is generated by being a hero. Here by describing the joy, the author shows her proud of being a hero. Moreover, she named her “service” as “admirable” and the total action as “greatness”, which “succeed where many other girl might have failed”. Such description indicates her intention to impress the land owner and the two kids, who represents the higher class. The reason for why she would like to compare herself to the other girl indicates her concerns and care towards the charming employer. Because of her affection to the employer, she has the intention to do a thing “great” and “admirable” enough to impress the man. As a result, we can see the reason for the governess to be eager to take responsibility of this duty is because of her admiration to the employer and her attempt to being accepted by the upper class society.
The governess’s crush on the wealthy employer was secretly implicated by the author at the very beginning of the book but became clear when she was in the mood of angry and says directly of what she really meant. When Flora declared her dislike feeling towards the governess, she explained the reason to Mrs. Grose as:
“Yes, miss; but to what end?” “
Why that of dealing with me to her uncle. She will make me out to him the lowest creature—!”
I winced at the fair show of the scene in Mrs. Grose’s face; she looked for a minute as if she sharply saw them together. “And him who thinks so well of you!” “He has an odd way—it comes over me now,’”I laughed, “of proving it! But that doesn’t matter. What Flora wants of course is to get rid of me.” (72)
Here she uses “get rid of” to show her suspicion to Flora that she is getting her away from her uncle. Moreover, when her wish to being rewarded by protecting them is intermediated by Flora’s resentment, she reflects her real purpose by explaining to Mrs. Grose what Flora was thinking. According to the passage, her uncle “thinks so well of” her ability and protection to the kids. However, Flora’s resentment is getting her away from her uncle’s high expectation, which may cut her relationship with the higher class society. Moreover, her expectation of being with Flora’s uncle will not come true if she herself is not an excellent governess who can impress her. As a result, the symbol of duty here implies the governess’s eagerness of being acknowledged and admired by her uncle, which becomes a main reason for the governess to generate her duty to protect them.
In conclusion, the symbolism of duty in the novel here boosts the progress of the story by showing the governess’s eager to protect the children because of her bond and responsibility to the children and also the admiration of her employer and also the joy of recognition by upper class society. Moreover, the duty reflects the differences between upper class society and lower class society.
Work Cited Page
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw:authoriatative Text, Context, Criticism. Second ed. New York: W.W.Norton&, 1999. Print. Edited by Deborah Esch and Jonathan Warren
In the story of The Turn of the Screw, Henry James uses the perspective of a governess to disclose her haunting experience in a country home. In the beginning of the story, the governess was persuaded by the charming owner of the house to look after his nephew and niece, Miles and Flora. However, her encounters of keeping running into the ghosts of the dead valet Quint and dead predecessor Miss Jessel break the peace of the house. In order to accomplish her duty of being a governess, the governess gained a responsibility of protecting the children and finding of the truth. The kids and also Mrs. Grose, however, do not support and understand her actions and behavior in seeking the truth. In the end, her insistence in her duty even scared Flora, which resulted in her illness and also consequently cause the final death of Miles. The value of the book is more than the story itself but also on the narrator’s language. In the novel, Henry James uses the symbol of “duty” to imply the governess’s overwhelming care for the children which goes over her responsibility of her job. By using the word “duty”, the governess’s action of protection can be explained because of her bond with the innocent children and her crush on the handsome employer. This essay will be emphasized on how the symbol of duty becomes the reason that the governess go beyond her responsibility as a normal employer which cares too much about Flora and Miles. Moreover, the essay will also focus on explaining how the duty implies the governess’s admiration towards her employer.
The word “duty” comes up as an explanation and reason for the governess every time she intends to instruct and protect the child. The word “duty” is explained by OED as “The action and conduct due to a superior.” In the story, as the landowner employs the governess, the employer and the kids who represent as a higher class, own the superior power and duty to provide food, shelter and safety for the governess. However, the job obligation of the governess is to instruct and accompany the kids. The kids have to listen to her and learn all knowledge from her. From this aspect, she has a superior power over the kids as a governess. This new duty, which is a new power for the governess, enables her to control and protect the kids even as a lower class people to the family. The change for the governess identity, from a lower class society girl to a governess in the upper class society, gives her a strong sense of responsibility to the kids. This idea can be testified by her experience when she met the ghost of Quint for the second time.
’‘The flash of this knowledge—for it was knowledge in the midst of dread—produced in me the most extraordinary effect, starting, as I stood there, a sudden vibration of duty and courage. I say courage because I was beyond all doubt already far gone…but I took in the whole scene—I gave him time to reappear.’‘ (20)
From this sentence we can see that, by contrasting to the feeling of “dread”, her mind has a “vibration” of duty to confront the ghost and protect the children after she got the “knowledge” the ghost is not finding her. Moreover, she is even waiting for the second time for the ghost to reappear. Here, the use of word “duty” becomes a reason that the governess gave herself to seek the truth. Such a word got repetitive also when she tries to report the story to Mrs. Grose. “Mrs. Grose at last turned round, and there was still more in her face. ‘I couldn’t have come out.’ ‘Neither could I!’ I laughed again. ‘But I did come. I’ve my duty.” (23) From these two passages we can see that, even though it’s the upper class’s duty to protect the peace of the house for the governess, the governess generates herself a duty to protect the house, which was not her duty at all. Compared to Mrs. Grose’s indifference to such story, the governess shows her extra and extreme attention to the peculiar things happening around and explains to herself and Mrs. Grose the reason she is doing this is her “duty”. My focus from now on will be on where does such duty comes from and why.
Firstly I observe the reason for her carrying this duty is her bond to the children stimulates her to become a good guard and protector of the shelter and the children. She protects the kids because of her responsibility towards the two children. As the analysis above shows, the title of governess results in her inferior position to her employer and the kids. However, now she is having a right to “rule over” the higher class kids and get them all under her protection. Such a feeling of being able to generates her bravery to protect the kids. According to the governess, she think: “We were cut off, really, together; we were united in our danger. They had nothing but me, and I- well, I had them.” (27) This sentence points out her intention to protect the kids because they “had nothing but me”. She generates the strong sense of responsibility to guard them from harm. Moreover, in the story, after the governess has the suspicion that the ghost is chasing after Miles, she thinks:
‘’I had an absolute certainty that I should see again what I had already seen, but something within me said that by offering myself bravely as the sole subject of such experience, by accepting, by inviting, by surmounting it all, I should serve as an expiatory victim and guard the tranquility of the rest of the household. The children in special I should thus fence about and absolutely save.‘’ (25)
In this sentence, the word “expiatory” becomes a really interesting point. The word explanation in OED of “expiatory” is “to extinguish the guilt of one’s sin”. Such use of word represents her guilt of unable to solve all the strange things around her for the children. Although she thinks that she is a victim who suffers in this matter, she is also thinking that she owes the kids if she can’t figure the things out. Here she recognizes herself as “brave” indicates her proud of being a guard for the kids and household. She even thinks she has the ability to “fence” and “save” the children, which two words imply her sense of heroism. Moreover, in the whole story the governess has nothing related to the ghosts, however, she implies that it is her guilt which destroy “the tranquility of the rest of the household”. Such sentence also makes me think of the children’s uncle when he said that he wanted nothing to be reported and bothered.
By getting the hint from the above sentence, I will further go on to discuss the governess’s hope to impress the employer and being accepted by the upper class. By using the symbol of duty, the writer implies the governess’s ambition to be accepted and rewarded by the higher class society. In the beginning of the novel, when the governess first meets her employer and takes the job, only by holding her hand and thanking her, “she already felt rewarded.” (6) This sentence shows the inequality between the positions of the two. In the governess’s mind, being thanked by the charming and wealthy employer a reward. Such sentiment shows the governess’s preoccupation of her lower class standing. When being positively rewarded by the upper class people, she feels like getting closer to their life. Moreover, she feels rewarded is not only because of the recognition from upper class, but also because she is being awarded by the man she likes, the charming and wealthy landowner. In the story, her crush on the good-looking man is also a reason she takes the job. As a result, when she has the haunted experience, instead of being afraid, she generates a sense of excitement because she sees it as a chance to get closer to her charming employer.
‘’I scarce know how to put my story into words that shall be a credible picture of my state of mind; but I was in these days literally able to find a joy in the extraordinary flight of heroism the occasion demanded of me. I now saw that I had been asked for a service admirable and difficult; and there would be a greatness in letting it be seen—oh in the right quarter! —that I could succeed where many other girl might have failed. It was an immense help to me—I confess I rather applaud myself as I look back! —that I saw my response so strongly and so simply.‘’ (27)
The word “flight” shows the rapidness of the rising joy, which is generated by being a hero. Here by describing the joy, the author shows her proud of being a hero. Moreover, she named her “service” as “admirable” and the total action as “greatness”, which “succeed where many other girl might have failed”. Such description indicates her intention to impress the land owner and the two kids, who represents the higher class. The reason for why she would like to compare herself to the other girl indicates her concerns and care towards the charming employer. Because of her affection to the employer, she has the intention to do a thing “great” and “admirable” enough to impress the man. As a result, we can see the reason for the governess to be eager to take responsibility of this duty is because of her admiration to the employer and her attempt to being accepted by the upper class society.
The governess’s crush on the wealthy employer was secretly implicated by the author at the very beginning of the book but became clear when she was in the mood of angry and says directly of what she really meant. When Flora declared her dislike feeling towards the governess, she explained the reason to Mrs. Grose as:
“Yes, miss; but to what end?” “
Why that of dealing with me to her uncle. She will make me out to him the lowest creature—!”
I winced at the fair show of the scene in Mrs. Grose’s face; she looked for a minute as if she sharply saw them together. “And him who thinks so well of you!” “He has an odd way—it comes over me now,’”I laughed, “of proving it! But that doesn’t matter. What Flora wants of course is to get rid of me.” (72)
Here she uses “get rid of” to show her suspicion to Flora that she is getting her away from her uncle. Moreover, when her wish to being rewarded by protecting them is intermediated by Flora’s resentment, she reflects her real purpose by explaining to Mrs. Grose what Flora was thinking. According to the passage, her uncle “thinks so well of” her ability and protection to the kids. However, Flora’s resentment is getting her away from her uncle’s high expectation, which may cut her relationship with the higher class society. Moreover, her expectation of being with Flora’s uncle will not come true if she herself is not an excellent governess who can impress her. As a result, the symbol of duty here implies the governess’s eagerness of being acknowledged and admired by her uncle, which becomes a main reason for the governess to generate her duty to protect them.
In conclusion, the symbolism of duty in the novel here boosts the progress of the story by showing the governess’s eager to protect the children because of her bond and responsibility to the children and also the admiration of her employer and also the joy of recognition by upper class society. Moreover, the duty reflects the differences between upper class society and lower class society.
Work Cited Page
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw:authoriatative Text, Context, Criticism. Second ed. New York: W.W.Norton&, 1999. Print. Edited by Deborah Esch and Jonathan Warren
有关键情节透露
- 作者: Henry James
- 出版: W. W. Norton & Co.
- 定价: GBP 7.99
- 装帧: Paperback
- 页数: 288
- 时间: 1999-7-17