The Turn of the Screw

The governess accepts that her only course of action is to watch the children for any tell-tale signs and to wait for the next incident. She worries the children may notice a change in her, even as their own charming behavior shifts noticeably into overdrive. More eager than ever to please and entertain her, they are continually “telling her stories, acting her charades, pouncing out at her in disguises, […] and above all astonishing her” (46) with their cleverness. The governess allows their sweetness to lull her fears, knowing full well that her reprieve from dread won’t last.

Throughout the story the governess foregrounds her role as narrator, as she does now when she admits, “I find that I really hang back; but I must take my horrid plunge” and continue “the record of what was hideous at Bly” (47). She accordingly revisits the night when, while reading by candlelight as the rest of Bly sleeps, she succumbs to an irresistible impulse to leave her chamber. With her candle in hand, she passes Flora’s bed, positioned near her own, exits the room, and approaches the large window by the staircase. Just as her candle goes out, she becomes aware of a figure ascending the stairs.