Turn of the Screw - use of ambiguity and tone
... this passage which better display, for the reader, the feelings associated with the events that unfold. As the passage begins, the scene is set with a tone of normalcy and tranquility. In sentence one, the governess sees a figure sitting at her desk and calmly processes the image. There is no sense of disturbance or question as to why this figure may be here, but appears simply commonplace as the governess describes her as one appearing to be a simple housemaid writing a letter to her sweetheart. Though it is implied by the governess’ interjectory statement, “without my previous experience,” in sentence one, referring to a previous encounter with this figure, that she knows this is Miss Jessel, she remains calm and collected, thus adding to the aforementioned tone. The second tone of indignation stems from the sudden change in the figure’s stance in sentence three that reveals her to, in fact, be Miss Jessel. The governess shows most clearly her feelings of indignation in sentence eight where she addresses Miss Jessel as “‘You terrible, miserable woman!’” As quickly as this tone appears it seems to instantaneously be replaced with a tone of relief and enlightenment. This tone is implied through sentence ten where the sun (alluding to a sense of lighter emotions) appears to the governess once more and she becomes overwhelmed with the sense that she must stay at Bly. The ambiguity in this passage is revealed through several statements that lead the reader to question how the event truly played out. The first is found in sentence one and questioned in sentence four. The governess asserts that the figure is writing “a letter to her sweetheart,” yet in sentence four the governess claims she is twelve feet away from the figure. This leads one to wonder how the governess could have known that the figure was writing a love letter. In sentence four the governess claims the figure to be her “vile predecessor” yet gives no evidence that the figure has done anything in the passage to fit this description. Finally, as stated in sentence ten, within a very small time period, the figure seemingly disappears without evidence of means or destination. This leaves the reader to question whether she really sees a ghost,...