The Turn of the Screw

Use these essay questions as writing and critical thinking exercises for all levels of writers, and to build their literary analysis skills by requiring textual references throughout the essay.

Differentiation Suggestion: For English learners or struggling writers, strategies that work well include graphic organizers, sentence frames or starters, group work, or oral responses.

Scaffolded Essay Questions

Student Prompt: Write a short (1-3 paragraph) response using one of the bulleted outlines below. Cite details from the text over the course of your response that serve as examples and support.

1. The governess sees Mrs. Grose as a “simple plain clean wholesome woman” (10), but her narrative allows readers to speculate that the housekeeper is a complex character who is manipulating the governess for her own reasons.

• Taking both positions into account, is Mrs. Grose as simple as she appears to the governess? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 examples from the text and analyze how they exemplify the true nature of Mrs. Grose.
• In which ways does Mrs. Grose’s characterization speak to the novella’s larger theme of Ambiguity and The Limits of Knowledge?

2. Although there are no explicit textual references to sexuality, the novella invites the reader to interpret Mrs. Grose’s claim that “Quint was much too free” (32) with the children as having sexual connotations.

• What is the novella’s overall viewpoint regarding sexuality? (topic sentence)
• Identify 2-3 examples from the text to support either the assertion that the novella condemns sexuality as evil or that it critiques the social prohibitions that control sexuality.
• Ultimately, how does the novella connect with the broader theme of Sexuality and The End of Innocence?

3. Throughout the novella, the characters refer to instances of what they believe to be proper and improper behavior.

• How is gender and proper behavior linked? (topic sentence)
• Find 2-3 examples where the governess makes a reference to socially acceptable or unacceptable behavior.
• How do these standard behaviors speak to the larger theme of The Social Control of Female Identity?

Full Essay Assignments

Student Prompt: Write a structured and well-developed essay. Include a thesis statement, at least three main points supported by textual details, and a conclusion.

1.  In which ways has the study of sexuality informed literary criticism of James’s story? How has the interpretation of the governess as a “hysterical” female, for example, changed over time?

2.  How does gender play a role in the novella? Consider both the main narrative as well as the framed narrative. Considering the governess’s gender and social class, explain why her name is never revealed.

3. What are the governess’s motivations for writing the memoir? In what ways does the structure of the novella mute her voice? How does this contribute to the pervasive sense of ambiguity throughout the narrative?