The Turn of the Screw Thesis: The message of Henry Jame

B. James "turns the screw" on the conventional notion of evil, introducing the innocence of good children.

C. James does not "Preach," but rather presents the evil in his story almost dispassionately, at least in terms of his own judgment of it.

A. Some see the story as a masterpiece; others seem to curse its very publication as a sign of evil, calling it "very cruel and untrue."

B. The story is not a scientific treatise, but an exploration of the unknown and unknowable nature of evil.

C. It is meant to entertain, but also to enlighten as to the more subtle and complex nature of evil.

A. Whatever the interpretation of the story, of the evil portrayed, James has clearly meant to convey the "message" that evil is present as a mysterious and Powerfully horrifying force.

Henry James' short novel The Turn of the Screw has as its central message the subtle and powerful suggestion that evil as it is expressed in human affairs is even more horrifying than most human beings imagine. Despite th

. . .
entific precision. But the clever result is very cruel and untrue" (Kimbrough 173). The reviewer looks at James' art as if it were a scientific treatise. He considers the story an attempt at some "proof" or other --- that ghosts exist, that such evil exists, that children could ever partake of evil so willingly and gleefully. But the message of the story has nothing to do with a theory or a proof. James is an artist, not a scientist, and however subtle his examination of evil may be, it is not the subtlety or the investigation of a scientist in his laboratory. The laboratory of the artist is what is unknown about human life --- not what is known, or even knowable. The reaction of critics to the story tells us more about the critic than about the story, although it is clear that the intensity of the reactions flows from the intensity of the story. Not even the harshest critic of the story dismisses it as simply a wordy ghost story. In fact, those who criticize the story seem to have been even more deeply touched in some way than those who praise it. Those who passionately reject the worth of the story may well be those who best understand the implications of the horrors of evil which James' story presents. Some who pra
. . .

Some common words found in the essay are:
Henry James, Despite James, II Body, James' Screw, Henry James', Conclusion Whatever, Introduction Thesis, James Preach, ghost story, message evil, , nature evil, message story, story evil, human affairs, james' story, seen evil, henry james', Kimbrough Robert, evil portrayed james, evil innocent, evil whoever seen, whoever seen evil, henry james' screw, evil james' story,
Approximate Word count = 1564
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)