Bowman 1
Amber Bowman
Wellens
Dual Enrollment English
10 November 2009
The Turn of the Screw vs. The Others
Can a movie and a novella be similar when one is based off the other? The answer is yes in accordance to The Turn of the Screw and The Others. Although both works have significant differences, they also both have significant similarities. Both are ghost stories and focus on the relationships between the supernatural beings and the children. Each story brings fear and curiosity to the reader or viewer. But not every character is the same and reacts the same to the encounters he or she has with the ghosts. Going beyond the obvious, though, it is clear to depict the more though-provoking elements in each piece. These elements include: the use of gothic elements, the development of suspense, each work as a psychological thriller, innocence corrupted, and perception versus reality.
There is a terrifying atmosphere at both Bly and the Jersey mansion. The homes are creepy and have an eerie feeling about them. The curtains are mostly always shut at the Jersey mansion, adding to the dark, gothic element. It is also dark at Bly; the house is big and antique. As if each house being haunted with ghosts wasn’t scary enough, they both were in seclusion from all other forms of civilization. Bly was a country home, standing alone on empty land. The Jersey mansion was practically all alone on an island. The extensive use of gothic elements made the development of suspense all the much more thrilling.
The protagonists of each piece (the governess and Grace) hear faint noises of children. They both hear children crying. They are further convinced that the voices may be those of supernatural beings when their “safe elements” are tampered with. For instance, in The Others, Grace finds that all of the curtains in the household are gone and are nowhere to be found. In The Turn of the Screw, the governess’ candlelight is blown out on various occasions. These strange occurrences completely freak the protagonists out. More scenes of suspense are when the characters have encounters with the ghosts. The governess sees Quint staring at her from the towers. She also sees him on the staircase. During both scenes there is silence. She also sees Mrs. Jessel—down the staircase and across the lake. There too is there complete silence. All characters in the novella seem to have seen the ghosts. In the movie, only Anne claims to have seen them (Victor and the old scary lady). Grace constantly hears noises throughout the mansion. She also notices that the doors open after she locks them. The development of suspense is never-ending in both the novella and the movie. The suspense at the ends in each differs, though. The Others has a predictable ending. The “For Sale” sign represents the continuous cycle of the dead living with the living. The Turn of the Screw has a twisted, confusing ending. The reader is left to wonder who the true victim is—Peter Quint or the governess herself. Miles’ last words, “You devil!” before his heart stops, leaves us only to assume whom he was referring to.
Both pieces are psychological thrillers. The plots mess with the audience’s minds. Not only are we left to solve the mystery of the plot, but we also must solve the mystery of the characters. Examples include the servants showing up in The Others (why are they so secretive?), why Miles was expelled from school in The Turn of the Screw, and why in The Turn of the Screw Mrs. Grose seems to be leaving out vital information while she is questioned by the governess. As in almost all other psychological thrillers, the protagonists in both works have lost their sanity. The governess thinks the kids are evil and deceptive since they will not come clean about seeing Quint and Jessel. Grace thinks that Anne is making her ghost encounters up in the beginning, whereas in the end, Grace feels she is hearing and seeing unexplainable things. She feels crazy to believe in the supernatural.
The governess believes the ghosts of Peter Quint and Mrs. Jessel will corrupt the innocent children. She is fearful of what the ghosts have told, and will tell, the children. When the children are walking on the lawn, the governess thinks they are planning their next encounters with Quint and Jessel. Fear, not facts, drives the governess to assume corruption. Maybe the ghosts are mental threats to the children, or maybe the governess is going mad. It is safe to assume that they are possibly a physical threat as well. Depending on the reader’s perception, Miles’ death can be blamed on Quint.
In both pieces the characters claim to see or hear supernatural beings. They perceive themselves as the ghosts’ victims. Perception versus reality differs greatly between The Others and The Turn of the Screw. In The Others, Grace and her children think they are the ones that are alive and being haunted by ghosts. In the end, it is evident that she and the children are the ghosts and they are the ones that are haunting the mansion. They see fellow ghosts (Mills, Tuttle, Lydia) as being alive. In The Turn of the Screw, Quint and Jessel appear ghostly. It is easy to distinguish between the living and the dead in the novella.
The novella and the film are distinct works, but deep literary elements compare them.