Chapters 6-10
Grace, Charlotte, Labonno,
Rebecca
Summary
• The governess sees the female ghost with Flora for the first time
• Identifies the female ghost as Miss Jessel with Mrs. Grose
• The governess is informed of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel’s scandalous
relationship.
• Decides that the children can see the ghosts and that the kids are
corrupted by them.
• Then she sees the kids again and cannot imagine that they are deceiving
her purposefully.
• Finds out about Miles & Quint’s relationship
• Period of relative calm & happiness clouded by suspicion
• See’s Quint for the third time
• Flora is out of bed and at the window
• See’s Miss Jessel at the bottom of the steps
• Comes back to her room to see Flora at the window again
• Looks out another window of the house to see what Flora is looking at
and discovers it is Miles.
How reliable is the governess?
In these four chapters, the governess begins to
make outlandish assumptions about the children
and the ghosts causing the reader to question
whether her claims can be taken at face value.
• "He was looking for little Miles." A portentous
clearness now possessed me. "That's whom he was
looking for." "But how do you know?" "I know, I
know, I know!" My exaltation grew. "And you know,
my dear!" (Chapter VI)
Reliability of governess cont.
• "To gaze into the depths of blue of the child’s eyes and
pronounce their loveliness a trick of premature cunning
was to be guilty of a cynicism in preference to which I
naturally preferred to abjure my judgment and, so far as
might be, my agitation.” (Chapter VII)
• "At that moment, in the state of my nerves, I absolutely
believed she lied; and if I once more closed my eyes it was
before the dazzle of the three or four possible ways in which
I might take this up." (Chapter X)
Are the children corrupt?
The governess begins to believe that the children
can see the ghosts and have been corrupted by
their presence, however it is very unclear as to
whether their actions are influenced by the ghosts
or are just purely innocent.
• “I don’t do it!” I sobbed in despair; “I don’t save or
shield them! It’s far worse than I dreamed– they ‘re
lost!” (Chapter VII)
• “The presence on the lawn– I felt sick as I made it
out– was poor little Miles himself.”(Chapter X)
Children corrupt? Cont.
• “They got their little tasks as if they loved them, and
indulged, from the mere exuberance of the gift, in the
most un-imposed little miracles of memory. They not
only popped out at me as tigers and as Romans, but
as Shakespeareans, astronomers, and navigators.”
(Chapter IX)
• "Oh, but you know," she quite adequately answered,
"that you might come back, you dear, and that you
have!" (Chapter X)
Does Mrs. Grose believe the governess & how
does their relationship begin to change?
The Governess is intimidating Mrs. Grose’s into believing in her perceptions about the
ghosts as well as Miles and Flora to the point where Mrs. Grose begins to get frustrated
with her constant questioning. It is unclear wether Mrs. Grose truly believes the
governess or is just going a long with it.
• “Miss Jessel. You don’t believe me?” I pressed.
She turned right and left in her distress. “How can you be sure?”
(Chapter VII)
• "You do know, you dear thing," I replied; "only you haven't my dreadful boldness of
mind, and you keep back, out of timidity and modesty and delicacy, even the
impression that, in the past, when you had, without my aid, to flounder about in
silence, most of all made you miserable. But I shall get it out of you yet! (Chapter
VIII)
• “I don’t wonder you looked queer,” I persisted, “when I mentioned to you the letter
from his school!” “I doubt if I looked as queer as you!” she retorted with homely force.
“And if he was so bad then as that comes to, how is he such an angel now?” (Chapter
VIII)
Is her growing paranoia warranted?
• Insane or normal?
• “There were moments when, by an irresistible
impulse, found myself catching them up and pressing
them to my heart. As soon as I had done so I used to
say to myself: “What will they think of that? Doesn’t
it betray too much?” (Chapter IX)
• “I repeatedly sat up till I didn’t know when; I selected
moments when my roommate unmistakably slept,
and, stealing out, took noiseless turns in the passage
and even pushed as far as to where I had last met
Quint.” (Chapter X)
Paranoia cont.
• “It was a pity that I needed once more to describe the
portentous little activity by which she sought to
divert my attention--the perceptible increase of
movement, the greater intensity of play, the singing,
the gabbling of nonsense, and the invitation to
romp.” (Chapter VIII)
• "No, no—there are depths, depths! The more I go
over it, the more I see in it, and the more I see in it,
the more I fear. I don't know what I DON'T see—
what I DON'T fear!" (Chapter VII)