The Turn of the Screw: A Chapter-by-Chapter Summary & Analysis
Prologue
1. According to Eleanor, what was especially frightening about the first ghost story?
The thing that was especially frightening about the first ghost story was the fact that the ghost appeared first to the small child.
2. How did Douglas know Catherine Blake, and when did they first meet?
Douglas knew Catherine Blake because she was his sister’s governess, and they first met one summer when Douglas came home from university.
3. What was the condition that came with the job of governess, and why did Lord Henry demand it?
The condition was that the person who would become governess to Miles and Flora would be completely responsible for them. Lord Henry demanded it because he didn’t want to be worried by any problems or questions about the children because he was a busy man.
Chapter 1
1. What was Catherine’s first impression of little Flora?
That little Flora was like an angel, so beautiful that she was difficult to describe.
2. What two things were strange on Catherine’s first evening at Bly?
One thing was Mrs. Grose’s happiness; the other strange thing was the cry of a child in the distance and the sound of footsteps that Catherine heard, or thought she heard, the first night at Bly.
Chapter 2
1. What did the headmaster say in his letter to Lord Henry, and what reason did he give for his decision?
The headmaster said that Miles couldn’t return to school after the holidays, but he didn’t give any clear reason for his decision.
2. How do we know that Mrs. Grose felt uncomfortable when she was talking about the previous governess?
Because her face turned red, and there was something strange in the way she said those words.
3. What did Catherine notice about Miles when she first met him at the train station?
She loved him immediately, and she saw that he had something angelic, that he was special.
4. How did Catherine feel about the two children and the place where she was living?
She was almost in love with the two children, and she felt very happy and free to live in such lovely surroundings.
Chapter 3
1. Describe Catherine’s first meeting with the stranger at the top of the tower and say how she felt.
The stranger didn’t move when he saw her, and he just continued to stare at Catherine while she was looking at him. She felt very cold.
2. What two possible explanations did Catherine give for the man on the tower?
First, she thought that it was one of the servants and then that it was a stranger who was curious about old mansions.
3. What did Catherine see when she went into the dining room to get her gloves?
She saw somebody standing outside the window. It was the same stranger that she saw on the tower.
4. How did Catherine describe the stranger to Mrs. Grose?
Catherine said that he was very sinister, elegantly dressed but not like a real gentleman, with small eyes and a wide mouth with thin lips.
5. According to Mrs. Grose, who was the stranger, what was his connection to Bly, and what happened to him?
The stranger was Peter Quint. He was Lord Henry’s assistant for years. He had been living the last year with Lord Henry at Bly, and then he stayed there and supervised some changes that Lord Henry wanted in the house. He was dead.
Chapter 4
1. Describe the relationship between Quint and Miss Jessel.
Miss Jessel loved Quint passionately, but he just laughed at her, and finally, he ended the relationship.
2. How did Flora react after she saw the two figures at the lake? Why was this strange?
First, she was staring at the figures, but when Catherine asked her if she knew those people, she acted as if no one was there. This was strange because Catherine was still seeing the figures across the lake.
Chapter 5
1. In Catherine’s opinion, who was the woman at the lake?
The woman was Miss Jessel.
2. How did Catherine describe Miss Jessel to Mrs. Grose?
She was dressed all in black, and she looked frightening, like a ghost, and she was evil.
3. Why did Quint go out with Miles so often?
Because Quint used excursions with Miles to be with Miss Jessel.
Chapter 6
1. What will Catherine do if there are any more “ghostly visits”?
She would try to stop Quint before he could visit Miles.
2. How did the children spend their days with Catherine?
They were spending the days very delightfully.
3. Why hadn’t Catherine tried to find a new school for Miles?
For some reasons she didn’t understand and because she was too busy with the mysterious events at Bly.
Chapter 7
1. What did Catherine understand after she looked into Quint’s eyes?
She realized that if she could stand and stare at him for a whole minute without fear, she would never be afraid of him again.
2. What happened when Catherine returned to her room?
She saw that Flora was not in her bed and that she was looking out of the window outside in the garden.
3. Why didn’t Catherine confront Flora about the ghosts?
Because she thought Flora would lie and deny everything.
Chapter 8
1. Describe what Flora was doing when Catherine woke up in the middle of the night.
She was standing behind the curtain again, looking out of the window, and she was completely absorbed in something.
2. Why was Catherine surprised when the moon moved from behind the cloud, and she could see more clearly?
Because when the moon moved, she saw that the person who was in the garden was Miles, not the woman at the lake.
3. What was Miles’ explanation for his “little trick”?
He said that he wanted to show that he could be bad too.
Chapter 9
1. In Catherine’s opinion, what did the ghosts want, and how were they trying to achieve it?
They wanted to possess Miles and Flora, and they would destroy them if they had to.
2. What two decisions did Catherine make to help the children?
The first decision was that the children mustn’t be allowed to communicate with their “ghostly visitors” anymore, and the second, that their uncle must come and take them away from there.
3. On what occasion did Miles behave badly?
He behaved badly once before when Mrs. Grose said to him that he couldn’t spend so much time with Quint. He reacted by insulting Mrs. Grose.
Chapter 10
1. What did Miles ask Catherine while they were walking to church together, and what was her reply?
He asked when he would return to school, and Catherine answered that there weren’t many people like him and that it would be better for him if he stayed at Bly. Mrs. Grose and she would protect him.
2. What did Miles suggest, and why did it make Catherine feel cold?
He asked Catherine if his uncle would think the same, reading Catherine’s mind.
3. Describe what Catherine saw when she went into her room. What was her first thought about it?
She saw that someone was sitting at her desk. She thought it was a servant taking the opportunity of her absence to write a letter, but then she turned, and Catherine saw that it was the ghostly Miss Jessel, sad and tragic, dark as night in her black dress.