I explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Innocence and Corruption

  Flora is presented as an innocent, angelic child, but the governess's faint unease hints at underlying corruption.

• Appearance vs. Reality

  The beautiful and welcoming exterior of Bly and its inhabitants contrasts with the governess's growing sense of something amiss.

• Isolation and Entrapment

  The governess feels both awe and a slight oppression from the scale and isolation of Bly, comparing it to a drifting ship.

Characters to notice

• The Governess

  Arrives at Bly, meets Flora and Mrs. Grose, and begins to feel both excitement and a slight sense of oppression.

• Mrs. Grose

  Welcomes the governess warmly but with a hint of guardedness; provides information about the children and the household.

• Flora

  The governess's young pupil, described as angelically beautiful and confident; she shows the governess around Bly.

• Miles

  Mentioned as the governess's other pupil, expected to arrive on Friday.

• The Master

  The governess's employer, who hired her in Harley Street and is described as a gentleman.

Key passages

• “I remember the whole beginning as a succession of flights and drops, a little seesaw of the right throbs and the wrong.”

  The governess recalls her initial emotions as a series of highs and lows, uncertain whether she made the right decision.

  Reflects her inner turmoil and doubt about her new position.

• “She was the most beautiful child I had ever seen, and I afterward wondered that my employer had not told me more of her.”

  The governess is struck by Flora's extraordinary beauty and wonders why the master didn't mention her more.

  Highlights the governess's immediate enchantment with Flora and hints at possible omissions in the master's description.