# Chapter III explained — The Turn of the Screw

> Chapter companion for The Turn of the Screw by Henry James.

## What happens

The governess describes her initial enchantment with Miles, whom she finds impossibly beautiful and innocent, and her decision to ignore the letter about his expulsion. She forms a pact with Mrs. Grose to see the matter out. Later, during her solitary evening walks, she sees a mysterious man on the tower—a figure she initially mistakes for someone else but realizes is a stranger—who fixes her with a long, unsettling stare before moving away.

## Themes in this chapter

### Innocence and Corruption

The governess perceives Miles as possessing a 'sweetness of innocence' and a 'divine' purity, yet she is haunted by the 'horrible letter' that suggests corruption.

### Appearance vs. Reality

The governess's initial vision of a 'charming story' meeting someone turns into a shocking encounter with a stranger on the tower, challenging her perception of reality.

### The Supernatural and Psychological Terror

The appearance of the mysterious figure on the tower, described with a 'shock much greater than any vision had allowed for,' introduces an element of psychological terror.

### Isolation and Entrapment

The governess feels 'off my guard' and describes the situation as a 'trap' to her imagination, while the solitary encounter on the tower underscores her isolation.

## Character check-ins

### The Governess

Describes her infatuation with Miles and her decision to ignore the letter; later, during her evening walk, she sees a mysterious man on the tower.

### Miles

Arrives at Bly; the governess is struck by his beauty and innocence, and she decides to ignore the letter about his expulsion.

### Mrs. Grose

Shares a private word with the governess about the letter; they embrace and vow to see the matter out together.

### Flora

Mentioned as having been seen by the governess with the same freshness and purity as Miles; earlier she had led the governess to the tower.

### Peter Quint

The mysterious man on the tower is not yet identified as Quint, but the governess notes he is a stranger, not anyone she has seen before.

### The Master

Referenced as the person to whose pressure the governess responded; she hopes he will approve of her conduct.

## Key lines

> He was incredibly beautiful, and Mrs. Grose had put her finger on it: everything but a sort of passion of tenderness for him was swept away by his presence.

Miles was so beautiful that any thought except a deep affection for him vanished from the governess's mind.

_The governess's immediate emotional response to Miles's appearance._

> I was lifted aloft on a great wave of infatuation and pity.

The governess felt carried away by a powerful mix of adoration and compassion.

_Describes her emotional state as she decides to protect Miles._

> The change was actually like the spring of a beast.

The sudden shift in atmosphere felt like a wild animal pouncing.

_Foreshadows the disturbing encounter on the tower._

> What arrested me on the spot—and with a shock much greater than any vision had allowed for—was the sense that my imagination had, in a flash, turned real.

The governess was stopped cold by the realization that her daydream had suddenly become a terrifying reality.

_The moment she sees the figure on the tower._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_turn_of_the_screw_se/chapters/iii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_turn_of_the_screw_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_turn_of_the_screw_se/chapters