# Chapter XXIII explained — The Turn of the Screw

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

## What happens

The governess confronts Miles alone, pressing him to confess what is on his mind. Miles deflects with charm and evasion, claiming he must see Luke, but the governess insists on a smaller admission: whether he took her letter from the hall table.

## Themes in this chapter

### Power and Control

The governess asserts authority over Miles, demanding a confession, while Miles uses charm and lies to maintain his own control.

### Innocence and Corruption

Miles's 'beautiful intercourse' is contrasted with the 'grossness and guilt' the governess forces upon him, blurring innocence and corruption.

### Isolation and Entrapment

The governess and Miles are alone together, circling each other in a tense, claustrophobic confrontation.

## Character check-ins

### The Governess

Presses Miles for a confession, feeling both hope and horror at her own coercion.

### Miles

Shows anxiety and fear for the first time, evades the governess's questions, and lies about needing to see Luke.

### Luke

Mentioned by Miles as a pretext to leave the room.

## Key lines

> I felt that I saw him, at any rate, shut in or shut out. He was admirable, but not comfortable: I took it in with a throb of hope.

I perceived that Miles was now the one trapped or excluded, and this realization filled me with hopeful excitement.

_The governess senses a shift in power, believing Miles is now the one under pressure._

> I have to see Luke.

Miles claims he must go meet Luke.

_Miles uses a transparent lie to escape the governess's interrogation._

> Tell me—oh, my work preoccupied me, and I was offhand!—if, yesterday afternoon, from the table in the hall, you took, you know, my letter.

Casually, as if distracted by my knitting, I asked Miles whether he had taken my letter from the hall table the previous afternoon.

_The governess finally poses the specific question about the stolen letter._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_turn_of_the_screw_se/chapters/xxiii
- 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