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Why would anyone be afraid of the written word? In The Turn of the Screw, it’s because the written word is a symbol of … well, you can find out more if you give us 60 seconds to recap this symbol.

Video Transcription:

The governess’s manuscript and the letters she writes and receives actually have symbolic meaning in The Turn of the Screw. We’ll take a look at the power of the written word—coming up.

If James was looking for an antidote to ambiguity, he should have found it in the written word. That’s because in The Turn of the Screw, the written word is a symbol of truth. It’s only when things are written down that they become unalterably, unquestionably real.

Think about the way the governess balks at writing to the children’s uncle. Of course, he has made her promise that she won’t bother him. But isn’t there more significance to this request not to write—and the governess’s own desire not to? It’s like if she puts the events at Bly down on paper, she can never again deny what happened. And neither can he.

That said, let’s not forget the fact that the governess has written down everything about Bly’s mysterious goings-on in the form of a manuscript. It’s the very story you’re reading.

But don’t jump to conclusions too soon. Though the written word is a symbol of truth, it’s not a complete antidote to ambiguity in this story. Just as the letter to the children’s uncle is never sent, the manuscript is also incomplete. In the end, the written word itself succumbs to ambiguity—which, of course, was probably exactly what James intended.