The story in one page
A young, inexperienced governess takes a post at Bly, a secluded estate, under strict orders never to bother her employer in London. She finds the children, Miles and Flora, to be unnervingly perfect specimens of innocence until she spots a strange man on the tower and a woman by the lake. She learns these are the ghosts of Peter Quint and Miss Jessel, former employees who died under mysterious circumstances. Convinced the spirits are corrupting the children, the governess wages a psychological war to force a confession. Her crusade for their souls culminates in a final, terrifying standoff that leaves one child spiritually fractured and the other dead.
Who's who
- The Governess
A clergyman's daughter whose protective instincts border on obsessive mania.
- Miles
A precocious ten-year-old boy expelled from school for unspecified wickedness.
- Flora
An ethereal young girl who eventually rebels against her caretaker.
- Mrs. Grose
The illiterate, loyal housekeeper who serves as the governess's only confidante.
- Peter Quint
The deceased valet whose ghost haunts the grounds and the children.
What it's really about
- Corrupted Innocence
- The terrifying possibility that children harbor secret, adult knowledge.
- Unreliable Perception
- The ambiguity of whether the ghosts are real or hallucinations.
Why it's memorable
- The silent, staring face of Peter Quint appearing outside the dining room window.
- Miles standing in his nightgown on the lawn, staring up at the tower.
The ending, explained
Spoilers — show the ending
As the governess screams at the apparition of Peter Quint, Miles finally names the ghost, but the shock of the exorcism is too great; he dies in her arms while she claims to have saved him.
For your book club
- Are the ghosts external threats or projections of the governess's repressed anxieties?
- Does Miles die from the ghost's influence or from the governess's suffocating physical grasp?