Allegories of boredom in The Shining and the Turn of the Screw
Introduction
Henry James’ “Turn of the Screw” is a psychological gothic horror that occurs at Byl, an ancient country mansion. His texts detail the story of two orphans that have been placed under the care of a young governess. Most of the narrative is narrated by the governess (James, 15-50). The novel’s setting is critical for various reasons such as the boredom it details and the psychological effect of the governor. “The Shining” by Stephen King focuses on Jack Torrance’ life. Torrance aspires to be a writer and is also in the path of alcohol recovery. The allegory of boredom and horror has also been significantly highlighted in King’s text. Thus, this paper will demonstrate how both The Shining and Turn of Screw are allegories of boredom.
Book summary
In both books, various themes dealing with the nature of humans and their internal struggles have been outlined. In the Turn of the screw, a governess starts to have suspicions over the children she has been employed to look after. She is convinced that they are under the spell of ghosts. In Bly, where she lives with them, she meets with her predecessor’s ghost, Mrs Grose. She also meets with Peter Quint, the former valet of her employer. The children’s behaviours are sometimes strange, which seems to affirm the governess’ fears of them being possessed. Miles, one of the children, falls ill, and the governess attempts to shield them from the ghosts. However, Miles eventually dies, a situation that leaves her in a deep sense of loneliness and boredom.
In the Shining by Stephen King, Jack, the protagonist starts as a sympathetic character that has the desires to start all over again but cannot contain his darkness. Jack struggles with violence and bouts of alcoholism which are worsened by the dark forces of the hotel. The evil presence lingers longer hence causing feelings of sorrow, isolation and eventual boredom. For instance, Jack is haunted by the memories of his abusive father and memories of his abuse towards Danny. The former caretaker’s ghost, who followed the same path as that of Jack, seems to confront him. Fate’s role as compared to free will is tackled on the factors surrounding the influence of the hotel and his predisposition to become insane. His choices revolved around violence, alcohol and depression. He is faced with similar violence types in the ability of the hotel to shine even though he had decided to start anew. It is not clear if the Overlook hotel possessed him. However, his natural violence propensity was realized during his isolation and boredom. Even though he has the desires of succeeding as a writer, he cannot accomplish what he had envisioned. One of the significant reasons is eliminating his family, whom he believes are the barriers towards his success.
Allegories of boredom
The “Turn of the Screw” by Henry James involves the daughter of a parson engaged as a governess to two children at Bly. The novel is told from a narrator’s perspective that recalls a ghost story the narrator once heard being read out aloud. The ghost narrative itself is written from the governess’ perspective with firsthand interaction with the events outlined in the story. Bly is an English country house located in remote areas. The governess believes that the grounds at Bly are haunted and is convinced that the children are in communication with malicious spirits. The spirits encompass ghosts of Bly’s former employees. The employees included a previous valet (Leithauser, n.p). Various allegories have been outlined in the narrative. A case in point is the boredom allegory. In one instance of boredom, the governess and her charges are secluded from the rest of the society, which consequently augments pressure on her. It also increases the surreal sense that has been depicted throughout the novel. Her entire narrative takes place within the Bly’s grounds. She only leaves the estate to attend church. Her feelings of boredom are mirrored in her sea imagery use. For instance, she asserts that she and other Bly inhabitants are like “a handful of passengers in a great drifting ship”. A ship is always very confined space on a massive body of water. This demonstrates how isolated they are, which suggests some loss of control on the part of the governess.
Boredom is also depicted when the governess asserts that Bly is becoming a solitude for her. She is a 19th-century woman lacking true companionship, sexual freedom and a feeling of self-worth. Her sole duty is to serve her wealthy housemaster. She is also charged with caring for his young nephew and niece. She was required to have a practical understanding of social etiquette. She was also mandated to have social etiquette. However, the governess was not considered to be of the same social status despite being placed above other servants.
The governess is in a continuous battle for a self belonging sense. She wallows in isolation and boredom and is stuck between the boundaries of diverse social identities. She is not permitted to engage in any sexual relations. The narrator does not also have the opportunity for self-development, given that she does not have the power. The obstacles that the governess is going through is enough to drive her insane since she is expected to fully take care of others but disregard herself and her sexual urges.
The reader should try and sympathize with the governess who is trying to balance the odious internal and external pressures of being a caretaker of the 19th century (Norris, n.p). She feels more alone when her account of the ghosts seems to be met with a lack of seriousness. She is encouraged to search for the truth. However, she isolates from the children and Mrs Grose notwithstanding the physical affection of the children towards her.
The allegory of boredom is also depicted when Miles conveys his desire for the governess to leave him alone. She desires to connect with him and consequently save him. Before she can speak, a cold wind blows into the room, causing her to have feelings of being far away from him to save his soul. The ghosts that she believes are at Bly increases her feelings of boredom and more isolation just as the windows conceal. Miles also refers to the others as a sign of warning. Probably, he could be making references to either the ghosts or the silent staff in the house where he admits that they are not of much significance. Both Miles and the governess are trapped in their boredom realities.
The boredom allegory is also illustrated through alienation. Henry James’ text is a narrative of constant alienation and isolation for the main actor. Initially, situations alienate the governess from her family back in Hampshire. She is also alienated from her London employer whom she is greatly attracted to. After coming across Miss Jessel’s apparition at the lake in the presence of both Flora and Mrs Grose, they both deny that such an image is real. Mrs Flora accuses the governess of being cruel. Both the housekeeper and the little girl rushed back to the house, leaving the governess behind sobbing in painful alienation and isolation. At the novel’s end, the governess is left alone to confront her ghosts after the demise of Miles.
Boredom has also been effectively defined through the theme of attention. According to the narration, the governess might be suffering from deep anguish and desire to be recognized by her employer, Miles and Flora’s handsome young uncle. Such desires could have resulted in her imagining the ghosts so that she could be seen as the children’s heroic protector. She hoped that her need for attention by attempting to keep the children from harm’s way would result in the children’s uncle having esteemed thoughts for her. However, she betrays the need to be noticed even before she comes across the ghosts. This is demonstrated when the governess is seen taking a leisurely walk in the evening on the Bly grounds.
Additionally, the inexperience of the overness suggests that the mandate of caring for Miles and Flora and being concurrently in charge of the vast Bly estate is more than she could handle even though she does not call for assistance. The governess’ employer is largely to be blamed for the isolation and boredom of his employee. He chooses to remain absent. Further, her employer instructs her to deal with her problems. Nonetheless, she responds to her experiences by taking on more duties, such as ensuring that Miles is at home and burying the letters of the headmaster. She also ensures that she protects the children from seeing the ghosts and attempts to save them from the corrupting influence of the ghost. The characters’ decisions are self-conscious. There was no coercion of any for since she could not come up with another way of responding. Rather, she intentionally opts to perceive these challenges as remarkable opportunities in pleasing the master so that he acknowledges her ultimate sacrifices. It is evident that she is misguided and continues to suffer in boredom and isolation.
Boredom in Shining by Stephen King
The “Shining” by Stephen King focuses on Jack Torrance’ life. Torrance is a recovering alcoholic and an aspiring writer who takes up a position as an off-season historic Overlook Hotel caretaker in the Colorado Rockies. The allegory of boredom has been illustrated in both Danny and Jack’s personas. They both start to portray insanity signs. There is a clear parallel between insanity and boredom in King’s text. In doing so, the author effectively contends that boredom can have a significant effect of transformation in the mind of humans.
Boredom is also depicted in the effects of the physical location of the hotel. Jack’s struggle with alcoholism and Danny’s attempts to have an understanding of his capability to shine also depict boredom reflected through isolation. After Jack’s appointment, Mr Ullman, the hotel manager, warns Jack that loneliness can be damaging, which proves to be the case.
Boredom is also reflected in Danny, whose psychic capabilities have already made him psychologically isolated. He is also further secluded and bored by the hotel’s’ remote nature. The isolation and boredom justify Danny’s anxiety and fear in the gothic hotel, which consequently has a serious impact on his mental health. Additionally, before meeting chef Dick Hallorann, Danny’s boredom is outlined again. It is especially isolating for a five-year-old boy to have no one to share with about his psychic abilities. Caught up in the boredom of his thoughts, he is constantly worrying that he is becoming insane. Fear constantly engulfs him as he plays alone in the hotel. The author’s allegory of boredom can also be reflected in the instance Danny is certain that the hotel is out to get him yet he has no one to affirm his experiences with and thus thinks he is going insane. His increasing mental stress is seen when he demands a night-light and goes back to sucking his thumb. Danny is reduced to a schizophrenic stage after he individually goes into room 212 and is chased by Mrs Massey’s bloated corpse who had died in that particular room. Danny’s parents are increasingly worried about his mental health and schedule an appointment with Dr Edmond. Danny’s mental health continuously deteriorates at the isolated hotel even though there is no definitive problem with him.
The allegory of boredom is also seen through Jack’s isolation emanating from alcoholism and the secluded Overlook Hotel nature. He starts to portray insanity signs as well, which also suggests that boredom can have grave implications for the mental well being of a person. When going out in the animal topiaries, he claims to have seen giant lions in motion. In the past, he would have referred to these scenarios as withdrawal, but in the present time, he refers to it as insanity. Just like Danny’s experiences, Jack is lonely and bored and has no one to affirm his experiences which makes him convinced that he is going insane.
Boredom is illustrated when Jack starts spending a lot of time alone in the basement of the hotel looking for extra information after he finds a scrapbook in the basement of the hotel that details its sordid past. He has desires to write a book about the hotel even though his friends warn him against it. His boredom leads him to spend hours alone and increasingly develops an obsession of researching the hotel despite the threats it might pose for his job, which again points out to his declining mental health. The more time he spends in solitude and boredom, the further he delves into insanity. He has a hallucination of a bartender named Lloyd. He believes that the alcohol drink in front of him is real. He realizes he is losing his mind after the bartender and the martini vanishes in the blink of an eye. Jack’s boredom and isolation emanating from both the hotel and isolation seriously affects his sanity.
The hotel anticipates doing the same with Jack just as it did with Grady, the previous winter caretaker by driving him to complete insanity. Grady committed suicide after killing his family in an absolute rage. Just like Grady, Jack contemplates doing a similar act as his sanity unravels. Jack is killed when the boiler of the hotel explodes in the course of his deep psychotic breaks’ throngs. However, his wife and child are eventually saved due to the heroic efforts of Halloran, determination by Wendy and the love Jack had towards his son.
The exasperating boredom and isolation of the hotel lead to Jack’s insanity and his ultimate demise. This proves the central assertions of the author that boredom usually has detrimental psychological impacts.
Overall, in The Shining by Stephen King, the limits of the Torrance family have been put under great test. They are at the brink of isolation and subsequent boredom at the Overlook Hotel. Each of them reaches a breaking point as a result of this boredom. All their troubles can be traced back to the allegory of boredom even though they all go through dissimilar horrors in the text. This sense of loneliness of being detached from reality or not having company can be one of the most horrible feelings in the life of a person. The supernatural also lurks, besides detachment from both humanity and society. Furthermore, the presence of the supernatural adds to the anxiety of being stranded and isolated in boredom for several months. In the state of isolation and boredom, the mind seems to have over thought, leading it to jump to horrifying probable outcomes. Probably, this could be the main reason the author uses boredom allegory.
Henry James uses Bly setting to emphasize on the boredom the governess experiences and the mystery depth that the reader should try to uncover.
Even though it is critical to assess the diverse theoretical approaches that explain the insanity of the governess, it is even more crucial to have an open mind and sympathize with her. Her paradoxical situation pushed her to the level of insanity.
Work Cited
James, Henry. The Turn of the Screw. New York: Dover Publications, 1991.
King, Stephen. The Shining. Garden City, N.Y.: Doubleday, 1977.
Leithauser, Brad. Ever Scarier: On “The Turn of the Screw.” Accessed from: https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/ever-scarier-on-the-turn-of-the-screw. 2012
Norris, Marissa. Investigating Ambiguity: Sources of Insanity in “The Turn of the Screw” (P8). Accessed from:https://medium.com/@mrnorris/investigating-ambiguity-sources-of-insanity-in-the-turn-of-the-screw-p8-551975c0c08c