The Turn of the Screw by Henry James is one of the most controversial texts in all of literature, as it is known as an ambiguous text. The main element of uncertainty is whether there are ghosts scaring the governess and the children, or whether the governess is actually going crazy. Even though a certain part of the text is ambiguous, there are other parts of the text that are much more black and white. For example, the relationships in this short story are far from normal. There are three key relationships in The Turn of the Screw: the Governess and Mrs. Grose, the Governess and Miles, and the Governess and Flora. All of these relationships show how the governess's maternal instinct influences her interactions and decisions with each of the characters. The first reason all three interactions will be abnormal is due to the position held by the housekeeper: head of house. In the historical era in which The Turn of the Screw was written, society was predominantly patriarchal and women were rarely placed in positions of authority. The abnormality is called exactly that for a good reason: it is not normal and it usually makes others very uncomfortable. It is therefore logical to assume that since the inhabitants of the Bly estate are not used to a woman being in charge, they are not likely to view the governess in a typical, unauthoritarian light, with added emphasis added on Mrs. Grose. .As she maintained the house as the main servant before the governess's arrival, Mrs. Grose is very familiar with the history of the entire situation, both of the family and the estate. Therefore, whenever something important happens, Mrs. Grose will know more than the housekeeper...... middle of paper ...... The appearance of the correlation is not a coincidence and should have been seen from a mile away. .Overall, the governess definitely has good intentions and absolutely wants the best for the children; however, good intentions do not always translate into appropriate actions. The governess's maternal instincts are very present, but they are far from competent, since the governess failed to keep any of the children alive. Therefore, the housekeeper should not have been appointed to Bly's position with so little experience. If someone else had been placed in the governess's place, it is highly likely that the outcome would have been very different and Miles would still be alive. “The turn of the screw”, The turn of the screw ED. Third edition. Ed. Peter G. Biedler. Boston: Bedford/St. Martins, 2010. 22-120. Print.