The Turn of the Screw

by

Henry James

Teachers and parents! Our Teacher Edition on The Turn of the Screw makes teaching easy.

The uncle Character Analysis

The children’s uncle—the man who hired the governess—is a wealthy resident of London who became the guardian of Flora and Miles when his brother, their father, died. After facing difficulties raising the two children, he sent them to Bly, his estate, where they were taken care of by Mrs. Grose and other servants and help at Bly. The governess has a deep respect for him and his opinion of her capabilities as the children’s caretaker.
Get the entire The Turn of the Screw LitChart as a printable PDF.
The Turn of the Screw PDF

The uncle Character Timeline in The Turn of the Screw

The timeline below shows where the character The uncle appears in The Turn of the Screw. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Preface
Exterior vs. Interior Theme Icon
Youth and Innocence Theme Icon
...the position in an advertisement. She went to London where she met the children’s wealthy uncle who’d become their guardian upon the death of his younger brother, their father. Facing difficulty... (full context)
Chapter 2
Secrecy Theme Icon
...governess reveals that on her second evening at Bly she had received from the children’s uncle a letter forwarded from the head-master at Miles’s school. He hadn’t yet opened the letter,... (full context)
The Supernatural Theme Icon
Secrecy Theme Icon
Youth and Innocence Theme Icon
...governess left, apparently having fallen ill, and not long thereafter she heard from the children’s uncle that the previous governess had died. The governess asks, further, whether or not the previous... (full context)
Chapter 13
Youth and Innocence Theme Icon
...Flora eventually mention to the governess their concern that they had not heard from their uncle in a long time. The governess says she sees this as an opportunity to reconnect... (full context)
Chapter 16
Exterior vs. Interior Theme Icon
Youth and Innocence Theme Icon
The governess says that she is concerned, though, that their uncle will hold it against her not having dealt with Miles’s expulsion from school, which they... (full context)
Chapter 21
The Supernatural Theme Icon
Youth and Innocence Theme Icon
...she will not leave Bly, and she insists that Mrs. Grose take Flora to her uncle. She says that Flora needs to be away from Quint and Miss Jessel and, most... (full context)
Secrecy Theme Icon
...which she had hoped to withhold, that Miles had stolen the letter intended for his uncle. She says further that this must be why Miles had been expelled. Mrs. Grose says... (full context)