Question

If this is not a supernatural event, and there are no ghosts, what is there about the governess's behavior that might seem strange to Miles?

Answer 1

The governess's behavior might seem strange to Miles because it is not supernatural or ghost-related. Instead, she becomes overly obsessed and protective of the children, isolates them, and becomes paranoid about their interactions with others.

Step-by-step explanation:

To Miles, the governess's behavior might seem strange because it is not a supernatural event and does not involve ghosts. Instead, her behavior is unusual and mysterious. For example, she becomes obsessed with the children and overly protective, even to the point of accusing them of communicating with ghosts. She also isolates them from the outside world and becomes paranoid about their interactions with others. These behaviors might be seen as strange and concerning to Miles.

Answer 2

Dr. Lakeby explains the strange events at Dare's Gift scientifically as a house saturated with a persistent and powerful thought rather than by ghosts, yet he acknowledges the influence of an 'unseen environment,' which might account for the governess's odd behavior.

Step-by-step explanation:

The student's question explores a character's behavior that appears strange in light of the rejection of supernatural elements, with a focus on how Dr. Lakeby explains past events in a scientific manner. Dr. Lakeby attributes the events to a house saturated with a thought or idea rather than to ghosts or supernatural phenomena. Despite acknowledging the scientific explanations, Lakeby still seems to believe in the residual power of the past events, which he labels as an 'unseen environment' that remains more real and potent than the physical structure itself. The governess's behavior, observed by a character named Miles, may appear strange as it could be influenced by this pervasive and haunting thought from the past, rather than by a physical entity like a ghost.

In the provided texts, the characters deal with unsettling experiences, and the tension between scientific understanding and the acknowledgment of something beyond that science struggles to explain is a recurrent theme. Through various narrations, the authors explore how characters grapple with the effects of the past, psychological phenomena, and the possibility of haunted locations, leading to interactions and behaviors that might seem bizarre in a purely rational context.