It is even questionable if the story as a whole is fictional or at least largely rearranged by Douglass in order to make it more appealing. He tries to portray the picture of the governess as one who was taken advantage by her employer and leaves no doubt to her credibility, which in turn aims to prepare the reader to accept all comments and explanations about the ghost appearances and all other presented facts without doubt. This image later is called into question when her behaviour towards the children and Mrs. Grose shows her unlovely, darker traits of character and reveals the sharp discrepancy between the two different images of the governess. The basic problem about the limited perspective and the lack of other contributing characters is that we are prone to accept everything first hand. There is no proof, no definite fact that one can rely on but only transcribed accounts of a woman with questionable ambitions. .
2.2. Ambiguous communication.
Already in the first chapter we find a recurring pattern of equivocal communication and assumptions. At her arrival at Bly, the governess assumes that Mrs. Grose is happy about her arrival, although this is not that much signalled by Mrs. Grose. Without any evidence or clear statement, she finds that the hesitant Mrs. Grose shares her enthusiasm and decides that she must be happy. When discussing the possible reason for Miles' dismissal from school, Mrs. Grose remains unclear about Miles true character but makes only ambiguous statements about him: that on the one hand, he is similarly to Flora charming and beautiful but she also prefers a boy with the spirit to be "naughty- and that the governess might as well believe such things about the angelic appearing Flora. The discussion about Miles' dismissal and Mrs. Grose equivocal statements makes the governess assume that Miles must be bad and an injury to others although there seems to be no clear evidence except for the letter from school.