The Crackdown by Henry James is a difficult text, so full of ambiguity that the lack of clarity between characters becomes a significant element of the plot . The housekeeper works to resolve this ambiguity and goes to great lengths to get answers to her questions throughout the text. Yet the housekeeper herself speaks cryptically, withholding information from the characters she interacts with. The final chapter of the tale reveals his desperate attempt to find the answers he seeks, when he completely abandons his duties as a caretaker in favor of the desire to explain the unknown. The epitome of the shamelessness of his desire begins when the housekeeper asks Miles if he stole the letter he had written to his uncle, and she observes, “Peter Quint had appeared like a sentry before a prison” (116). This similarity is significant. While the governess is trapped in a prison of ambiguous language and mysteries, the ghostly figures she sees represent all that is unknown and embody the barriers of communication between the characters. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay When Quint appears, the governess maintains her composure “to keep the boy himself ignorant” of Quint's presence (116). Even as the governess tries to answer the questions that have plagued her throughout the story, she still tries to hide secrets from Miles, an act that suggests that the governess herself is dishonest and, in fact, creates more questions than answers. He even describes his ability to keep Quint's latest appearance a secret as something that happens naturally and effortlessly. Miles then finally admits that he took the letter, finally answering his question that caused the ghostly apparition. The housekeeper, overjoyed by his admission, "kept [her] eyes on [Quint] at the window and saw [him] move and change [his] posture" (117). Quint's presence, cryptic and elusive, is a representation of the uncertainties that exist between the characters. When Miles finally opens up about what he has done, the dynamic of communication between him and the housekeeper changes, and so Quint's image “changes” accordingly. He describes this movement as “the hunt of a bewildered beast,” changing and writhing as the silence between the characters slowly begins to dissipate (117). The Governess then goes on to confront Miles about why he would take the letter, while Quint stares at her. through the window. Miles admits that he took the letter to find out what it said about him, and the housekeeper notices the utter “ravage of uneasiness” on Miles' face (117). This exemplifies how the characters in the story feel uncomfortable revealing information to each other and have apprehensions about communicating important ideas to each other. Quint, the prison sentry, who symbolizes bonded communication with the housekeeper, vanishes once the lines of communication open and the confusion begins to disappear. As the housekeeper becomes intoxicated with joy and the language barriers begin to vanish, she recalls, “I felt that the cause was mine and that I would surely get everything…I gave vent to my exultation” (117). Her language here suggests that there is some sort of power struggle for information, as if his goal to discover these secrets is some kind of game, and Miles his opponent sadly admits that he “found nothing” in the letters (117). housekeeper, however, is elated by his lack of discovery. Although he forced Miles to be honest, he did not share any information with him. It is as if he wanted to exclusively possess as much informationpossible without releasing a substantial amount to her peers, which calls into question her reliability as a narrator. The governess, seeing an opportunity and still under the influence of her "information" intoxication, "begins to press Miles on something he's always wanted to learn: why he was expelled from school. When Miles asks her how finds out about his expulsion, she states, "I know everything" (118). Although she obviously doesn't know everything—she presses him for more information just two lines down—she tries to use coercion to intimidate the young man into doing so. submit and make him reveal everything he wants to know. The expression “knowledge is power” is stated here; the governess successfully tries to gain power and control of the situation by making Miles feel like he is in the dark, forcing him to share more information. He tries to move forward again and asks again why exactly he was kicked out. He says he “said things” but gives no details about what he said (118). housekeeper because she accepts this half-admission and doesn't press him for details. She describes herself as “blind for victory” (118). Her blind victory, of course, is no victory for her at all, and Miles knows this and almost smiles at her. But why would Miles almost crack a smile when only a moment ago he was uncomfortable? Now he's put her in the dark. As we have seen, openness generates discomfort and sadness; vague and incomplete language satisfies them because it gives both sides what they want. On the one hand, the housekeeper finally understood why Miles was expelled. But on the contrary she doesn't really know much, and Miles is happy to have fulfilled her wish without having to reveal too much about himself. She asks him who he said these "things" to, and again Miles' memory. conveniently disappoints him, except to mention that he uttered these things to "those whom he liked" (119). The housekeeper, now aware of the ambiguity, admits that his statements send her "not into clarity, but into a darker darkness" (119). At this point, Miles gained complete control of the situation, and the two switched places, and the housekeeper even admitted to a brief sense of paralysis. She lets him go and admits that she "suffered, feeling that [she] no longer had anything to stop her" (119). Although a simple reading of this sentence suggests that the housekeeper is complaining that there is nothing between Miles and the window she saw Quint standing outside, a closer reading reveals that she feels disempowered, having no knowledge to hold over her head, and realizing that he is still withholding information from her. Although she initially blindly accepts the vague statements Miles makes to her, she eventually realizes that by doing so she no longer has the upper hand in the situation. As she laments her loss of control, “[Miles] soon found himself at some distance from [her],” and the physical separation of the two is symbolic of the regenerating barrier between them (119). He then divulges her a little more of information – however uninformative that information is – as he describes the process by which “those he liked” repeat what he said, until eventually those words reach the ears of the masters (119). However, he does not provide any truth to them new information. Angry, she becomes stern with him and describes herself as "his judge, his executioner" (119). This is the second metaphor in this chapter relating to incarceration and forces Miles to "turn away", and once again the communication barriers are higher than ever (119), Quint, the ghostly representation of lies and distance in the story, appears once again.