Love between the classes: an analysis of the violation of social status in the CrackdownA Marxist reading of Henry James's The Crackdown brings to light how differences in social status and above all how violating these distinctions affects the story. The relationship between the housekeeper and Miles is a clear example of this type of transgression. Being an unnamed character, the housekeeper has an undefined social status. She is neither an upper-class lady nor a simple servant. Furthermore, in the Victorian context of the story, she is, as Millicent Bell writes, a “taboo woman” (“Class” 95). Her role is to raise and care for children without allowing herself to be a sexually active woman. As for Miles, he represents the idealized absentee master of the upper class, to whom the housekeeper feels attracted in Harley Street. However, the child is also associated with the socially and sexually transgressive Peter Quint and symbolizes the governess's forbidden desire to marry her employer. The relationship between the governess and Miles demonstrates the tension between the duty of a professional and honorable governess and the desire to become an upper-class woman with a sexually active life. As analysis of the scenes in which the governess and Miles are alone will show, this tension results in the governess's violation of social status differences as she engages in a sexual relationship with Miles. A Victorian housekeeper faced conflicting demands. Bell argues that a housekeeper “had to be a lady to fulfill her role, but she was certainly not ladylike in working to earn a living and was not socially equal to women of means” (“Class” 94). In The Turn of the Screw, the housekeeper clearly... at the center of the sheet... ...rn of the screw "clearly resists historical interpretation, which would fill [the] blank spaces with knowledge of the social group" (335 ) . Yet, the present analysis of the relationship between Miles and the housekeeper shows precisely the importance of a historical-social reading of the story. Placing the housekeeper's narrative in a socio-historical context reveals the conflict between her desires and the demands she faces in her profession. It also provides a backdrop for understanding Miles' ambivalent character, as he represents both the upper-class Master and is associated with Peter Quint's social and sexual transgressions. Finally, awareness of Victorian practices of sexual initiation allows readers to trace the development of the relationship between Miles and the governess as their roles transform from pupil and teacher to lover and mistress..