Does Maggie: A Girl Of The Streets Have A Chance At The American Dream?

This idea of an American dream is what many people aspire to have. They want a nice house, in a trustable neighborhood, a job, and an education. That's the ideal American Dream. But is it obtainable? Is it realistic? My question is, does Maggie: A girl of the streets have a chance at the American Dream? and what plays a part in why she might not be able to reach it? Based on Maggie's situation, I would say that everyone has a chance at the American Dream, but realistically, it would be nearly impossible for Maggie to achieve this. There are many factors that come to play with why Maggie doesn’t have as many opportunities to change her life around as if she were to live the middle and upper class life. The first is her unstable family life. It’s obvious in the book that her family isn’t very respectful of Maggie and the weight she carries. “The small frame of the ragged girl was quivering. Her features were haggard from
This was because of her perception of Pete. I don’t blame maggie about Pete, because she didn’t have much of a choice but to marry out. It was her fault that she expected more from Pete and misjudged his character. She shouldn't have been as naive as she was when it came to trusting Pete and letting him into her life. “Her eyes dwelt wonderingly and rather wistfully upon Pete's face. The broken furniture, grimy walls, and general disorder and dirt of her home of a sudden appeared before her and began to take a potential aspect. Pete's aristocratic person looked as if it might soil. She looked keenly at him, occasionally, wondering if he was feeling contempt. (5.11) This shows how much Maggie depends on him and how highly she thinks of Pete. This infatuation that Maggie has for him makes her even more self conscious. Consequently, this can make it harder for her to work her way up and be successful if she is going to define herself by Pete's standards, or anyones standards for that