Stephen Crane's Maggie: A Girl On The Streets

The cruel reality of poverty is examined in Stephen Crane's Maggie: A Girl on the Streets. In it, Maggie Johnson, born in the rough streets of New York, dreams of having a better life, one with culture, money, and meaning- the opposite of the one she was born with. Though she believed that her dreams were becoming tangible, with the aid of Pete, she ultimately returns to the streets and is destroyed by them. Throughout the novel, the birth and demise of Maggie's search for meaning encompasses Crane's forlorn portrayal of society.

Maggie was a rarity in her environment. She "blossomed in a mud puddle. She grew to be a most rare and wonderful production of a tenement district, a pretty girl" (16). She also possessed inner beauty, which was equally rare in the streets, shown by her love for her brothers and her benevolent nature. The fact that was raised in a broken home and was able to remain innocent amidst the chaos shows the integrity of her personality. Because she wasn't absorbed into the maelstrom of city life, she developed the
dream of having a better life. Maggie did not begin to truly believe in her illusions until she laid her eyes on Pete. She then transferred her illusions onto him and was swept away, blind of his real personality and intentions. She believed that he would take her away from her miserable situation because to her, Pete "was a knight" (20). He roused her dreams by taking her to lively places, such as the theater and dance halls, making her want a new life. After going to the theatre, "She wondered if the culture and refinement she had seen imitated, perhaps grotesquely, by the heroine on the stage, could be acquired by a girl who lived in a tenement house and worked in a shirt factory"(28).

Maggie took initiative by physically trying to improve her environment. She kept her apartment tidy, even after her family had their usual violent episodes. She used ornaments and added curtains to the windows. She daydreamed of having the things that wealthy girls had, such as dresses or jewelry. She also noticed her beauty and how it seems to attract men. She was the only one in her family who tried to improve the apartment, as the others did not care.

When Maggie left her home, she became completely dependent of Pete.
Nevertheless, she was happy because, "She imagined a future, rose-tinted, because of its distance from all that she previously had experienced" (39). Maggie, being naïve, did not realize that Pete was using her, and left her for Nellie. This was not uncommon, as this one-sided relationship was paralleled to the one Jimmy had with a girl in order to prove this. Pete ruined Maggie because he shattered her dreams and hope of a better future. She tried to return to her mother's home, but was ostracized. She was condemned as a sinner by her family and neighbors. The old lady with the music box said, "'ere yehs are back again, are yehs? An' dey've kicked yehs out? Well, come in an' stay wid me teh-night.I ain' got no moral standin'"(48). This shows that they all believe Maggie had no morals for leaving home for a man. Maggie was all alone; she had nothing to fall back
on.

It was this lack of support that led her to prostitution, like many other women in the same situation. As a prostitute, all of her hope and dreams vanished. She sought the most repulsive men, those who could not refuse her and were not out of her social standing. Shortly after, she died mysteriously. One can infer that she either committed suicide or was murdered because she could no longer tolerate or survive the harsh life on the streets.

As a whole, Crane's story shows what happens when one defies his/her social class. In Maggie's case, she was at a disadvantage because she was a woman living in a society where women must uphold many values to be considered decent. Crane points out the double standards that exist in society by using Jimmy and Pete. They both were free to do whatever they wanted with their lives without implication; yet, when Maggie tried to do the same, she is cast out. In spite of everything, Maggie achieved a level of individuality. She chose to free herself from a life that was dragging her down, unlike the other characters who accepted their situation. She ultimately succeeds in giving meaning to her life, but fails to live the one that she wanted because of the extreme social restrictions that constricted her; this is also true for many other individuals that fought for a better tomorrow, but ended in perdition.