Tension Architect

Some of the most famous, interesting and intense scenes in novels and movies are the moments of conflict. These scenes are usually the perfect demonstration of power and control. The fights happening both physically and mentally build up extreme amounts of tension between characters and makes the heart of the reader or viewer accelerate. The bar fight scene in the famous realism novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is an amazing example. To build up tension, Stephen Crane demonstrated an intense mental fight; a beautifully described violence physical fight and the most interesting of all, the movements of a “quiet stranger” in the background. 

Jimmie, the brother of the protagonist: Maggie, is made at Pete for “ruining” his sister. Looking for revenge, Jimmie goes to the bar Pete works in and tries to solve things physically. However, the mental fight between the two happens before the first punch. The mental game at the start of the chapter starts with Jimmie having the definite high ground. Jimmie initiated the conflict in this scene by visiting the bar the Pete works in. The most important advantage he had on Pete is that Jimmie had a companion with him. Without any interactions with Pete yet, Jimmie said to his companion: “ ‘He’s a dendy masher, ain’t he, by Gawd?” laughed Jimmie. ‘Oh, hell yes,’ said the companion, sneering widely” (Crane 51). Not only does Jimmie use his companion to assert dominance over Pete, he also makes fun of Pete to aggravate him. One other advantage that Jimmie had over Pete is that he initiated the conflict at Pete’s workplace. Pete did not want to start any trouble when Jimmie got here and the fact that “Pete made a furious gesture. ‘Git outa here now, an’ don’ make no trouble” (Crane 52) confirms that he is indeed scared to fight Jimmie in that situation. The exchange of words is extremely interesting since both sides already knew each other’s purpose there. Everything was said knowing that a fist might swing at them the next moment. As the readers follow the emotions rise on both sides, Jimmie clearly gets Pete in a corner and sets himself up for what he came here to do. 

If the exchange of words is like playing chess, the physical fight is like people knocking over the table after they lose. Before it gets there, many gestures made in the effort to frighten the opponent were described in animal characteristics. When Pete was trying to force Jimmie to leave, “The glare of a panther came into Pete’s eyes” (Crane 53). With a great disadvantage, the best thing Pete can do is try to deal with this some other time. However, that did not work out as “They bristled like three roosters” (Crane 53). The actions of the fight are perfectly described in detail, smooth as running water. The water reached boiling point when “Pete swore redly. The flash of action gleamed from his eyes. He threw back his arm and aimed a tremendous, lightning-like blow at Jimmie’s face. His foot swung a step forward and the weight of his body was behind his fist” (Crane 54). A metaphor was used to describe Pete’s fist as a lightning-light blow. The speed of a lightning bolt striking down compared to the first punch makes it so much more intense and scary. With their eyes lit up in “murderous fire’, the fight was almost like a scene straight out of Lord of the Rings where people have magical powers that bring the fight to another level of visual satisfaction and intensity. Although a few guys fighting in a bar is not the most poetic and beautiful scene in real life, Crane performed poetry in motion to grab readers attention. 

“Although a few guys fighting in a bar is not the most poetic and beautiful scene in real life, Crane performed poetry in motion to grab readers attention” 

Despite the action scene and the mental game being both very well structured and displayed, every fight has these elements. What makes this particular scene stand out, is the appearance of the “quiet stranger”. The “quiet stranger”, referring to someone without telling the readers anything about them, could be anyone. It is this lack of identification and their interaction with the conflict, readers will put themselves in the perspective of the quiet stranger. The “quiet stranger” first appears in the bar ordering a beer, after noticing the tension building up between Pete and Jimmie, the quiet stranger moves toward the door. However, he eventually gets caught in the fight, just like the readers reading this chapter in the midst of all the chaos. When “The quiet stranger vanished” (Crane 54), The readers drowned in the fists of Pete and Jimmie just like the “quiet stranger”. Readers experience the intensity of the fight with everything happening so fast. If the conflict in the bar is like a chess game that led up to a broken friendship, the quiet stranger is the third person in the friend group sitting around the table that just got knocked over. Through the dialogues that capture attention; the flawless fight scene that perfectly demonstrates violence, and the movement of the quiet stranger that leads the reader through the entire event; the bar fight scene is truly intense and satisfying to read. Comparing the bar fight from Maggie: Girl of the Streets to many modern literature and movie sense, there are many elements in common. For example, the bar fight scene in the movie: Inglorious Basterd displayed the rising tension through the big-screen. It is so fascinating how influential this impactful scene is, truly an inspiring piece of art.