Maggie Essay

In a society where physical and alcohol abuse is the norm, one is immediately set up for failure from the moment of birth. Only the people with the thickest skin can survive. In the novel, Maggie: Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane, such a society is displayed in New York’s lower east side during the turn of the twentieth century. Our protagonist, Maggie, along with her younger brother, Jimmie, have experienced a traumatic childhood. Tainted with the viciousness of a drunken mother who is a reflection of the devil, and the painful strikes of an abusive father that stumbled home every night only to collapse on the floor, leaving the children quivering in a corner. Whilst Jimmie grew up to become a troubled youth with a rebellious attitude and apparent hatred towards authority, Maggie -in contrast- blossomed into a beautiful young woman filled with all the innocence of the world. When Jimmie’s older friend, Pete, is introduced Maggie is entranced by his evident elegance and confidence. With his wealth and bravado he seduces her into a new world filled with the tackiness and glamour that makes up a burlesque show.
Although Pete isn’t considered to be a respectable man by others, he is envied and admired by Maggie. She observed him, and took note from his appearance that, “he waved his hands like a man of the world, who dismisses religion and philosophy, and says ‘Fudge’. He had certainly seen everything and with each curl of his lip, he declared that it amounted to nothing” (Crane, 24). This shows how naive and innocent Maggie is; she has only ever seen the world through the dirty streets of a crime infested neighborhood consisting of poverty and death. Pete had an apparent self superiority, and lacked a single modest bone in his body. He especially took advantage of his financial success as, “he became aware that she [Maggie] was listening closely, he grew still more eloquent in his descriptions of various happenings in his career” (Crane, 27). Pete thrives on the way she adores him, and lures her into his trap with his “fancy” lifestyle. Their relationship begins with him chasing after her; he seeked to suck out the flattery spilling from her lips, and drain her eyes of admiration. She is as eager to experience his elegant way of life as he is willing to show her.
As time passes, however, the roles shift and Maggie becomes the person craving the attention Pete used to spoil her with. Now Maggie, “was pale. From her eyes had been plucked all look of self-reliance. She leaned with a dependent air toward her companion. She was timid, as if fearing his anger or displeasure. She seemed to beseech tenderness of him” (Crane, 57). Maggie has lost herself in Pete, and is no longer her own person. She has now become the inferior half of their relationship, which results in Pete’s declining show of affection. As Nell, a woman from Pete’s past is introduced, a noticeable shift in Maggie’s and Pete’s relationship is shown. Nell is described as, “A woman of brilliance and audacity, accompanied by a mere boy came into the place and took seats near them. At once Pete sprang to his feet, his face beaming with glad surprise” (Crane, 65). Pete shows more excitement for Nell than he does with Maggie, and becomes oblivious of her existence as he’s consumed with reminiscing their common past. Nell’s character is the complete opposite of Maggie’s despite the fact that they’ve grown up around the same circumstances. She carries a confident demeanour, and isn’t phased by the looks of other men because they are unworthy of her attention. Her appearance matches her personality, and as Maggie observes her she, “perceived that her black dress fitted her to perfection… she wore no jewelry and was painted with no apparent paint. She looked clear-eyed through the stares of the men” (65). Pete is drawn to her elegance and nonchalance the same way Maggie was attracted to Pete’s. Pete is now the inferior one as he is consumed by Nell’s effortless beauty and independence.
Nell later takes advantage of Pete’s feelings for her as she and her friends join him at a bar for drinks. He seeks her affection as Maggie craved his. As Pete lays passed out from an overconsumption of alcohol, the “woman of brilliance and audacity stayed behind taking up the bills and stuffing them into a deep, irregularly-shaped pocket. A guttural snore from the recumbent man caused her to turn and look down at him. She laughed. ‘What a damn fool,’ she said, and went” (Crane, 86). This shows Nell’s true character and the ways she has learnt to survive in the corrupt society. She has learnt to play the game of survival by keeping away from emotional attachment and enchanting men with her beauty and attention. Maggie has failed to do this and turns to prostitution as a solution. Like many others at the time, Maggie died young and her death was as insignificant as her life. Her weakness killed her while Nell never allowed herself to be weak. Maggie may have been the nicer one of the two; however, Nell was the only one to survive and none of them experienced true happiness. In a society such as theirs there is only two ways to go: either die innocent but weak, or live a superficial life without happiness.