Rose-tinted Glasses

Posted on May 25, 2017 by 18belcherh

“When he takes me in his arms, and speaks to me softly, I see the world through rose-tinted glasses.” – Edith Piaf. In the novella Maggie: Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane, the main character Maggie slowly sees the world around her change as her relationship with Pete changes. Her sugar-coated vision that previously covered her relationship slowly fades away throughout the novel, like the luxury of the dance halls Pete brings her to. Maggie’s high hopes slowly fall like the smoke in each hall, and the audience becomes less adoring of the performers, mirroring Pete’s treatment of her.

In the first dance hall scene, the hall is described as “great and green-hued”. Maggie sees everything as very extravagant and new, a world she has never been a part of before. The people  there were “men with calloused hands and attired garments that showed the wear of an endless trudge for a living,” (Crane 22)  and “a mere sprinkling of kid-gloved men,” (Crane 22). Here it is suggesting that most of these men work for their money and are not naturally wealthy. The few that are “kid-gloved” are assumed to be the only ones born into money or did not work as hard. Maggie, having never have seen such wealthy people, is captivated by the glamour. The smoke in the air “rolled and wavered high in the air about the dull gilt of the chandeliers,” (Crane 22). The chandeliers and height of the ceiling suggests that this is an elegant dance hall, and that the tobacco smoke only “rolls and wavers” about the chandeliers, and not around the people themselves. In this scene, Maggie is introduced to a world completely different from the one she has been living in, and sees this new world as beautiful and lovely. Even Pete, the greasy bartender, is described as having “brought forth all his elegance”. Maggie still sees Pete as a high-class and respectable man, and not for what he really is, much like the dance hall. Her vision of his world and everything in it, including him, is still bright and glittering with her hopes of fitting in.

Maggie’s hopes, much like the smoke, begin to fall in the second dance hall, where the smoke now fills the room. Maggie and Pete’s relationship has changed drastically since the last dance hall scene, and she is now almost completely dependent on him. “From her eyes had been plucked all look of self-reliance,” (Crane 38). She stares at him as he pays no attention to her and “leaned with a dependent air toward her companion,” (Crane 38). We see Maggie slowly losing herself to Pete, who couldn’t care less. This one-sided dependency comes later in the scene saying, “Her life was Pete’s,” (Crane 39). This second time we see the dance hall it is not as wonderful as the first, but still has a small orchestra and classy dancers. While Maggie watches the show with Pete, she “imagined a future, rose-tinted,” (Crane 39). This portrays the fact that she is not seeing the relationship clearly, either from wearing rose-tinted glasses or from the smoke that is filling the dance halls.

In the last dance hall scene, Maggie begins to see things more clear, but still has hope that everything will turn out better. This time the clouds of smoke were “so dense that heads and arms seemed entangled in it,” (Crane 42). The word “entangled” suggests that the people were entrapped in the thick smoke. In the far corner there is a bouncer that is not only watching the people and surveying to prevent fights as seen in modern clubs, but has an “immense load” of work to do, suggesting that the dance hall has more than a fight or two breaking out between its drunken patrons. The people are not the quiet, classy members of society anymore, but have been replaced by a wild, half drunk crowd. Pete seems unfazed by this, and Maggie’s disgust towards this hall leads us to believe that she is finally seeing things correctly. However, Maggie still clings tightly to Pete. Her dependency is now described as “spaniel-like”, and it wasn’t until Pete left Maggie for Nellie, a woman he previously knew, that she is shocked back to her reality.

Through the novel, Maggie’s rose-tinted vision slowly fades away, and she realizes that her life with Pete is not at all what she originally believed it would be. Pete, whom she loved and depended on, was nothing more than a drunk who took her from her family. Her transition of losing her hope was marked by each dance hall scene, where she quickly loses her sense of self. The increasing smoke in the dance halls stands as a shield from the terrible way that Pete treats her. Ultimately, Maggie realizes her downfall when Pete leaves her for another woman. 

This entry was posted in Uncategorized. Bookmark the permalink.

103 Responses to Rose-tinted Glasses

  1. 18belcherh says:
    May 26, 2017 at 9:08 am

    This essay, like the Scarlet Letter one, was very easy for me to write. The comparison of the three different dance halls was not something I had to ponder over for a significant amount of time. While not my best essay, it helped me work on structure and forming my points within each idea.

  8. lukovich.ru says:
    June 3, 2026 at 6:40 pm

    References:

    Puerto rico casinos lukovich.ru

  9. prpack.ru says:
    June 4, 2026 at 2:04 am

    References:

    Diamond mountain casino prpack.ru

  12. sibze.ru says:
    June 5, 2026 at 11:58 pm

    References:

    Paris casino https://sibze.ru/index.php?subaction=userinfo&user=bugletanker5

  13. clipjournal.site says:
    June 8, 2026 at 9:22 am

    References:

    Casino drive lagny clipjournal.site

  18. udrpsearch.com says:
    June 9, 2026 at 12:59 am

    References:

    Schecter blackjack atx solo 6 udrpsearch.com

  23. https://telegra.ph says:
    June 15, 2026 at 3:51 pm

    References:

    Hitnspin casino alternative https://telegra.ph

  27. betano says:
    June 18, 2026 at 7:30 pm

    WC2026 Africa: Nigeria betting markets are solid. 22Bet has fast maya withdrawals.

  28. 500px.com says:
    June 19, 2026 at 5:59 am

    References:

    Legiano Casino Auszahlungslimit 500px.com

  29. headlinelog.space says:
    June 19, 2026 at 6:02 am

    References:

    Legiano Casino Einzahlung headlinelog.space

  30. https://urlscan.io says:
    June 19, 2026 at 6:10 am

    References:

    Legiano Casino Echtgeld https://urlscan.io

  31. football scores live says:
    June 21, 2026 at 4:36 pm

    The through ball was perfectly weighted.

  34. 4geo.ru says:
    July 9, 2026 at 1:52 pm

    References:

    Legiano Casino Download 4geo.ru

  39. 4cheat.org says:
    July 9, 2026 at 7:20 pm

    References:

    Legiano Casino Mindesteinzahlung 4cheat.org

  40. 95.cholteth.com says:
    July 9, 2026 at 8:12 pm

    References:

    Legiano Casino Umsatzbedingungen 95.cholteth.com

  48. https://lincarx.com/ says:
    July 10, 2026 at 9:33 am

    References:

    Kingmaker casino kreditkarte einzahlen https://lincarx.com/

  49. bmp.pw says:
    July 10, 2026 at 9:38 am

    References:

    Kingmaker casino ersteinzahlungsbonus code bmp.pw

  50. maps.google.ad says:
    July 11, 2026 at 6:37 am

    References:

    Kingmaker Casino Bonus Code 2026 maps.google.ad

  51. maps.google.co.ls says:
    July 11, 2026 at 7:02 am

    References:

    KingMaker einzahlung gebühren maps.google.co.ls

  55. https://www.eshko.by/ says:
    July 11, 2026 at 5:10 pm

    References:

    KingMaker klarna einzahlung https://www.eshko.by/

  57. m.en.acmedelavie.com says:
    July 11, 2026 at 6:12 pm

    References:

    KingMaker Casino Einzahlung Bonus Angebot
    m.en.acmedelavie.com

  59. clients1.google.co.ck says:
    July 11, 2026 at 7:06 pm

    References:

    Legiano Casino Bonusbedingungen clients1.google.co.ck

  62. backingtrackx.com says:
    July 11, 2026 at 8:26 pm

    References:

    Legiano Casino Spiele backingtrackx.com

  63. google.at says:
    July 11, 2026 at 9:26 pm

    References:

    KingMaker skrill einzahlung google.at

  65. google.com.jm says:
    July 11, 2026 at 11:34 pm

    References:

    KingMaker 100 bonus einzahlung google.com.jm

  70. images.google.tk says:
    July 12, 2026 at 1:47 am

    References:

    KingMaker klarna einzahlung images.google.tk

  74. https://yandex.ru says:
    July 12, 2026 at 2:38 am

    References:

    Legiano Casino Sicherheit https://yandex.ru

  75. drive-avto.md says:
    July 12, 2026 at 2:41 am

    References:

    Legiano Casino Spielautomaten drive-avto.md

  76. https://xgm.guru says:
    July 12, 2026 at 2:42 am

    References:

    Legiano Casino sicher https://xgm.guru

  78. images.google.co.nz says:
    July 12, 2026 at 5:07 pm

    References:

    Hitnspin casino aktionscode images.google.co.nz

  80. bbs.pinggu.org says:
    July 12, 2026 at 6:09 pm

    References:

    Monro Casino Gewinne bbs.pinggu.org

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *