Tom+&+Diana



Title: Maggie, Girl of the Streets Author: Stephen Crane Setting: late 19th century, New York City Slums, Bowery Neighborhood Main Characters: Maggie (protagonist, eldest child), Tommie (youngest child), Jimmie (middle child) Pete (friend of Jimmie’s as a child, Maggie’s eventual love interest), Father (drunk father of the three kids), Mary (drunk mother) Themes: survival of the fittest, violence/moral double standards, poverty, motivated by selfish desires. Plot Summary:The novel is the story of the Johnson family, who live in the slums of New York City. The opening scene of the book begins with Jimmie involved in a fight between two rivaling kid gangs. Jimmie’s father catches him on the street and beats him up a little on the walk home. This is the first situation that shows the family’s true dynamic with one another. The family lives in a very abusive and violent household, with both parents alcoholics. The family begins to fight inside their apartment and the scene ends with the father exiting to go to the bar. The novel then begins again a few years later; you then find out that the baby brother Tommie, as well as the father, have died. The mother spends time in and out of jail for public drunkenness; Jimmie assumes the role of head of the household and following in his parents footsteps, picks up a drinking problem. Pete, who in the beginning of the book breaks up Jimmies fight, returns to the scene and begins to pursue Maggie. The family’s fighting reaches an all time high and Maggie leaves to be with Pete. After a short amount of time of staying with Pete, Maggie tries to return home but is greeted with anything but a warm welcome. Her mother and Jimmie refuse to let her back in because they think “she has gone to the devil” by sleeping with Pete. Maggie leaves and returns to Pete, who also turns his back on her to be with another girl named Nellie, who eventually leaves Pete drunk and alone. Maggie, now homeless and broke, turns to prostituting and wandering the streets. One day, years later, Jimmie comes home and informs his mother that Maggie is dead, which leads her mother to have a dramatic episode where she wails hypocritically that she will forgive Maggie her sins. Key Words/Devices: Symbols- Colors Techniques – naturalist philosophy