Naturalism in Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets Essay

realism in Stephen hold outs magazine publishergie A young woman of the Streets Maggie A Girl of the Streets, is a novelette scripted by Stephen extend and make in the year 1893. This work was create during the time of the Industrial Revolution, when circumstanceories were appearing e re allywhere. Their workers were a set not paid enough to authorise a decent life, and suffered from their seat. They were not very civilized and sometimes aggressive in their behavior.Perhaps beca utilisation of this radical change from a more agricultural lifestyle to wholeness of industry and factories, some pieces of literature were showtime to transition from the classification of Realistic literary productions to whole works t chapeau argon now categorise as works of Naturalism. While the two categories ar related, Naturalistic works oftentimes be based in urban landscapes and focus upon the short(p) and less better whereas the mention focus and declinetings of Realistic w orks were ordinary people donjon in both cities and half-size towns. exserts novella was written right as the literary movement of Realism finish and Naturalism began, and understandably includes elements of both movements. exserts tarradiddle, though, can be concretely set in unrivalled category. His bilgewater occurs in urban New York. The spot of it is set on a society of its poor residents who cannot change their situation. The themes and tenets recitationd in this work, as well as the aforesaid(prenominal) setting and plot choices, concretely set this novella in the classification of a work of Naturalism. unfold utilises foreshadowing to cite to novellines that are created and events that occur later in the story.In the opening of the novella, we are greeted with a scene of a stock certificatey and fervent fight. Those involved are mere children, who are fighting intensely and drawing all the blood they can from their adversaries. The names of the neighborhoods f rom which the boys are from Rum Alley and sticks Row, imply to the ref that the inhabitants are both heavily parasitic on alcohol and rough in their personalities. The fact that young children are fighting battles equal animals echoes the confusable themes of Naturalists portraying the urban center as a jungle, and its inhabitants equal to the animals that occupy it.Crane uses both similes and metaphors to add intensity and expatiate to his work. His work is peppered with colorful language that allows the reader to perceive an occurrence or mark with greater intensity. Crane implies that Maggie is a anthesis through stating that she blossomed in a mud puddle (ch. 5). When referring to the speed with which Maggie at her food, Crane states that she ate equal a small pursued tigress (ch. 2). Later, Jimmie confronted Pete at the bar, and snarled like a wild animal when he threatened Pete into a fight (ch. 11). currently before the fight, Jimmie, his companion, and Pete s to a faultd close together and burred like three roosters (ch. 11). From these similes and metaphors can be pulled Cranes portrayal of the city. The use of animal comparisons to refer to the actions of people break out the animal-like and barbaric nature of those described. Crane and other(prenominal)(a) Naturalists used this technique of describing the city as a jungle to present to their readers the world of city life. The lifestyle and liveness conditions of the poor were animal-like. They fought champion another in a struggle to survive.Whoever was larger was always considered winner oer the small. When Pete approaches the brawling children and hits atomic number 53 on the place to stop him from fighting, the young boy go to his feet, and perceiving, evidently, the size of his assailant, ran quickly off, shouting alarms (ch. 1). Cranes use of diction is everyplacely tattle of the lifestyle of those living in the Bowery. The characters speech is consistently made up of pesterers and broken words. It shows that the inhabitants are either poorly educated or uneducated, and lack a civilized lifestyle.The male inhabitants, at least in this story, are constantly gainsay another to a fight if he feels insulted by something the other does or says. These traits yet demonstrate the uncivilized and animal-like existence of those living there. Cranes use of picture show helps the reader form ideas or hypotheses close to the way a character go forth act throughout the story. In Chapter One, as Pete is approaching the brawl on the street, he is given the following description follow out the avenue came boastfully sauntering a sonny boy of sixteen years, although the chronic sneer of an saint manhood already sat upon his lips.His hat was tipped with an air of challenge over his eye. Between his teeth, a cigar stump was tipped at the angle of defiance. He walked with a certain swing of the shoulders which appalled the timid. He glanced over into the v acant lot in which the little raving boys from Devils Row seethed just about the shrieking and watery-eyed child from Rum Alley. Gee he murmured with interest. A scrap. Gee He strode over to the cursing circle, swinging his shoulders in a manner which denoted that he held victory in his fists.He approached at the back of one of the most deeply engaged of the Devils Row children. Ah, what deh hell, he said, and smote the deeply-engaged one on the back of the head. This description of Pete portrays him as a person with a lot of confidence and one that sees himself as having liberty over others and can do what he would like. Maggie is a story that is pessimistic. It is not simply a story of a character who ultimately succumbs to her situation by neat a prostitute because she feels she has no other way if supporting herself, but in any case one of the horrible conditions of the lower class. The residents of the playing field are stuck in the same situation of those who before t hem and cannot change.This is especially seen in Jimmie, because when he gets older, he adopts the same traits his father had. The story also is detached. Crane is merely telling the story. He does not intrude upon the report by stating that anything was right or wrong. In every situation that could render an whim or analysis by the author, Crane does not interject with his ideas or thoughts about what is happening he merely tells the story as it happened with no feeling toward it. He states something as it is and does not embellish it.When Tommie dies, it is declared exactly as it is The babe, Tommie, died (ch. ). No tragic reminisces about his life or the catastrophe of his death is given. He does not stress the characters. Naturalist writers often gave very detail accounts of situations in their stories, but left discernment and interpretation to the reader. Tied to the fates of the characters is the storys theme of survival of the fittest. The baby, Tommie, dies because h e is too weak to survive. The same is the case for Maggie she is dependent upon Pete for support. When she no longer has a kin with him, she succumbs to her lowly situation and dies before her contract and Jimmie.Jimmie and his catch survive because they have the pettishness to endure the rough lifestyle that living in the city requires. Violence and antagonism are persistent themes throughout Maggie. The novella opens with a violent fight scene. When Jimmie returns floor from the fight, his mother is furious and angrily gown him raw while washing the blood from the fight off of him. Pete, when breaking up the fight that Jimmie was in, just hits one of the kids on the head instead of speaking. Jimmie fights Pete when he discovers he has ruined his sister.While Pete leads Maggie through a crowded sidewalk, he threatens to fight some who are in their way. This aggression is another way that Crane implies to the reader that the city is a jungle and those who reside in it are an imals. A final similar theme of Maggie and other works written in the time of Naturalism is the use of irony. The first instance of it occurs after Jimmie tells his mother Maggie had gone to the devil, which is a phrase the novella uses for having premarital sex. She curses Maggie for a bit, the says Ah, who would t sign such a bad little girlfriend could grow up in our fambly (ch. 0).This is a statement of great irony, because the environment Maggie grew up in was horrible, and her family was by no performer a good one. A uphold instance of this occurs when Jimmie comes home to report Mags dead (ch. 19). His alcoholic and scurrilous mother wildly mourns the death of her daughter. A group of mourners arrive at the apartment, and one of the women tells her Yehll fergive her, Mary Yehll fergive yer bad, bad, chil Her life was a curse an her days were black an yehll fergive yer bad girl? Shes gone where her sins will be judged (ch. 19).She responds by stating she would. This again reflects irony by the fact that, in the household she grew up in it was hard not to extract a sin. (Word Count 1617) Cranes novella reflects themes and techniques commonly used in Naturalistic writings. The writers whose works were considered from the era of Naturalism all had common themes and tenets that characterized their stories. Through the use of these literary devices the authors were able to paint a picture of the lives of the members of the lowest class and develop their readers to realize the reality of the world in which they lived.