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maggie

maggie Many times in novels, authors use themes to support subjects written for the book as a whole. In Steven Crane’s Maggie A Girl Of The Streets , he uses the theme hypocrisy to better portray the family’s life style and the unfair frustration it gives Maggie because of it. Her brother Jimmy and mother Mary Johnson are prime examples of this theme. Throughout the novel, both characters say one thing and do the exact opposite to Maggie without a residue of guilt in their actions. Which further proves the point that actions are as strong as words, especially when it comes from the only people you trust and care for. Early in the novel, Jimmy grew up to fill the negative regions of his fathers footsteps. He would come home late in the night passed out drunk. He loved to make even strangers mad, just to take a shot at them. He knew he would never have a chance to get out of the Bowery with a future, so to earn as much respect as he could so he basically was a insensitive jerk to the world. But nevertheless the only one in his surroundings who actually showed love or any type of support to him was his younger sister Maggie. Jimmy also never had any good role models to look up to, so he took his defensive violent side out on anyone, even his mother when agitated. One of the bigger problems Jimmy later thrived on was to sweet talk some innocent girls over time to basically sleep with him. Of course they would end up penniless and pregnant with not enough food for themselves and Jimmy would be out the door never to be seen again. As time went by Maggie was thought wrongly to be in a similar situation with the man of her dreams, Pete. She was never in the place the girls with Jimmy were in, just out late one night with her date Pete. And since the respect of your community was all anyone had, when word of her situation came up things were assumed and her respect was taken from her. At first hearing of this, Jimmy did what most protective brothers do which is get angry at the guy who took part, but then something strange happened. In his words he said “I’ll kill deh jay! Dat’s what I’ll do! I’ll kill the jay!” (Crane 43). Then right after says “Well, Maggies gone teh devil! Dat’s what! (Crane 43). Not only is Jimmy wrong about his statement, but is a hypocrite for disowning his sister when he is one of the lowest creatures living, by having uncared for children from women who are not even a speck in his mind. Then came Maggie’s mothers reaction to the gossip. Mary is summed up by being a criticizing, violent, uncaring mother ever since Maggie can remember. And the first words out of her sympathetic and caring mouth were “May she be cursed for ever!” she shrieked. “May she eat nothin but stones and deh dirt in deh street. May she sleep in the gutter an’ never see deh sunshine again” (Crane 43). Which is funny and hypocritical since Maggie does not have the living conditions much better than that as her mother continues “She’s d’ devils’ own chil’, Jimmy” (Crane 43). A reader can only go crazy when thinking of all the times Maggie has ever laid a hand, or disrespected anyone in her life. As such of that as the true devil in the novel; Mary has done repetitively. Not only was Maggie then tossed out on the dirty streets, but disregarded by the only people who she thought loved her. Even though her physical bruises healed, the ones in her heart were what later led her to the confusion and hopelessness that results in her suicide. Upon hearing this news at the end of the novel, Mary shows one more aspect of her hippocratic flowing veins by stating how she forgives Maggie for all the wrong Maggie has done. Her mother and Jimmy never once stepped back and truly looked at thier words spoken or actions done. Their hypocrisy has and will continue to exist in the future as long as people do not practice what they say or believe in. In this novel, Crane’s theme hypocrisy was trajically one of the key factors of Maggie’s departure from the slums both literally and figuratively Bibliography:

Word Count: 742