An Analysis of Naturalism in Maggie： a Girl of the Streets

【Abstract】Maggie： a Girl of the Streets writes about the miserable life of a poor girl Maggie who grows up in an extremely poor family and finally commits suicide after having gone through unbearable hardships. This paper is an analysis of naturalism embodied in this novel， focusing on the decisive influence of environment on Maggies tragic fate.

【Key words】naturalism； environment； Maggie： a Girl of the Streets

1. Introduction

Stephen Crane is the forerunner of American Naturalism， who focuses on the ordinary people， especially on those poor people， and truthfully writes about their spiritual conditions and living state to reveal the social darkness. His first work Maggie： a Girl of the Streets is written in the late 19th century， during which time many severe social problems exist under the surface prosperity of the capitalist society， such as the huge gap between the rich and the poor， the tense labor-capital relationship and moral degeneration caused by peoples strong desire for money. This novel is a masterpiece of naturalism.

2. The Influence of Environment on Maggie

Naturalist writers believe that human beings are under the control of the external environment， which they have no control over. The description of environment in this novel not only offers readers the background information， but also shows them the decisive influence of environment on ones fate to stress the prominent characteristics of naturalism.

2.1 The Influence of Family Environment on Maggie

Family environment has the most important influence on ones process of growth and development， a good family environment is conducive to kids healthy growth， physically and mentally. It has direct impact on ones fate.

However， Maggie grows up with quarrels and fights of their parents， who are winebibbers and often beat her and her brother after drinking. Shabby furniture， drunken parents and rebellious brother leave her the deepest impression in her childhood. When she grows up， she meets her brothers friend Pete. Being despaired of her violent family， she runs away from home and lives with Pete， thinking that he is the one who will help her out. Miserably， Pete abandons her after being tired of her. Maggie timidly returns home to seek asylum， however， her family beat her and drive her out cruelly. To them， Maggie is just a shameless individual. It is her indifferent family that causes a fatal blow to her spirit and heart. Thus， Maggie declines into a street girl to make a living and finally commits suicide.

Maggies family environment contributes a lot to her tragic ending. Her family pushes her towards destruction step by step. Maggies tragic fate and her tragic ending are inevitable in such a family environment.

2.2 The Influence of Social Environment on Maggie

Social environment is another significant element in deciding Maggies tragic fate since it has important impact on her minds and behaviors.

Maggie lives in a time， during which people enjoy the pursuit of material things， neglecting the spiritual emptiness. The whole society is dominated by hedonism and materialism. Living in such social environment， Maggie is no longer a pure little girl. She has a strong desire for money and she wants to live a life of high society. She gradually gets lost in unhealthy trends. Besides， the whole society is also indifferent. After being abandoned by her lover and her family， no one helps Maggie. She wanders into the streets and， hopelessly， she tries to ask a decent middle-class gentleman for help， but the man walks away coldly. He is just a typical creature of the indifferent society.

Maggies tragedy owes a lot to the social environment. To some extent， Maggie is a victim of that society. Being abandoned by her family and the whole society， Maggie inevitably degenerates into a prostitute， and finally is forced to commit suicide.

3. Conclusion

Maggie： a Girl of the Streets fully depicts the desolate atmosphere of the slum， where people suffering from unimaginable poverty. Those people there cannot see any hope in their life， and cannot find a way out. Maggies degeneration completely dictates the harsh environment. Through the novel， Crane proves to the world that environment is the decisive factor in shaping peoples lives. For the naturalist writers， human beings is a kind of animal， whose evolutionary process is quite determined by environment. Humans are deprived of free will and their fates are controlled by the external environment which they have no control over. In the novel， family environment and social environment jointly give rise to Maggies tragic fate.

References：

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作者简介： 彭娟（1992-），女，汉族，四川达州人，宁夏大学研究生在读，研究方向： 英美文学。