Maggie A Girl Of The Street Summary

Following the end of the American Civil war, the era of Industrial Revolution came rushing in and brought with it tremendous changes – the mechanization of agricultural, the invention of steam and electricity used machinery led to mass production factories, and the emergent of a massive railroad systems. Change in economy and society brought great wealth to the United States. Consequently, it was a giant magnet for immigrations. However, the distribution of wealth across the population was not even. The American working class in the last half of nineteenth century suffered from poverty and oppression. Several documentations and stories were written in response to the people suffering. Two of them - “Child Labor in The Canning Industry of Maryland”
Not surprisingly, living condition was also very poor. According to Stephen Crane’s “Maggie: A Girl of The Streets,” working families like Maggie’s often live in slums, where the author described as a “dark region” that has small houses with “gruesome doorways” and dusty windows. Moreover, the buildings were old and fragile due to the deterioration caused by the people living inside them. And, there were all kind of smells and odors haunting every corner of the place.
The people who lived at those building were very poor, a lot of them were unemployed because of the great depression occurred in the late nineteenth century – including Maggie’s and Jimmy’s parents. Unemployment was a great issue at that which gives way to a lot of social turmoil. Poor, unemployed people fell into desperation and resentment that led to violent behavior. For instance, in the reading, Maggie’s parents were often drunk, cursing about their pathetic lives, fighting, and breaking furniture. As for Jimmy, he grew up with no opportunity for education or job training. Consequently, his “long time occupation” was standing on street corners, perceiving the world, and developing a grudge against
In the story, the collar and cuff factory appeared in Maggie’s mind as “a dreary place of endless grinding” with hot and stuffy room. It also filled with unpleasant noises and odor. The people who worked there were tired and angry for their unhappy life as well as low and unpaid wages. In addition, Maggie perceived the factory owner as a “fat,” and “detestable creature” who cares for nothing but his money; and the only thing that “creature” can say was “What een hell do you sink I pie fife dolla a week for? Play? No, py damn!”
In conclusion, even though the industrial revolution brought significant wealth to the economy, it was only for a few. Wealth was unevenly distributed throughout the population. In fact, the majority of the working class suffered from poverty and abominable working condition due to two main reasons: the downfall of the economy in the late nineteenth century and severe oppression from the business