Major Character Analysis in Maggie a Girl of the Streets and The Awakening

D.H. Lawrence’s writing’s in “Horse Dealer’s Daughter” shows the raw emotions of a young innocent woman who has just lost her father and mourns for her mother. Mabel is a very reserved and quiet girl who is not treated very well. After Mabel’s father dies he leaves behind an immense amount of debt. Mabel is being forced by her brothers to move away and start a new life. Not knowing where to go or what to do she begins to become depressed and misses the comfort of her deceased mother.

Maggie's beauty works to her advantage but she has no real education about how the world works other than the dramas that she attended where the poor and virtuous always triumph over the rich and cruel. The truth of her unfortunate situation is that she never had a chance to become successful in life. Crane shows that her many misfortunes along her short life prove this point. One example is Maggie's first meeting with Nell. Her silence during this meeting is a key piece of the reason that Pete left Maggie for the more out spoken Nell.

Factors like, loneliness, depression, and lack of freedom justifies how Mrs. Wright sense of enjoyment of life was negatively affected and they are the reason for Mrs. Wright to murder her husband. Mrs. Wright’s loneliness indirectly causes the death of Mr. Wright once sadness triggers inside Mrs. Wright’s mind. Indeed, it says in the story that Mrs. Wright is lonely and lives in a dark place by stating: “I’ve never liked this place. Maybe because it’s down in a hollow, and you don’t see the road. I dunno what it is, but it’s a lonesome place and always was.

She did things she is not proud of but did it anyway. When everything was against her no house, no job and bad reputation made her seek the last resort, which is her sister. Where she moves to have a new start in life with a clean slate to get the happiness, which was once there. To get out of that delusional world back to reality, and to get out of projecting blame to accepting the mistakes. One key aspect of Blanche’s character is her inability to adapt to certain situations.

Both are also plain children, Jane having no features to make her beautiful, and no features to make her unattractive, as well. Jo is a tomboy, and therefore rejects the "appropriate" dress and actions for a girl of her age, hiding her beauty because it is "unmanly." Later in life, Jane and Jo do many things that are similar, even though they are in different situations. After Laurie expresses his love to Jo and offers marriage, Jo rejects him, saying, "I don't see why I can't love you as you want me to. I've tried, but I can't change the feeling, and it would be a lie to say I do when I don't."

She is constantly looking for a “better” life that will bring her self-fulfillment, but to her misfortune she never finds it. In the text Quicksand, Helga Crane shows great dissatisfaction with her life because of the racial barriers she has set for herself psychologically. She has formed these barriers in her life to keep distance from facing racial discrimination and conformity. Crane fights to keep differentiation between herself and the rest of society, and makes a life choice to not repeat the same mistakes as her given mother. While trying to find her own happiness, Helga Crane looks towards her materialistic views which prove to dissatisfy her in every situation.

In the short story, “The Story of an Hour,” author Kate Chopin presents the character of Mrs. Louis Mallard. She is an unhappy woman trapped in her discontented marriage. Unable to assert herself or extricate herself from the relationship, she endures it. The news of the presumed death of her husband comes as a great relief to her, and for a brief moment she experiences the joys of a liberated life from the repressed relationship with her husband. The relief, however, is short lived.

The mother's character is living in a world where the word well-off is next to impossible to comprehend, "[she] found a job hashing at night so [she] could be with her days." (p.158). The mother wishes making money would not have to be the life she lived just to be next to her daughter. During the Great Depression this wish was impossible to fulfil. Thus leaving the mothers character in a lack of hope for a better future.

Although these individuals are strongly encouraged to attend a university and better their lives, this is not the most appropriate choice for everyone. One of the major themes in Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is that it is dangerous for people to rely on escaping their social classes as a means of improving their lives. In the beginning of the novel, the reader is introduced to the harsh and unfavorable lifestyle of Maggie’s family. In an effort to escape her cruel reality, she obtains a job working in a sweatshop (956???). However, when exploring the leisure activities of the working-class with Pete, she discovers that this might not be the right choice for her.

She does not get to enjoy the freedom which she truly desires. Desperation took over her life which led to her own death. Lastly, in the story of “The Chrysanthemums”, Elisa realizes there is no future in her marriage, which makes her understand her life has become a miserable one. The frustration of this woman caused by her husband soon allows her to recognize no one will ever see her as a valuable and smart person. The absence of attention which men have towards their respective women in the stories mentioned above provoke them to not reach the happiness they wish.