Maggie: A Girl Of The Streets - Innocence Vs. Experience

Want to read the rest of this paper? Join Essayworld today to view this entire essay and over 50,000 other term papers

of experience,
driving his horses through the city and trampling any innocence upon which
they come. He cannot understand how Maggie could possibly remain innocent
surrounded by the filth of his world. Maggie seeks only escape from the
Bowery but doesn't wish to become as her family. She latches onto Pete as
a symbol of maturity and success who can both appreciate her innocence and
incorporate her into his experience. Pete is at first attracted by her
purity but eventually abandons her for Nell, a figure who, like Mamie,
speaks fluently and dresses accordingly. Without Pete to lead her out of
Bowery life Maggie is lost and, ironically, becomes alienated even by her
own family because of her imagined experiences. Maggie actually
becomes experienced but not in the sense her family thinks. The trauma
which is her experience is when she is tossed aside by Pete and her family
and forced to wander the streets; she finally loses her innocence.
Crane's story ends with ...

Get instant access to over 50,000 essays. Write better papers. Get better grades. Already a member? Login

CITE THIS PAGE: