Introduction
Kate Chopin is the author who came up with the novel, The Awakening, which was published for the first time in 1899. The story can be classified as naturalism. On the other hand, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is a novel written by Stephen Crane and was first published in 1893. The story by Crane is regarded as realism written in American fiction. The two books show two girls Edna and Maggie, failing to survive in their conditions and hence being forced to change their lifestyle.
The novel by Chopin shows that Edna, who had two sons and a husband attempting to move from the conditions she was and running to look for a new life. After her husband left, Edna begins to show affection to other men who were an indication of looking for independence from the duties of being a mother and a wife. When Edna was asked about her disappearance from prayers, she said, "I was a little unthinking child in those days, just following a misleading impulse without question. On the contrary, during one period of my life, religion took a firm hold upon me; after I was twelve and until — until — why, I suppose until now, though I never thought much about it – just driven along by habit" (Chopin 12). Therefore, this shows that Edna has realized her social freedom and was not ready to go back to the old days.
Crane also shows Maggie as a girl who was forced by circumstances and changed the way she lived. Maggie moves to the unfortunate events because of the poverty she was facing and solitude. The conditions of Maggie got worse when her boyfriend, Pete, rejected her. Moreover, after the rejection, she went home, and she was denied by her mother, which forced her to start moving from one neighborhood to another, looking for a better life. "Stop that, Jim, d'yeh hear? Leave yer sister alone on the street. It's like I can never beat any sense into yer damned wooden head" (Crane 6). The statement shows how Maggie was neglected on the street.
Maggie shows the concern of visual aspects where she anticipates the return of her lover Pete and goes ahead to prepare by using some of her hebdomad‘s wage in the purchase of floral scents that will make the house to be pleasant as she waits for Pete. Unlike Maggie, who is concerned about being in a relationship, Edna sells her pictures and moves independently to escape from the matrimonial restraints in her society.
However, similar to Maggie, who enters in a dangerous relationship with Pete in a bid to move away from poverty by being in a marriage, Edna comes in destructive relationships where she rejects the societal standard of fidelity in marriage. Edna sees herself as a person or a woman who is separated from her gender roles in society, and when she does not become content with her situation, she opts for death. Maggie, on the other hand, prefers death after Pete rejects her, and her desire for a better life and being in marriage fails. In the case of Edna, she played a part in her troubles while Maggie was affected by the environment.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the two characters Edna and Maggie, failed to survive because of different conditions. The figures represent the examples of the people who meet unexpected situations as they try to look for something which they feel is better in their life.
