Journal #18 Stephen Crane

Shirly Ong
English 48B
22 February, 2008
Journal #18 Stephen Crane

Quote:
“The girl, Maggie, blossomed in a mud puddle. She grew to be a most rare and wonderful production of a tenement district, a pretty girl. None of the dirt of Rum Alley seemed to be in her vein.”

Summary:
This quote is taken from Stephen Crane’s first published work, Maggie, the Girl of the Streets. It is a description of Maggie.

Response:
Maggie is a girl born in the slums of New York. Due to her unfavorable family background, she was force to be a prostitute. In this quote, Stephen Crane imagines Maggie is a flower that grew in a mud puddle. This imagination is shown by the use of word “blossomed”. Moreover, “mud puddle” represents the unfavorable living environment in which Maggie born in. Crane asserts that Maggie did not get any dirt from Rum Alley. How hard it is to get rid of dirt from a mud puddle! Imagining Maggie to be a flower without dirt, Stephen Crane infers that Maggie is a decent girl. He also adds that Maggie is a pretty girl and is the most rare and wonderful one in the district. In this way, a positive and sinless image is clearly created for Maggie. Her image contrasts with that of people from the chaotic slums. This helps illustrate how environment can alter the destiny of such a nice girl, as the theme of the story. One of the important words of this quote is “vein”. This word has multiple meanings. Relating it to Crane’s imagination, vein can be the nerve of a flower. It can also stand for Maggie’s character. This is an excellent word choice.