Vanity and Violence in Stephen Crane's Maggie：A Girl of the Streets

Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets has been criticized for its “episodic” style, “weakness for words,” or “inadequacy” since its publication in 1893. However, Crane’s portrayal of the late 19th century Bowery slum life has kept attracting critics’ attention for its ironic touch on human vanity and violence. For example, characters, like Jimmie, Pete, and Mrs. Johnson, are all used to picking up vanity and violence as means of self-justification. Besides, Crane is very good at handling colors and images for the specific intention of his narration. The following reading is an attempt to analyze Crane’s techniques of narration, to see how he displays his artistic craftsmanship to portray vanity and violence as underlying themes throughout Maggie.