The American Dream is idealized to this day. Does this idea need to be eradicated, or continue to be promoted? When looking at Maggie, A Girl Of The Streets, written by Stephen Crane, it can be argued that the American Dream enables a person to live a fuller life. The world will keep on spinning and there will always be a Maggie out there, reaching for the stars. Reading her story can help a person understand the America that we live in and how the optimistic views exist, but are also the reason we have the phrase, ‘We can’t always have a happy ending’. The American Dream was essential to the development of society and has established a precedent for all Americans to become part of the cycle.
Maggie lived in a world that was the epitome of …show more content…
My thoughts were, “Why did I just read this?” I was disappointed in her death and the sudden end to the story. It was not wrapped up with a bow and put on the shelf. While this was extremely frustrating in the moment, it might be the most realistic way to end the story. Maggie realizes her impending doom after being rejected by Pete once again. As she searches for her next step, she proves that the American Dream cannot always come true: “The girl has heard of the Grace of God and decided to approach this man” (pg.60). Her next path is easy to predict from here and then, just pages later, the reader receives the news of her death. While this is a historic fiction novel, Maggie’s life story exists with different names. There will always be a Maggie; there will always be a Pete and a Jimmie in the world. America is full of these characters. The hope that Maggie has is the start of the American Dream cycle. It is what society needs to keep moving; she receives the motivation to work hard and attempts to move up in the world and, after failing, she continues to work hard to live. Out of one hundred Maggie’s, one will make it, and it is they who produce the hope for the others that renews the
Maggie lived in a world that was the epitome of …show more content…
My thoughts were, “Why did I just read this?” I was disappointed in her death and the sudden end to the story. It was not wrapped up with a bow and put on the shelf. While this was extremely frustrating in the moment, it might be the most realistic way to end the story. Maggie realizes her impending doom after being rejected by Pete once again. As she searches for her next step, she proves that the American Dream cannot always come true: “The girl has heard of the Grace of God and decided to approach this man” (pg.60). Her next path is easy to predict from here and then, just pages later, the reader receives the news of her death. While this is a historic fiction novel, Maggie’s life story exists with different names. There will always be a Maggie; there will always be a Pete and a Jimmie in the world. America is full of these characters. The hope that Maggie has is the start of the American Dream cycle. It is what society needs to keep moving; she receives the motivation to work hard and attempts to move up in the world and, after failing, she continues to work hard to live. Out of one hundred Maggie’s, one will make it, and it is they who produce the hope for the others that renews the