The meaning of innocence is primarily defined as a lack of guilt, with respect to any wrongdoing. In addition, it may be interpreted as an overall general lack of experience and naivety. In the novel, Maggie, a Girl of the Streets, written by Stephen Crane, innocence is portrayed through Maggie, who refuses to see the true cruelties of the world. Maggie is hopeful and naive, and preserves her innocence until driven to corruption and guilt. Throughout the novel, Maggie loses her innocence when she experiences the sadistic world. In the end, after she endures a world full of depression, prostitution and an aggressive drunk of a mother and brother, Maggie takes her own life because of her loss of innocence. After enduring an abusive and neglecting
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During one of Pete and Nellie’s conversation, Maggie understands that she is not as intelligent as Pete’s new woman: “He and the woman entered into a long conversation, exchanging reminiscences of days together” (137). As she begins to see Pete engage in this conversation, she is able to see that she is inferior to Nellie. Once Pete and Nellie leave, Maggie is heartbroken and returns home, only to be rejected by her family. Here, Maggie loses her innocence, when she sees that Pete is smitten with Nellie and experiences her new sadistic world. As her world turns cruel, by being abandoned by both her family and Pete, Maggie is left to walk the streets. Towards the end, when Pete and numerous men reject Maggie, she enters “the blackness of the final block.” Maggie finally loses her innocence in the story when she is turned down even in the worst parts of the neighborhood: “The girl went into gloomy districts near the river, where the tall factories shut in the street and only occasional broad beams of light fell across the pavements from saloons. In front of one of these places… there stood a man with blotched features. Further on in the darkness she met a ragged being with shifting, bloodshot eyes and grimy hands” (169). Soon after, Crane implies that Maggie, the girl of the street is dead. By being continually rejected, and continually degrading herself, Maggie encounters the sadistic world. After falling into a deep depressions while walking through the dark parts of the street, Maggie loses her innocence because she realizes how insufferable the world is and takes her
During one of Pete and Nellie’s conversation, Maggie understands that she is not as intelligent as Pete’s new woman: “He and the woman entered into a long conversation, exchanging reminiscences of days together” (137). As she begins to see Pete engage in this conversation, she is able to see that she is inferior to Nellie. Once Pete and Nellie leave, Maggie is heartbroken and returns home, only to be rejected by her family. Here, Maggie loses her innocence, when she sees that Pete is smitten with Nellie and experiences her new sadistic world. As her world turns cruel, by being abandoned by both her family and Pete, Maggie is left to walk the streets. Towards the end, when Pete and numerous men reject Maggie, she enters “the blackness of the final block.” Maggie finally loses her innocence in the story when she is turned down even in the worst parts of the neighborhood: “The girl went into gloomy districts near the river, where the tall factories shut in the street and only occasional broad beams of light fell across the pavements from saloons. In front of one of these places… there stood a man with blotched features. Further on in the darkness she met a ragged being with shifting, bloodshot eyes and grimy hands” (169). Soon after, Crane implies that Maggie, the girl of the street is dead. By being continually rejected, and continually degrading herself, Maggie encounters the sadistic world. After falling into a deep depressions while walking through the dark parts of the street, Maggie loses her innocence because she realizes how insufferable the world is and takes her