Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and Pete’s Relationship

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The relationship between Maggie and Pete
This essay will rely on the three dates in chapter 7, 12 and 14 to reveal how the relationship between Maggie and Pete changes with time. It’s the lust in Pete that compels him to enter into a relationship with Maggie while on the other hand, it’s the urge to have a good future with better opportunities that compels Maggie to love Pete thus the lack of real love as the pillar of this relationship makes it fade with time slowly.
In chapter 7 Pete and Maggie go out for a date, and it’s the events that occur during the date and after the date that reveals the ultimate end of the relationship between the two characters. At first, Pete shows concern in that he concentrates much on Maggie instead of the performance and he goes to the extent of pushing through the crowd to create a way for Maggie. However, this isn’t the real traits of Pete because at the end of the chapter we see him wanting to be rewarded with a kiss due to his effort. However, that act of being denied a kiss makes Pete develop a negative thought about Maggie “been played for a duffer” (Crane p22).
In chapter 12 Pete and Maggie go for another date. In this chapter, it’s clear that Pete doesn’t have to put much effort to impress Maggie because Maggie has already become dependent on him for security and survival. This claim is justified by the fact that Maggie fantasizes of a better future as long as she is with Pete. Therefore the relationship takes another path where it’s Maggie who is propelling it forward.

In chapter 14 Pete and Maggie go for another date, and it’s during this date where an audience sees the entire dependency Maggie has on Pete. However, it isn’t the same case with Pete who acts an individual who has obtained what he wanted. “Spaniel-like dependence had been magnified and showed its direct effect in the peculiar off-handedness and ease of Pete’s ways toward her” (Crane p41). In this chapter, the relationship between Pete and Maggie falls apart because Pete ends up hanging out with Nellie and it’s when reality dawns on Maggie that Pete is immoral and less emotional and that she has to survive on her own.
In conclusion, it’s clear that Maggie and Pete’s relationship has three stages represented by the three chapters whereby in chapter 7 it’s Pete who is struggling to keep the relationship moving. In section 12 there is a change of event’s its Maggie who is struggling to keep the relationship alive due to his dependence on Pete then in chapter 14 the relationship falls apart, and everyone is on his/her own.
Work cited
Stephen Crane MAGGIE a Girl of the streets and other stories. 1-169 https://books.google.co.uk/books/about/Maggie.html?id=XL93Y2BRGyMC&printsec=frontcover&source=kp_read_button&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false