Maggie acted as an embodiment of
some of the appalling aspects of society during the late 1800s and into the
1900s. “The Plight of the Working Woman” is one, among many issues that this
novel delves into. This section focused greatly on the conditions in which the
women were working. Various accounts provided dejecting images about the daily
lives of these women. Women were forced to work long hours until they were both
mentally and physically exhausted, for minimal pay. Many of these women were
required to enter into these positions due to the fact that they could only be
in schooling up to a certain age. Many families needed the financial support of
their children and thus the minimal wages that the women did earn went to the
families. This was often due to the fact that the women’s mothers were no
longer able to get work, given that they were worn from years of difficult
labor that their children now had to endure.
In their
difficult circumstances, many women attempted to band together to form unions
to advocate for rights within the work place. Unfortunately, none of these
organizations had much success. As a result women had no real protection. Shop
keepers and factory managers would often unfairly tax women. With no laws to protect
against these acts, even getting into the factories was a job in and of itself.
The employment offices held an air of untrustworthiness, in so much that many
women were lied to on multiple occasions about their ability to receive work.
Furthermore, the women who did receive work were awarded very little pay. This
was due to the fact that society wanted to breed women to be dependent on men,
thus women who were not married were not able to support themselves on their
own. However, in a disastrous paradox, men did not to marry the women of the
factories.
Jane
Croly discusses the issues faced by the girls working in America through her
testimony for the senate. She herself
was lucky enough to work as a column writer for the New York Tribune after her
father’s death. Then, she married a
journalist by the name of Croly, who saved her from the same fate as the girls
she wrote about. However, her career
allowed her to become a well-known women’s advocate, which brought her before
the senate during their case study on relations between labor and capital. Croly
discusses both women’s struggles at home and in the factory itself. Many women
were not able to live off their minimal wages, often giving part of their
salary to their families. Also, many women were unable to get jobs due to their
lack of training. Their hardships affected their ability to learn. They, like
many other women, were paid minimal wages, and the long hours of arduous work
taxed them both physically and mentally. These conditions shaped these women to
become either harsh, bitter individuals or very submissive individuals. This
case study, similar to Maggie: Girl of
the Streets , displays not only the hardships of the working woman, but
also how much a harsh lifestyle can mold a person’s mind and body.
Working Women: http://www.ilr.cornell.edu/trianglefire/primary/photosillustrations/slideshow.html?image_id=838&sec_id=8
***PowerPoint to follow Blog presentation. Includes quotes
from both novel and ancillary material.***
Questions:
1.
Maggie
was able to obtain a factory job, which was very difficult for many women. Why
do you think that she chose prostitution over returning to the factory? Do you
think Nell’s successes in this profession had any influence?
2.
How is Maggie’s situation a product of social
values during this time period?
3. Do you believe that what happened to Maggie still occurs, despite the fact that women have far more equality in today’s society?
3. Do you believe that what happened to Maggie still occurs, despite the fact that women have far more equality in today’s society?
4.
Is Maggie’s situation an accurate representation
of a working woman at the time? Do you think Crane’s novel would make
wealthy/working women want to help?
In answer to question one I think that Maggie did not choose prostitution over the factory. I think that Maggie identified her factory job with her family. She was kicked out of her home twice, first when her mother was drunk and accused her of going to the devil, and again when she wanted to come back after Pete left her. The reason that Maggie got the factory job in the first place was because Jimmy told her to get a job or go the devil. She got a job as her family wanted her to do showing that she thinks that those are her only two options. When she does end up going to the devil it makes getting a real job no longer an option according to her family’s standers. Which Maggie values since she wants out of her family life but chooses to go back instead of living on the streets. However when she is kicked out officially I think she gives up. I believe that she wanted a factory job again but with nowhere to live I do not think a factory would have hired her. I do not think the Nell’s successes had any influence over Maggie’s decision to become a prostitute since Nell is the reason that Pete abandoned Maggie. I think that Maggie would have wanted to distance herself from everything related to Nell. However, when Maggie had no other choice she did end up a prostitute but not a higher quality one like Nell is. Maggie, who I believe is the figure that walks to the river at the end of the story, is a low class prostitute, nowhere near the attractive figure that Nell was. Maggie is broken in every way unlike Nell who thrives on her situation. So Maggie does not fallow in Nell’s footsteps in any way.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question 1 and later question 2, many factors led up to Maggie’s decision to become a prostitute. It was said on page 49 that, “She [Maggie] grew up to be a most rare and wonderful production of a tenement district, a pretty girl.” I’m sure Maggie was aware that she possessed at least some attractive features compared to other women in her region. Pete even commented on Maggie’s beauty occasionally. Quite possibly, once she had grown up, she noticed prettier women on the streets – some of which were probably prostitutes themselves and had taken to that profession because of their attractiveness. Actually, on page 59, it says, “She began to note, with more interest, the well-dressed women she met on the avenues.” This is a significant sentence in the development of Maggie. One woman she noticed in particular was Nell. Once Maggie met Nell, it was noticeable the audacity and egocentricity Nell showed towards Maggie, revealing how Nell held her own position in society (an expert prostitute of authority). On page 79, it says, “She saw Pete’s eyes sparkle as he gazed upon the handsome stranger. He listened smilingly to all she said.” Obviously Pete was consumed by Nell’s presence, and I’m sure Maggie quickly became jealous of Pete’s attention to Nell and Nell only. Perhaps Maggie turned to prostitution because she desired the attention and “gracious looks” of Pete, whom she greatly admired. Or, because she wanted to have the confidence and permission to hold herself in a manner such that Nell held herself. If Maggie was seeking attention, she was receiving none of it at the factory. Her mother rarely spoke to Maggie (before she left), let alone gave her a positive comment. The factory and Maggie’s home provided none of the “essential” social interactions that Maggie felt necessary throughout her young adulthood. Pete provided all of them (until he, too, disowned her). Maggie’s social values had become too popularity- and fashion-oriented for her to continue living in a filthy, disheveled home located in one of the poorest areas of the city.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question number three, I think what happened to Maggie does still happen in today's society. People should not encounter the harsh conditions that were present in Maggie’s time, but there are some major inequalities that women face in the workforce currently. First off, women do not receive as much pay as men do. There is about a twenty-five percent pay difference between men and women. This clearly affects women’s morale because women can and do work just as hard as men do just to get paid almost a quarter less than their counter parts would make any self-respecting woman feel inferior (http://www.iwpr.org/initiatives/pay-equity-and-discrimination). To me, it seems that women do not get hired as much as men do in the occupations that used to be for men, such as construction workers, CEO and other higher up office position, and financing. Women seem so be more prone to getting jobs that have to do with teaching and children.
ReplyDeleteAgain, though women do not encounter the severe conditions that Maggie had, women are facing pretty bad conditions through discrimination. I think because of these inequalities, women might still turn to a life of prostitution to make sufficient money. For example, a single mother gets a job, but receives less pay then a man. She might not be able to care for her family because of the difference in pay. She tries to get another job, but cannot, so she turns to prostitution just to feed her family. In addition, women still get dumped and kicked out of their house because of family, which if they did not have anywhere to go, they would most likely turn to a life of prostitution. So yes, women encounter the same things that Maggie went through, but slightly different because time changes everything.
In response to questions number one, I think that it would have been extremely hard for Maggie to get a job at the factory again. Everyone in the tenement housing knew about how she "went to the devil" and the factory owners probably would hear about it as well. During discussion it was said that factory owners would not hire girls without a place to stay or someone with a ruined reputation so it may not have even been possible for Maggie to get a job again. Prostitution would have just been easier for her and she probably saw it as the only source of steady income. I think that Nell could have had an influence on Maggie as well. Nell was influential and rich and could have served as a role model for Maggie once Maggie was kicked out of her home. Nell was independent, lived on her own income, and had a good life which was rare for women of the time. Nell also had Pete's attention, unlike Maggie. Nell was the complete opposite of Maggie, but I think Maggie wanted to be like her because of her success in life. She also saw how much money Nell made off prostitution, which could have affected her decision to become one.
ReplyDeleteIn response to question 3, I think that Maggie's situation still can occur today. According to www.bread.org, 15 percent of the US lives in poverty and that's just the US alone. With the minimum wage only being $7.25, if a woman has a family to support she may resort to prostitution just to put food on the table. I do think that there are more places to help people in poverty, at least in the US, but in third world countries there are a lot less opportunities, especially if you are already poor. I think Maggie's situation was extreme because she had absolutely no where to turn, whereas today there are more options.