Paste your essay in here…The purpose of my paper is to demonstrate that the Developmental theory of German psychologist Erik Erikson can be applied to the naturalist novel “Maggie, a Girl of the Streets”, written by Stephen Crane in the 19th century. The thesis of my paper is centered on the idea that Jimmie and Maggie’s psychological framework has been influenced by the family and social setting in which they grew up in. I will analyze in the body of my essay the defining moments of Jimmie and Maggie’s childhood and adulthood and look, to the best of my abilities, at the way in which their parents’ actions and way of interacting with their children has damaged or strengthened, depending on the situation, their behavior. I will do this with regards to three of the stages from Erikson’s theory while also taking into account the critical opinions of Jacqueline Tavernier-Courbin, Gregg Crane and Keith Gandal. I have chosen to use as a reference the words compiled by Wendy Sharkey when talking about Erik Erikson’s Developmental theory due to the fact that her way of explaining this psychology theory was both adequate and easily understandable for my work.
According to Keith Gandal, in his essay titled “Crane’s Representation of Self-Esteem”, “In Stephen Crane’s Maggie: A Girl of the Streets (1893), it is possible to read the decline of the nineteenth-century mental philosophy of ‘character’ and the rise of a modern psychology of ‘self-esteem.’” (Bloom 54, emphasis added). I have chosen to start the body of my essay with his critical observation as a support for my interpretation of the novel with regards to Erikson’s theory. The third stage of Erikson’s Developmental theory, that of “Initiative vs. Guilt”, occurs between the ages of four and five and reflects the fact that during this period of time “The child develops a sense of responsibility which increases initiative during this period. If the child is irresponsible and is made to feel too anxious then they will have uncomfortable guilt feelings.” (http://www.muskingum.edu).
As we see in the 1st chapter of the novel, Jimmie, who is depicted as “a very little boy”, is seen fighting with “howling urchins” (Crane 4). His behavior shows the initiative he takes in order to establish himself as fearless and strong within the group of children from Devil’s Row. However, when the narrator introduces the appearance of his father, his behavior gets more dismissive and violent. The reader has a first account of the tension and abusive parental influence that seems to go on in the Johnson family. The child swears at his father and gets rewarded for his actions with a kick from the parent who then says that “’Come home, now,’ . . . ‘an' stop yer jawin', er I'll lam the everlasting head off yehs’” (7). The boy followed “a dozen feet in the rear” and “swore luridly” (7) which indicates that, as Erikson stated in his theory, he feels uncomfortable and angry due to the dismissive attitude and violence he experiences from his father. His initiative and drive to be respected in his own group is met with guilt which then turns to anger.
The fifth stage of Erikson’s theory regarding psychological development, as Wendy Sharkey explains it, is that of “Identity vs. Identity Confusion” which “occurs during adolescence” and states that “During this period the identity concern reaches climax. According to Erikson this is the time when adolescents seek their true selves.” (http://www.muskingum.edu). I would like to argue that during the 4th and 5th chapter of the novel this psychological theory is proven to be true when analyzing the way in which Jimmie and Maggie have developed. When it comes to Jimmie, the novel states that “The inexperienced fibers of the boy's eyes were hardened at an early age. He became a young man of leather. . . . . He studied human nature in the gutter, and found it no worse than he thought he had reason to believe it” (Crane 17). This quote shows that the boy’s behavior and identity have been shaped and “hardened” by the society in which he lived and the atmosphere at home. I believe that his attitude reflects a positive outcome as such demeanor is required in the rough neighborhood in which he lived in. When he analyzes the “human nature” he shows how he developed a critical view of his surroundings, a skillset that I believe is required.
In contrast with his approach, Maggie is depicted in the 5th chapter as having “blossomed in a mud puddle. She grew to be a most rare and wonderful production of a tenement district, a pretty girl” (Crane 21). I would like to argue that this shows that Maggie has failed to develop and be morally and psychologically hardened by the surroundings in which she grew up, unlike her brother. Her only defining attribute is that of her beauty, which does not help her adapt to the environment. As the novel depicts later on, her character is fragile and she becomes dependent on a relationship that blossoms out of pure circumstance and reckless infatuation. The fact that Maggie “seems to contradict the very notion of independent agency” (Gregg Crane 189) by being reliant and easily swayed, stems from the moral upbringing she had while growing up. Considering her mother’s violent behavior and alcoholism, it seems normal that she would have this mindset.
Wendy Sharkey explains that “Erikson's sixth stage, Intimacy vs. Isolation, occurs during young adulthood. Intimacy with other people is possible only if a reasonably well integrated identity emerges from stage five.” (http://www.muskingum.edu). I would like to argue that the psychologist’s theory is best illustrated by what happens to Maggie during her short-termed relationship with Pete and after it. The underlined message of the novel is that Maggie’s equilibrium is decided by the validation she receives from her lover. Her own brother stigmatizes her by denouncing her behavior (Crane 55). However, “arguing with himself, stumbling about in ways that he knew not, he, once, almost came to a conclusion that his sister would have been more firmly good had she better known why” (55). This suggests the fact that he understands that the mindset that Maggie had was not adequate for the society in which they lived in.
When she finds herself out of balance, Maggie’s only place of solitude and support is represented by her parental home, despite the fact that it is shrouded in abuse. However, the influence of Mary is still toxic to her. The narrator tells us that when she returned “she stood shivering beneath the torrent of her mother's wrath” (63) while her mother would mock her with “shrill laughter” by saying “Dere she stands! Lookut her! Ain' she a dindy? An' she was so good as to come home teh her mudder, she was! Ain' she a beaut'? Ain' she a dindy? Fer Gawd's sake!” (64). This harmful attitude towards her own child would, as Jacqueline Tavernier-Courbin argued in her essay “The Call of the Wild and the Jungle”, “drive Maggie away from their hovel of a ‘home’ on moral principles, thereby ensuring her eventual suicide” (Pizer 249).
The fact that Maggie is depended on other people’s approval shows that she has failed to develop psychologically as a reliable member of society from the perspective of Erikson’s developmental theory. Moreover, she lives in a rough neighborhood filled by the lower-class and that is yet again a downfall for her. If she had grown up in a middle or upper class environment her situation may have had a different outcome. In contrast, her brother appears to have formed a mindset that is suited for the slums that are now his home.
To conclude, I think that Stephen Crane’s novel “Maggie, a Girl of the Streets” reflects Erik Erikson’s theory regarding the developmental process of a person, starting from childhood and continuing into adulthood. It is clear that if an individual fails to retain the positive attributes of one stage, he will later on have problems behaving as a regular member of society. While Crane’s novel is meant to showcase the decay and poverty of the lower class society, I believe that he also depicts in a very subtle manner the state of moral and psychological rot of the interdependent social relationships between individuals. This is why I firmly believe that Erikson’s theory is relevant and can be applied to this novel. As I have shown by analyzing the evolution of Jimmie and Maggie, it’s very important for a person not only to have the support of a family but also the strong character needed in order to decide and analyze every situation through his or her own lens.