This paper is a book review of "Maggie, Girl of the Streets" by Stephen Crane. The novel is set in the late 1800's in New
York. In his examination of the
cultural context of the book, Crane reveals a world where poverty and
violence are part of the culture that young people grow up in. The paper looks at the aspects of the human psyche that come from living with these conditions. The writer agues that Crane wants his readers to empathize with the characters and feel the injustice over the treatment that immigrants faced. The main theme of the plot is a tale of love between Maggie and her brothers' friend Pete. The writer concludes by stating that the book highlights the cultural reality of crime and desperation at that time.