Maggie, A Girl of the Streets by Stephen Crane (1893)

This novella by the author of The Red Badge of Courage is, like Nana by Emile Zola, a naturalistic examination of prostitution. In contrast to Zola, however, Crane tells us almost nothing about his heroine's career as a prostitute, but instead examines the circumstances that lead her to sell herself.

Maggie is a teenage girl living in a dirty apartment in the Bowery in New York City. Her father has long been missing; her mother is a slovenly drunkard who is so familiar to the police and the courts that they call her by her first name; her older brother is a delivery driver who fancies himself a real tough guy. When she meets one of her brother's friends who has become a bartender, she is immediately charmed, not only by his more polished dress and manners, but also by his very cleanliness. Despite appearances, however, he proves to be as lacking in empathy and morality as her own family.

It takes no leap of imagination to know that this sad story probably will not end well.

Crane tells a good bit of his story through dialogue, all duplicating the vernacular and pronunciation of New York City slums at the time. His depictions of the shabby surroundings, particularly of the filth and the unpleasant odors, add to the atmosphere of hopelessness. Maggie's downfall is seen as inevitable, doomed as she is by her environment and her genetic inheritance.

This slice of the bad side of life is extremely well done, but I prefer my literature to be a bit more hopeful.