Discussion of Maggie could easily begin with an examination of the relationship between a person's environment and the circumstances of his/her life. Looking at this relationship in novels like Gone with the Wind (Margaret Mitchell, 1936; see separate entry), we can see different groups of people separated by wealth and power. These groups all define freedom as non-slavery, yet Scarlett O'Hara is in some ways trapped by her circumstances (gender, the amount and form of education she was allowed, and societal expectations of her behavior). Shakespeare deals with this argument extensively in Hamlet (1602), as does Victor Hugo (a contemporary of Crane) in Les Miserables (1862). Mitchell, Shakespeare, and Hugo offer a variety of views on the power of environment and circumstances.

1. At what points are Jimmie and Maggie exposed to circumstances and environments other than the Bowery? How do these exposures affect them?

2. To what extent are...