Analysis of the main characters At the end of the 19th century, people gained more freedom. America's rags to riches story has touched the hearts of many people who have sought to change their social class. For some, even with new opportunities in life, it would be difficult to move up the class ladder. Many people live lives full of hardships and obstacles, like Maggie Johnson from Stephen Crane's Maggie a Girl of the Streets, who grows up in the slums of New York City. Edna Pontellier from Kate Chopin's Awakening lives a life of extravagance and wealth, but still ends up dying a sad and lonely death because she makes bad decisions. Maggie also dies tragically, but not because of bad choices, but because of the situation she has found herself in all her life. Maggie's situation turns her into a victim and facilitates her tragic death while Edna becomes a victim and causes her own death. Maggie lives with a poor, dysfunctional family and a hopeless future with only a small chance for change. The environment and context in which she grows up supports nothing for her but a boring, sad and pathetic future. An old woman asks Maggie's brother Jimmy, "Eh, God, kid, what's up this time? Is your fader beating your mud, or is your mud beating your fader? (Maggie, age 10)" as he runs at Maggie's apartment one night. The lack of love and support from her family hinders Maggie's ability to live a happy and fulfilling life. Without knowing that someone loves her no matter what she does or how she behaves, Maggie may feel desperate enough to change her situation by any means possible and without any helpful guidance. Even without positive influences, Maggie grows up differently from the poor who live with and around her. Crane explains Maggie's uniqueness in the passage "None of the filth of Rum Alley seemed to be in her veins. The philosophers upstairs, downstairs, and on the same floor, wondered about it" (Maggie 16). Maggie's uniqueness gives her a chance to improve her life, but only a slim chance. Even though Maggie is different from the people around her, they remain squalid, making it harder for her to change her life because she has to go outside her community for help..