Thoreau/Crane Comparison Essay

Max Bowman
CAP English
Blue Group
11/18/19
 Henry David Thoreau in Walden, and Stephen Crane, in Maggie: A Girl of the Streets,

share similar opinions on the definition of morality, and have differing perspectives on fate and

philanthropy. Walden follows Thoreau’s stay at Walden Pond. He chooses to emphasize and

make himself an exemplar of what he believes is the correct way of life, being self sufficient and

independent while leaving the glamor and materialism of capitalism behind. Crane follows the

story of a girl Maggie, growing up in the slums of New York City in the Gilded Age. While

Crane’s work is fictional, his style of writing and character development brings out the themes

that she must act with humanity and, like Crane, that being able to survive independently is

necessary.

Thoreau and Crane share many of the same main ideas on morality in their writing, even

if they disagree in some of the smaller points. Throreau believes that being moral is in avoiding

materialistic attractions, and being willing to make sacrifices and work to improve one's quality

of life to reach an end goal or to live true to one’s values . He argues directly against taking

assistance from other people, and believes that learning things for oneself and choosing to be

successful is part of having strong morals. Thoreau says that “I [he] h2ad three pieces of

limestone on my desk, but I was terrified to find that they required to be dusted daily, when the

furniture of my mind was all undusted still, and I threw them out the window in disgust” (40).

The action of throwing away the limestones seems almost childish or silly, but Thoreau always

made sure to live up to his own expectations, not letting himself become “the tools of their tools”

like he describes other men (41). Crane also suggests that being independent and choosing to

succeed are a part of being moral. The development of Maggie throughout the story, especially
when Pete abandons her, shows how letting herself become dependant ended leading to her

doom. Crane believes that helping each other and choosing kindness over practicality is part of

being a good person. When Maggie brings flowers to her sister's funeral the she had “stolen from

an italian”, her kindness and willingness to sacrifice for others, in this case to make the funeral

complete, is clear (Crane 46). Even though nobody is directly benefiting, Maggie's humanity is

shown. Maggie’s“clutching” of the flower also represents the pain and longing she feels in

witnessing her younger sisters death, and the need she has for the flower to bring her some

peace.

Henry David Thoreau and Stephen Crane disagree on the ability to change one's life path.

Thoreau argues that anyone can change ones life. Anyone can live off the land and be self

sufficient like him. They just choose not to, or aren’t aware of how. Thoreau thinks that “what a

man thinks of himself” is an integral part of if they succeed. People with more confidence in

themselves are more likely to make the right decisions, and the more ambitious decisions.

Thoreau also thinks that “every path except your own is the path of fate. Keep on your own track

then” ( 95). In Crane’s eyes, people sometimes can’t rise above their circumstances. Jimmie and

Maggie both are brought up in the same circumstances. Jimmie ends up living a sad and

unsuccessful life as a truck driver, and is never able to find a family for himself. Maggie ends up

with the “devil” and in the end feels far away from humanity, with “sounds of life” seeming

“unapproachable ” at her time of death (89). Her life of constantly being pushed away from

people and terrible treatment led her to have a disconnection with life and no will to live.

Thoreau perspective on philanthropy is negative, arguing that “it is greatly overrated; and

it is our selfishness that overrates it” ( 63). Philanthropists “ boast of spending a tenth part of
your income in charity; maybe you should spend the nine tenths so, and done with it. Society

recovers only a tenth part of the property then” (60). Simply giving some money to the poor

isn’t enough to truly help them. People just give money out of a misplaced sense of “duty”.

Thoreau doesn’t choose to argue against the idea of philanthropy itself, but rather against the

people who claim to be philanthropists. Giving up little of what they actually have to give and

expecting praise for it doesn’t qualify as moral or correct for him. Thoreau views teaching the

poor how to succeed to rise out of poverty is far more important than giving them money that

won’t last. Crane’s view on philanthropy is different, even though it shares some aspects of

Thoreau’s argument. Crane believes that genuine acts of kindness and generosity are essential to

someone being able to succeed and prosper, directly contrasting Thoreau’s belief that anybody

can make one’s circumstances work. Crane uses the development of the main character, Maggie

to embody his view. Maggie is never able to turn to anyone throughout the book. When Pete

decides to abandon her, the dependance that she has formed on him and the gap that has formed

between her and her family ends up leading to her death. In the first section of the book, an old

woman in the tenement complex in which she and Jimmie live in offers to let him stay the night

with her while his parents were fighting (Crane 43). After the kind act, the woman asks Jimmie

to get her a bucket of ale in return, but the older woman expected no praise, no recognition, and

no prize for her actions. She makes the choice to help him knowing that there wasn’t much she

would get in return, which is used by Crane to model true philanthropy.

Both Walden and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets have extremely strong points of views on

what philanthropy is and the morality of it, what strong morals are, and how much someone can

truly change their fate. Both books were written years ago but still hold importance when
compared to the life of many people today. Some of Thoreau’s views and ideas in Walden would

be seen as outdated or extreme, but his values and views on materialism do have some truth to

them. Crane’s story of Maggie reflects events that still happen today and the poverty in which

many people find themselves stuck.

Work Cited

Crane, Stephen. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. Bedford Cultural Edition , 1893.

Bedford Cultural Editions.

Thoreau, Henry David, Walden. New York: Barnes & Noble Classics, 1854. In Hand Print book.