r died, and then when he was twelve his sister died as well. Two years later, one of Crane's older brothers was crushed to death by two freight cars. These misfortunes shaped Crane's insight into human nature, and caused his works to emphasize ordinary people facing the evils of war and poverty and any other obstacles that he had endured himself. At the age of twenty-one Crane wrote Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. It is a story of a young woman, Maggie Johnson, who "blossom(s) in a mud puddle" (Maggie 16). Maggie grows up in the tenements of Manhattan, enduring abusive and alcoholic parents and the filth of poverty. With no education or money, Maggie takes a job in a cuff and collar factory for five dollars a week. Maggie dreams of having a better life and of having someone to take her away from her misery. Her dreams seem to come true with a man named Pete, who promises her wonderful things. Pete takes her to shows and restaurants, introducing Maggie to the better things in life. Maggie falls desperately in love with Pete and p
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