Like Maria in West Side Story, we also see Maggie in Stephen Crane's Maggie: A Girl of the Streets be subjected to the dangerous woes of city life and its male occupants. Maggie's world is suddenly expanded after she falls in love with Peter, a true man of the city. Peter treats Maggie to shows and reveals to her a glitzier side of the city that previously was unbeknownst to her, and she “saw the golden glitter of the places where Pete was to take her” (28). Soon, Maggie's love for Peter is matched for her love of being part of the city-life environment. Maggie wonders at the splendor of the costumes (32).” She falls prey to that love, and ultimately is heart-broken and homeless when Peter moves on. Maggie must live in danger as she makes her home the streets. Survival of the fittest reigns, and Maggie must learn to live in the danger if she wishes to survive. Maggie explains, for example, to always look as if one is going walking with a purpose, for those who do not garner unwanted attention on the streets. At the end of the story, Maggie's loses her battle to an undisclosed death while living on the streets. Her downfall is directly attributed to falling in love with the glitzy side of the city and Peter.
Important to look into deeper though, is the catalyst for Maggie's downfall. While she held Peter's attention and mild affection briefly, Peter himself was drawn like a flame to an old flame, named Nell. For as much as Maggie worshiped the idea of Peter and the tastes of the city he had to offer, Peter was even farther under the spell of the sophisticated Nell. It was the unexpected appearance of Nell that instantly dimmed Peter's affection for Maggie. Nell cast a spell on every man about her as she “reduced Pete to a pulp” (64) during a dinner conversation when she simply informed Peter she did not find him particularly interesting. Although Maggie suffered the hardest hit upon the loss of Peter and his city, the ultimately most powerful individual was the femme-fatale, Nell. The city that savvy Nell, “a woman of brilliance and audacity” (82) thrived in cultivated her into a female force to be reckoned with. In a place where many women suffered the fate of Maggie, a few managed to rise above even the jauntiest city men. At the end of the story, we see Nell get the last laugh as the woman of brilliance and audacity gathers up Peter's money and deems him a “damn fool” (83) after he passes out drunk in his dinner. Though Maggie dies as a woman of the streets, the reigning champion of the city and story is a woman of brilliance and audacity.
In Geeta's world in Mumbai, India, the women are also brilliant. The efforts of the community to get Geeta and other pavement dwellers out of the city were fruitless once the women decided to take it upon themselves to rise about their lives of poverty and filth. Although both of Geeta's parents held jobs, their efforts combined were not enough to provide a true house for their family. When their “home” was not being torn down by city workers or members of the community, it was a flimsy structure of “two piece of cardboard and a sheet of black plastic for a roof.” The pavement dwellers were reliant on members of the community, like employers and neighbors, for basic necessities such as water and clothing. If they had lived in the country, the likelihood of finding individuals willing to part with such things would be significantly less likely. The city was also able to provide employment opportunities that were not available in the rural parts of India. Despite these advantages, though, city life for pavement dwellers was dirty, dangerous, and disease-ridden. There was a heavy burden placed on Geeta and the female family members to provide for the family.
Although the men were the primary decision makers in the Indian culture, it was the women who had to support the family, especially in Geeta's circumstances. It was not until the women of the pavement dwelling community pulled together and saved that improvement in living standards occurred. Officially having an address allowed children an education and better access to health care. Again, all of this arose exclusively from the efforts of the women as they banded together as a Mahil Milan group. The group was able to accomplish in very little time what the men were not able to provide. Even more, the women stepped in when spouse abuse occurred, as “the women of the committee go to their house and try to work things out” to better the lives of the women stuck under the abuse of the men. Geeta goes as far to say she does not wish to be married because of the control her future husband would have over her. By avoiding what is intended for every young woman, Geeta is retaining her independence and control of her own life. Without what she and the female members of the pavement dweller community have accomplished in their city lives, Geeta would have to face a much different, powerless fate.
