Ali Reynolds Red Group Stephen Crane, the author of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, and Henry David

Thoreau, the author of Walden, agree on the subjects of philanthropy and proactive decision-making, but have differing opinions on self-reliance. They agree that philanthropy is a good ideal, but that many philanthropists are not good at carrying out philanthropy. They also agree that one should be result-oriented in life. Thoreau believes that self-reliance is important and that everyone should strive to become self-reliant, while Crane believes that in some situations being self-sustaining is impossible. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets tells the story of a girl growing up in a poverty-ridden section of New York, who turns to prostitution after being abandoned by her lover. The main character is Maggie, an innocent and nave girl who blossomed in a mud puddle to become a pretty young girl (Crane 49). She begins to go out with Pete, a young man she looks up to, and becomes dependent on him. Maggies brother Jimmie and mother Mary get angry when she dates Pete and eventually ban her from coming home. When he leaves her, she becomes a prostitute and falls into a deep depression, and kills herself in the end. Walden is an account of Henry David Thoreaus stay at Walden Pond. In Economy, he describes how he stayed on Ralph Waldo Emersons property for two years before returning to society. Thoreau also explains why he went to Walden Pond and writes about his morals and ideals. . At the end of Economy, he writes about his views on his philanthropy and philanthropists. Stephen Crane and Henry David Thoreau have complementing and contrasting opinions, which they show through their writing. Stephen Crane and Henry David Thoreau both believe that philanthropy is a good ideal but that philanthropists are overrated. Crane tells a story about philanthropy in Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. In the story, a philanthropist is preaching to a group of

Ali Reynolds Red Group poor people about how they are damned, oblivious that they are only waiting for him to give them soup (46). The philanthropist has a good idea to give the poor soup, but he chooses to use the good idea as an opportunity to preach to the poor. In another scene, Maggie, now a depressed prostitute, sees a philanthropist in the streets (88). Maggie is obviously in need, but the philanthropist went stolidly by, the broad of his back sneering at Maggie (88). This lack of assistance leads to Maggies eventual suicide. Thoreau has the same opinion as Crane. He criticizes philanthropists because they are only trying to make themselves look good or feel good, instead of trying to help impoverished people. Thoreau also believes that philanthropy should help everyone, saying that he has never heard of a philanthropic meeting in which it was sincerely proposed to do any good to me, or the likes of me (62). In all, Thoreau is in favor of philanthropy and at one part says that he would not subtract anything from the praise that is due to philanthropy; just that philanthropy needs to be carried out in a better way (63). Stephen Crane and Henry David Thoreau both believe that philanthropy is a concept that is not executed well by those who call themselves philanthropists. Another issue Stephen Crane and Henry David Thoreau both support is proactive decision-making and living deliberately. Crane criticizes passiveness through Maggies character. Maggie becomes entirely dependent on Pete when she begins dating him. She doesnt make any decisions for herself, instead leaving them to Pete. She lets destiny control her life. The only proactive decision Maggie makes is to kill herself after Pete leaves her. As sad as this is, she finally stops relying on others to make decisions for her and made her own decision. Maggies passivity is shown as an unlikeable quality that, in part, leads to her downfall and eventual death. Walden is a sharp contrast to this. Thoreau

Ali Reynolds Red Group states that his reason for going to live at Walden Pond is that he wished to live deliberately, among other things (74). He wants to be independent and choose his path in life, and not let destiny control him. His decision to move into the woods is an exemplar of this, as he wanted to make an important decision in his life. Both Stephen Crane and Henry David Thoreau believes that one should strive to make proactive decisions and that one should not let destiny control their life. While Stephen Crane shows that in some cases self-reliance is impossible, Henry David Thoreau believes that self-reliance was essential and attainable. Crane shows that in some cases it is impossible for one to become self-reliant. Maggie grows up in a poor neighborhood of New York. She grows up reliant on those who provided for her family, whether it was her parents or her brother, Jimmie. She goes to work, but only to make a little money to help support the family, not near enough for her to be able to survive on her own. When Maggie starts dating Pete, she becomes entirely dependent on him. On one date, Maggie is described to be leaning on Pete with a dependent air toward her companion. She was timid, as if fearing his anger or displeasure. (73). When Maggie is thrown out of her house, she becomes even more dependent on Pete for survival including food and shelter, and when he leaves her she is left with nothing. Having relied on others for her entire life, Maggie resorts to being a prostitute, the only way she can find to make money. Maggie has grown up being dependent on others, and therefore is not able to become self-reliant. Thoreau, on the other hand, goes to Walden Pond so that he can to rely on only himself. He describes how he was able to meet all of the necessary costs to live at Walden Pond through farming (51). He provides several lists of how he is able to meet all the costs of living at Walden Pond, including what plants he grew in his

Ali Reynolds Red Group borrowed land (42, 46, 50, 51). He believes that he doesnt need society, and describes how he lives a mile from any neighbor (7). Thoreau believes that everyone should become self-reliant and that it is just a matter of choice. Although Stephen Crane showed that in some cases self-reliance is not possible, Henry David Thoreau saw self-reliance as an attainable and even crucial attribute. While Stephen Crane, author of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and Henry David Thoreau, author of Walden, have differing opinions on the subject of self-reliance, both believe in the importance of making proactive decisions and agree that philanthropy is a good ideal that has not been carried out well by philanthropists. Through Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, Crane shows the negligence of philanthropists, the incompetence that comes with passivity, and the impossibility of self-reliance for some. Through Walden and specifically Economy, Thoreau shows the selfishness of philanthropists, the importance of living deliberately, and the importance of self-reliance. Through their books, Stephen Crane and Henry David Thoreau explore and explain their opinions on self-reliance, proactive decision-making, and philanthropy versus philanthropists.

Ali Reynolds Red Group Works Cited Crane, Stephen. Maggie: A Girl of Streets. Bedford Cultural ed. N.p., 1893. Print. Thoreau, Henry David. "Economy." Walden. New York, NY: Barnes & Nobles, 1854. N. pag. Print.