Maggie A Girl of the Streets













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 Maggie A Girl of the Streets
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| Chapter 9 |
This chapter opens with a
group of street urchins who witness Mary's expulsion from a bar. She stumbles
down the steps, cursing the owner of the establishment and begins her walk
home. Along the way the urchins taunt her and she pauses from time to time to
hurl maledictions at them. Finally she reaches the tenement house and makes
her way upstairs. She notices that several of the doors in the hall are open
and curious faces are watching her noisy arrival but when she steps toward one
of the doors it closes in her face. Despite her cursing and kicking the owner
of the door refuses to open though the other doors in the hallway creak open so
the residents can watch her fuming effort. She becomes the subject of catcalls
and several people throw things at her. Jimmie arrives home to find his mother
thus engaged. "Shet yer face, an' come home, yeh damned old fool," her yells
at her. Much to the delight of the other residents Mary lands a powerful blow
on her son's backside and the two begin to struggle. Eventually Jimmie is able
to throw his mother into their apartment. A great struggle ensues and Maggie
flees to the other room. When she returns Jimmie is covered in bloody bruises,
her mother is weeping and cursing on the floor and the apartment is a
shambles. Pete arrives and seeing the mess exclaims: "Oh, Gawd." Then he
whispers in Maggie's ear: "Ah, what deh hell Mag? Come ahn and we'll have a
hell of a time." This arouses Mary who proclaims that Maggie has "gone teh deh
devil" and tells her she's a disgrace to the family. Maggie begins to tremble
and Pete assures her that it will blow over and she should come with him and
have some fun. Jimmie is concerned only with his wounds and pays no heed when
Mary tells Maggie "Go teh hell an' good riddance" and Maggie leaves.
Analysis of Chapter 9
Although this chapter
culminates in Maggie's ejection from the apartment but it follows Mary up to
that moment so that the reader can appreciate Mary's state of mind when she
tells her daughter to "Go teh hell." Mary has confronted the neighbors with
her surly behavior and injured her son but she reserves her cruelest moment for
Maggie. The difference between this scene and previous such outbursts is that
in this case Pete offers Maggie a choice. The preceding descriptions of the
melodramas establish the rationale for Maggie to accept Pete as her protector
and salvation and to trust him with her care.
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