Entertainment is a powerful motive in human behavior. To put it simply, human beings like to be entertained. We tend to seek out entertainment to counter the stress and boredom that permeates our daily responsibilities and other activities. It is pure satisfaction. Entertainment can be found through many different forms in many different situations. Most of the time, we entertain ourselves through civilized, thoughtful, and generally positive events. Far too often, however, our carnal desire for entertainment mesmerizes us into disregard for what sort of entertainment we engage in. Then, we find ourselves being entertained by some of the lowest forms of human interaction possible. When we look at Stephen Crane's Maggie: Girl of the Streets, we are able to explore a bit this of primal human condition and compare it not only to our own lives but to other literary works from different times and different settings.
Right from the get-go, Crane painstakingly details the internal and external trials and tribulations of the Johnson family. We are introduced to Jimmy, who is in the midst of defending the honor of Rum Alley from the "urchins- of Devil's Row. This isn't an uncommon activity for Jimmy and his friends (and for that matter, their enemies). It is treated with angered expectation from his mother who exclaims, " Eh what? Been fightin' agin, by Gawd!'- (pg. 8). His sister laments over the frequency of his quarrels crying, " Youse allus fightin', Jimmie '- (pg. 8). Upon reading the account of the fight, one is pressed to find any reasoning behind it. We are given no indication that those "fiends- of Devil's Row were in great need of a sound beating. Whether it is admitted or not by Jimmy himself, it is clear that he and the other children partake in this serious roughhousing as a form of entertainment. Entertainment doesn't have to be pleasant. As we watch a thrasher movie on the big screen, we don't immediately enjoying the tension that builds up in us as the killer prepares for the slaughter.
