Thoreau vs.

Crane
Amy Krimm
CAP English 9
November 23, 2015
Dr. Simel, Green Group

Amy Krimm
CAP Green Group
November 23, 2015
Thoreau vs. Crane
Henry David Thoreau in Walden, and Stephen Crane in Maggie: A Girl of the Streets,
share similar views concerning philanthropists, but the two authors have contrasting views
regarding destiny and self reliance. In Walden, Thoreau lives alone for two years in a small cabin
away from the rest of society, where he learns to eliminate the unnecessary. He shares his
discovery of the essential facts of life, and his philosophy that humans should learn to live
deliberately (Thoreau 74). Stephen Cranes Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is about a young Irish
girl named Maggie who faces poverty in the slums of New York. When her family and friends
dont provide her with enough support, Maggie is forced into prostitution, and eventually
commits suicide. Both Walden and Maggie: A Girl of the Streets take place in the mid-1800s,
where traditional ways of life are beginning to be questioned. Thoreau and Crane put voice to
these changes by sharing their personal perspectives of American culture and society.
Henry David Thoreau and Stephen Crane would concur on their views of philanthropists.
Both authors believe that philanthropists are people who emphasize helping others in order to get
acknowledgment and self-satisfaction for their good deeds. According to Thoreau, Philanthropy
is not love for one's fellow man in the broadest sense, instead, it is an act with selfish intentions
(61). Philanthropists often arent sincere when offering to help, and they rarely do any good to
[Thoreau], or the likes of [him] (62). Both Thoreau and Crane believe that philanthropists only
help those who they deem worth helping, instead of aiding people who are truly in need. Crane
writes, about a benevolent-looking gentleman, He did not risk [his respectability] to save a soul.
For how was he to know that there was a soul before him that needed saving? (87). The two
authors also agree that people who call themselves philanthropists are usually wealthy, and help
others because it is expected of them to do so by others in their class. When Crane says all

Amy Krimm
CAP Green Group
November 23, 2015
good coats [cover] faint hearts, he is saying that philanthropists who dress nicely arent any
stronger than the people whom they help (Crane 47). The privileged dont realize what others are
going through, so they simply pretend to understand by sugarcoating their selfish intentions with
images of kindness and philanthropy. Thoreau and Crane share similar views on the nature of
philanthropists, and why they are not as good as people make them out to be.
While Henry David Thoreau and Stephen Crane have similar views on philanthropists,
they have contrasting views regarding destiny. Thoreau believes that men should choose their
own fate instead of simply living without questioning previous generations and Crane believes
that one cannot choose his/her own fate. According to Thoreau, One may almost doubt if the
wisest man has learned anything of absolute value by living (Thoreau 11). He notices that
following the path created by older generations often leads to men living unimaginative lives of
quiet desperation (11). People who do not question life are truly unhappy, and because they do
not ponder the cause of their unhappiness, they do not know how their emotions could be fixed.
Thoreau feels that people are so caught up with daily tasks that they dont even think of the
possibility to choose their own fate. According to Thoreau, What a man thinks of himself, that it
is which determines, or rather indicates, his fate (Thoreau 10). Thoreau believes that everybody
has the opportunity to choose his or her own fate, regardless of social background. In Walden,
Henry David Thoreau shares his beliefs that members of society should step away from cultural
norms and begin deciding their own destiny.
Contrary to Thoreaus views regarding destiny, Stephen Crane believes that the
circumstances into which one is born determine ones fate. In his novella, Maggie is born with
little opportunity for a better future; her two choices were teh go teh hell or go teh work,
(Steph. 49) and this affected the rest of her life decisions. Stephen Crane shows that because of

Amy Krimm
CAP Green Group
November 23, 2015
Maggies predetermined fate, she is unable to truly separate herself from the rest of society.
Although it was not easy, Maggie blossomed in a mud puddle (Crane 49) and tried to live her
life in the way that she wanted to. Maggie represents the lower class in society by showing that
how no matter how much work is put into improving ones life, the lower class will never have
as much opportunity as the upper class does. Stephen Crane depicts this story of a young girl
who will never be able to be truly happy because he wants to show that fate is not entirely a
choice.
Henry David Thoreau and Stephen Crane also have different views on self-reliance.
Thoreau believes that all people should be, and are able to be self-reliant. Instead of blindly
relying on others in order to have a well paying job or to own land, people should learn to
separate themselves from the distractions such as the comforts of life (15). Thoreau believes
that if people learn not to blindly follow societys expectations, the world as a whole will be
better off. While the ability to change society can be difficult for people to achieve, it is overall a
good thing. According to Thoreau, all change is a miracle to contemplate; but it is a miracle
which is taking place every instant (13). Comparable to his idea of fate, Thoreau believes that
everybody has the chance to be self-reliant. A way for the common man to be self-reliant is to
have a simple and independent mind [that] does not toil at the bidding of any prince (48). Once
men realize that rules laid down by the elite upper class should not be trusted, all men will at
length establish their lives on that basis (13). This will allow for people to find their true
purpose and thus their happiness. In Walden, Thoreau expresses his opinion that true self-reliance
is obtainable, and that it positively contributes to society as a whole.
Although Thoreau believes that self-reliance is obtainable by everyone, Stephen Crane
believes that humans need to rely on other people in order to be successful. In Maggie: A Girl of

Amy Krimm
CAP Green Group
November 23, 2015
the Streets, Crane shows the reader that because Maggie has nobody who cares about her and on
whom she can rely, she cannot be happy. When Maggie is just a small girl, she fears her
alcoholic mother, and is unable to feel comfortable with herself and her family. Family meals
caused Maggie to, with side glances of fear and interruption, [eat] like a pursued tigress (Crane
42). When the only woman who was kind to Maggie invited her to spend the night, the old
woman says Well, come in an stay wid me teh-night. I ain got no moral standin (84). This
shows that because Maggie became a prostitute, anyone with moral standin would not be
willing to take her in. Maggie does not have the resources to be self-reliant, but she is forced to
do her best because there is nobody who cares about her. This reflects on all of society because
when the lower class needs help the most, the rest of society is often unwilling to give it. The
lower class does not have the privilege be self-reliant because they do not have the recourses,
such as money or connections, to do so. Cranes views on self-reliance differ from Thoreaus
views because Crane sees self-reliance as an idea that only the upper class can achieve, while
Thoreau believes that self-reliance is an ideal for which all members of society should strive.
While Henry David Thoreau and Stephen Crane have comparable views regarding
philanthropists, they have opposing views on destiny and self-reliance. Both authors see
philanthropists as selfish people who only wish to make themselves look good. In order to
honestly be philanthropic, one must help others without worrying about his or her personal
image. Thoreau and Crane disagree on the idea of destiny in that Thoreau believes that people
are able to choose their own fate, while Crane believes all destiny is pre-determined. Thoreau
and Crane also have different views regarding self-reliance because Thoreau believes that selfreliance will help society as a whole, while Crane believes that self-reliance will hurt less
privileged individuals. Henry David Thoreau displays all of his societal ideals by living in a

Amy Krimm
CAP Green Group
November 23, 2015
hand-built cabin on the shores of Walden Pond. When people question Thoreaus motives for
leaving society behind, he responds by writing a book sharing his philosophy behind the
decision. Stephen Crane displays his opinions of society by writing a novella about the harsh
conditions of a young girl living in a tenement house. Both Henry David Thoreau and Stephen
Crane create literary masterpieces displaying their personal opinions on the pressing debates of
mid-1800s society.

Works Cited

Amy Krimm
CAP Green Group
November 23, 2015
Crane, Stephen, and Kevin J. Hayes. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. New York: Norton, 1979.
Print.
Thoreau, Henry David, and Jonathan Levine. Walden. New York, NY: Barnes & Nobel Books,
2003. Print.