Amy Gilbert

CAP Green Block

11/6/2013








Thoreau vs. Crane Essay
Amy Gilbert
CAP English 9
Green Block
11/6/2013






Thoreau vs. Crane Essay
Henry David Thoreau in Walden and Stephen Crane in Maggie: A Girl of the Streets
share similar views on philanthropy, while their views on self-reliance and fate vs. choosing
ones own path in life differ. Thoreau, a transcendentalist, has a more take-charge stance on
these matters, while Crane, falling more under the umbrella of realist beliefs, believed that one
cannot control every aspect of ones own life. Their contrasting views are demonstrated in
Amy Gilbert
CAP Green Block
11/6/2013
Walden and Maggie.
A topic on which Thoreau and Crane nearly agree is philanthropy. Thoreau believes
philanthropy is good in theory. He supports true philanthropists, saying: But I would not stand
between any man and his genius; and to him who does this work, which I decline, with his whole
heart and soul and life, I would say, Persevere, even if the world call it doing evil, as it is most
likely they will (60, Thoreau). However, he says that I never heard of a philanthropic meeting
in which it was sincerely proposed to do any good to me, or the like of me, showing he does not
believe there are many true philanthropists. (62, Thoreau). Repeated multiple times in Walden is
the idea that philanthropy is generally done only to relieve ones guilt about being wealthy, and it
only allows the poor to remain poor. It could almost be said that Thoreau believes philanthropy
is not selfless, but selfish. He thinks the poor must work to help themselves, and that is the only
way to overcome their condition. This idea can also be explored through his views on self-
reliance. Crane takes on less extreme views. While he may also have a quarrel with
philanthropists, he also expresses more sympathy for the less fortunate. Given that Maggie is a
poor prostitute who dies because she can not get the help she needs, it is presumable that Crane
believes that asking for help is good when it is necessary. Cranes views are less clear, as
philanthropy is discussed more directly in Walden. Nevertheless, there is a clear overlap in their
opinions.
When it comes to self-reliance, Thoreau is practically obsessive. He believes strongly in
self-reliance; for example, he built his own house at Walden Pond. He borrows an axe, but he
sees no shame in that, saying that It is difficult to begin without borrowing, but perhaps it is the
most generous course thus to permit your fellow-men to have an interest in your enterprise (35).
At the same time, he did believe in limiting dependence on others as much as possible. This is
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11/6/2013
why he builds himself a house: he wants to live simply, and do it right. For him, that means with
little interference or help from the outside world. Thoreau has an almost religious belief in
simplicity, and self-reliance ties into that. Thoreau asks why humans depend on others if all they
must acquire are the most basic needs in life. The answer to that, from Thoreaus perspective,
would be that they must not. He believes that the only necessities for living are shelter, food,
clothing and fuel- some being only partially necessary. With so few needs, there is little need for
help from others.
Crane does not believe that all people can be self-reliant. He believes it is acceptable,
sometimes even favorable to ask for help when help is needed. Cranes main character,Maggie,
has to take on an unfavorable job because she has few other choices. In the end, no one saves
Maggie and she dies, as The varied sounds of life, made joyous by distance and seeming
unapproachableness, came faintly and died away to a silence (89). Crane is making a point that
had people helped her more, maybe her situation would not have been so hopeless, and she
would not have died.. In making that point, he is saying that helping others is something people
can and should do. People had opportunities to help Maggie, but overlooked them because she
seemed poor and unfavorable, such as when the clergyman He gave a convulsive movement
and saved his respectability by a vigorous side-step. He did not risk it to save a soul. For how
was he to know that there was a soul before him that needed saving? (87). When the clergyman
fails to help Maggie, she cannot ask him for help. He is a stranger, and she is a prostitute.
Neither would approach the other person. The situation would not work itself out, which
connects this idea to another one of the themes in the two books: fate.
In Walden, Thoreau establishes that fate has no power over peoples lives. Thoreau
believes people choose their own fates, saying that What a man thinks of himself, that it is
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11/6/2013
which determines, or rather indicates, his fate (10). Unlike Crane, Thoreau is adamant in the
belief that through their choices, people choose their own fates. This relates to Thoreaus ideas
about self-reliance. If someone is self-reliant, s/he is taking initiative and therefore is in control
of his/her life. This is why the poor stay poor- they do not have that initiative, and they rely on
philanthropists to help them- although that is a whole different battle of Thoreaus. Regardless,
in Thoreaus mind, that same initiative can regulate circumstance. In Maggie, Crane refutes the
idea that one can choose his/her own destiny.
In Maggie, Crane alludes to belief in the power of circumstance. Maggie has very little
power in her life. The only big life decision she makes is taking a job, as described by Cranes
saying Whereupon she went to work, having the feminine aversion of going to hell (49). That
decision does not improve her life, and she eventually dies. Maggie is not a bad person. She is
not immoral, merely misfortunate. Maggie is born into the wrong circumstance, and there is
nothing she could have done to save herself. This is an idea that Crane is perpetuating. She is
born into a bad situation of which she has little control, and so bad things happen to her. This
connects directly to Cranes views on self-reliance because if others had been more sensitive to
her situation and had taken time out of their lives to help her, she may not have been so unlucky.
One must not be entirely self-reliant, and one cannot control everything in ones life.
Thoreau and Cranes views are typical of their movements. Transcendentalists live
simply. Thoreau, a transcendentalist, believes in achieving simplicity by determining ones own
path, by doing most everything for oneself and by making use of only the most basic necessities.
This is why he praises self-reliance and questions philanthropy. He thinks working for oneself is
most important, and it cannot be that hard, with so few needs. Realists view the world as it is.
Crane recognizes the evils of the world, and as such is more sympathetic to human
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11/6/2013
imperfections. This leads to his belief in helping others and his refusal to believe that humans
are completely in control of their fates. The overlap in Thoreau and Cranes beliefs, however, is
evident. They both believe in doing good for others, but disagree on what doing good for
others entails. Thoreau believes that giving to the poor encourages them to stay poor, so he is
skeptical of the intentions of philanthropists. Crane shows that giving to the poor could help
them avoid the situation that is dooming them, so he has faith in philanthropy. The overlap here
is that if a person lacks the skill to acquire basic necessities, Crane shows that is where that
philanthropy is needed. Through Walden and Maggie respectively, Thoreau and Crane express
these ideas openly.
Works Cited
Crane, Stephen. Maggie: A Girl of the Streets. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
Thoreau, Henry David. Walden and Civil Disobedience. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.