Uplift in '"Maggie: A Girl of the Streets"

In Crane's "Maggie a Girl of the Streets," the theme of uplift can be found throughout the story.  However, I believe uplift is represented in two very different ways.  On one hand, I see Maggie as an agent in the story.   She represents the need for uplift in her society.  Although she never achieves uplift and ultimately meets her downfall because of her environment, she shows just how necessary it is for people like Maggie to better their lives and social situations.  Crane implies that, if one cannot achieve adequate uplift, their lives will be as unsuccessful as Maggie's.

On the other hand, however, I think Crane could also be arguing that uplift is not possible and that one is stuck in his or her situation, as a product of his or her environment.  If one tries to better his or her life, as Maggie does, the result will be disaster.  This goes along with George Becker's definition of Naturalism, which he says shows "man caught in a net from which there is no escape and degenerating under those circumstances; that is; it is pessimistic materialistic determinism."

This is the problem- I can't tell whether Crane wants to promote uplift by showing Maggie's dire need for it, or if he means to resist it by pointing out the disastrous effects of attempting to better one's situation. Or, is he doing both, but in order to critique society--so that he can show how necessary uplift is, and how extremely difficult it is to achieve? Overall, I believe that Crane is criticizing the social structure and providing a commentary on how horrible the effects of one's own environment can be on his or her life.