Pathos in Maggie

   One of the defining elements of Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is the degree to which the tale makes a reader sad. The piece is tragic, there are few "feel good" moments the author uses Pathos repeatedly to engage the reader.
   According to Killingsworth Pathos is defined as an "appeal to emotions" (25) which Maggie certainly has a great deal of. The image of the drunken fight between the parents is full of emotion. The anger, and desperation of the adults scares the children. The image of small children, terrified, and having to essentially fend for themselves is one that touches readers. One particularly strong scene is where Jimmie goes to the bar to get beer for an old woman and his father steal it. Jimmie acts like the parent in the situation and scold his father. This role reversal surprised the reader and helps the reader feel for the child. Crane uses pathos in scene after scene to almost emotionally drain his reader. In Killingsworth's article he notes that "the most important contribution Kinneavey made was to suggest that ethos, pathos, and logos are somewhat other than appeals. They are more like positions" (26) This can be seen in Crane's work he uses Pathos to make his position clear on the life of the slums and make his point to uplift the poor. His use of extreme pathos touches the reader and clarifies his position on the topic.