SOCIETY AND PARENTAL ABANDONMENT in MC TEAGUE

VIOLENCE, THE DAILY OF THE GHETTO 

Violence is « the use of physical force so as to injure, abuse, damage, or destroy. It is also the intentional use of physical force or power, threatened or actual, against oneself, another person, or against a group or community, which either results in or has a high likelihood of resulting in injury, death, psychological harm, maldevelopment, or deprivation. » Violence is the worse way for people to achieve goals and there are many kinds of violence. Physical and verbal violence are so high so that Crane didn’t delay to inform his audience how violence was visible and matters people’s lives in the beginning of his novel we can see children fighting between them, women and children are seen and considered the weakest and fragile stratum of society but circumstance turned those who composed the fragile stratum into animals and monsters, they become violent and aggressive they are ready to die for nothing important for instance: A very little boy stood upon a heap of gravel for the honor of Rum Alley. He was throwing s 3 tones at howling urchins from Devil’s Row who were circling madly about the heap and pelting at him. His infantile countenance was livid with fury. His small body was writhing in the delivery of great, crimson oaths. Run, Jimmie, run! Dey’ll get yehs, screaming a retreating Rum Alley child. Naw, he responded Jimmie with a valiant roar, dese micks can’t make me run1 . The author shows to his audience how Bowery is broken, violence hit on the first page of his narration children who are supposed to be at school to acquire knowledge and yearn for graduation to act for the good working of society and participating for the development of society find shelter in the streets where violence rules and many other issues tear the daily of inhabitants we can see in the previous quotation Jimmie who risk his life by fighting against a group of young boys like him without fear he dares to fight them. Crane shows us how insane people are particularly the young Jimmie who is on the verge he was sacrificing his life he has nothing to lose deep inside his mind he doesn’t worry about his life and his future because social forces and because of violence this issue turns people sensitivity to heartless one. The neighborhood hear about the Johnson dispute every time and they verbally violent in the dispute, they are always in trouble they do not share a moment of love. Crane portrays how violence matters and shakes the unity in the families. Violence hits on the face after the events that American citizen experienced from the Civil war and the consequences of the industrialization because many families suffer from these two, it is in that sense that Frank Norris emphasizes on that concern the two best friends Mc Teague and Marcus become too violent one toward the other, they were very best friends that all neighbors know about their estimate friendship, and Maria and old Zerkow who just married have seen their love drowning by obsession. Through the narration of Norris men are excessively violent, and it is a weak mean for them to get what they want, they did not find another mean to achieve their goals, they are focused on violence because it is the best way, it’s a reality in the society even in San Francisco and in Bowery New York. They are for the most dealing with the same problem with its variety, there many kinds of violence verbal violence consists of insulting, harassment and delivering speech of unkind nature. Crane displays a house of slaughter where violence predominates, violence invaded and controlled the citizens, and it harmed their living conditions, they did not tolerate anything, they become more and more heartless because as we quoted the presence of violence in Bowery, adults who were unloading merchandises from the truck witnessed Jimmie fighting against a group of youngsters, they did not intervene to stop that fight. They enjoyed watching the low stratum of society degrading, they have made their issues a reality that they should deal with, they did not try to figure out and they forced children to experience their issues, parents and adults did not give a way for children to have a better life but they drowned children in the river desperation, of darkness because violence did not drive you to the light, freedom and success it stuck people on vices and break their possibility of dreaming better life, violence kills hope and feeds pessimistic side of people. The realistic writers of American literature were inspired by European writers like Zola who is committed in his works by picturing the reality, he was fighting also to correct the misbehaviors of society. Crane and Norris are one of the precursors of that literary trend in America and they have dealt with many issues, mainly violence and in our subtitles we will focus on its variety.

VERBAL VIOLENCE, A BAD MEAN OF COMMUNICATION

 Every use of oppression can be seen as violence and verbal violence is one of those kinds that makes as much damages as physical violence. After the industrial revolution American working class had received a huge shock because most of workers become jobless they are replaced by machines, many family men were in a sorrow to see their future breaking into many pieces. They tried to alternate by falling into vices, Crane pictures the disrupted family from Bowery, the Johnson family is one of the family of 19th century that faced many troubles just like other family from New York, Crane draws an electric atmosphere to the audience, the couple did not fulfill their role of becoming good parent but also they teach violence indirectly to children, they did not pay attention to their behaviors. The Johnson family man spends all his daytime to the pub, he did not care so much of his family as an upright father and husband should do, he only came at home at night letting his wife with her baby boy. Once he come back home Mary his wife start making him in trouble, the hardship of the dailies affected so much their relationship so that they hate each other, and Mary arrogance were growing day by because she used to drink alcohol as her husband. She is so violent verbally towards her children Jimmie and Maggie and verbally towards her husband she is so nervous and all the neighbors know about her skill of making trouble. Let the damned kid alone for a minute, will yeh, Mary? Yer allus poundin’ ‘im. When I come nights I can’t git no rest ’cause yer allus poundin’ a kid. Let up, d’yeh hear? Don’t be allus poundin’ a kid. » The woman’s operations on the urchin instantly increased in violence. At last she tossed him to a corner where he limply lay cursing and weeping. The wife put her immense hands on her hips and with a chieftain-like stride approached her husband. « Ho, » she said, with a great grunt of contempt. « An’ what in the devil are you stickin’ your nose for? » The babe crawled under the table and, turning, peered out cautiously. The ragged girl retreated and the urchin in the corner drew his legs carefully beneath him. The man puffed his pipe calmly and put his great mudded boots on the back part of the stove. « Go teh hell, » he murmured, tranquilly. 9 The woman screamed and shook her fists before her husband’s eyes. The rough yellow of her face and neck flared suddenly crimson. She began to how . According to that quotation the two who are supposed to love each other and cherish each other have failed to live a peaceful and lovely life like normal couples manage to, they are always or the most part of time in trouble, Crane hasn’t showed in his narrative a little moment of tenderness. The couple undergoes one of the sad criteria of naturalism which is social forces, they could not overcome those issues they are facing every day, the Johnson family was dealing with hanger, lack of education and poverty and the couple did not communicate each other, they did not exchange well Mary was as responsible as his husband was because if they really fulfilled their duties their kids would be busy at home doing homework but instead of that Mary was cleaning harshly his son and use nasty words toward his husband because of his absence. Mary and his husband did not surprise readers why they are two violent but deceive readers to see such a disrupted couple which lost all charm and meaning, they are linked by love in the eyes of God and people but there is not a bit of love expressed in their marital relationship. Children also are victims of verbi al and psychological violence they suffer a lot from misunderstanding, they cannot exchange with parents, and children felt in trouble at home because of the bad mood of parents, they feel destroyed by poverty and social forces, children of Bowery spend their whole daytime in the streets, they occupy the streets, they are the lower, soft and exposed stratum of society, they are broken and did not dream a bright future. Children are like tools for parents or like animals, parents did not look enough after their, they did not care where they could be and with who, they are selfish, parents even though they are hit by poverty and other factors, this should not prevent them from taking care of kids. Children feel threaten by parents, danger is everywhere in Bowery even in the shelter where they should be in safe hands. Maggie broke a plate. The mother started to her feet as if propelled. « Good Gawd, » she howled. Her eyes glittered on her child with sudden hatred. The fervent red of her face turned almost to purple. The little boy ran to the halls, shrieking like a monk in an earthquake. He floundered about in darkness until he found the stairs. He stumbled, panic-stricken, to the next floor. An old woman opened a door. A light behind her threw a flare on the urchin’s quivering face. From that quotation Crane shows to the reader how children was terrified even in home, they could not live in peace, calm, peace, study happiness etc. These are considered luxury which many families could not afford among those the Johnson family. Mary who is the family woman supposed to love and welcome children at home the right place where they could be instead of that curse children and sometimes she tries to beat them and they find shelter outside home. Psychological and verbal violence have killed a little of affection between children and parents because, parents are those who should give love to children outcast their kids and snooze into alcohol pretending it to be the way out of their drastic daily, it’s heartbreaking to learn such kind of torture from parents, because children are innocent, they did not ask for living on earth. Violence have roasted people’s mind and drive them to act like fools. Norris did not delay to emphasis on that issue which are verbal and psychological violence because it has broken good relationship characters used to live as he took his inspiration on people’s daily. He witnessed what his contemporaries were dealing with and how it hurt to see people being broken by many vices such as violence which can be defined an overpowering which people hold toward people to disturb their tranquility or abuse them to get control or something back. From his narration he introduced a stout man whose father used to be a minor and that stout man was a car boy working in that mine he did not get any education or trainings in his life, he did not know anything else instead of mining and his mother was working next to the mine, she did care so much of his son future by leaving money for him to make his life, or start a business, she arranged him to be an apprentice of a dentist. That dentist taught to Mc Teague how to be a dentist and Mc Teague managed and moved on San Francisco where he could start his business; his new occupation without a diploma or license which allow him to practice and cursed be the day Trina won five thousand dollar from a lottery ticket, Marcus who was a well-known Mc Teague friend broke his relationship with Mac because of the amount of money. Marcus as he considered Mc Teague as a friend drove his cousin Trina at Mc cabinet to fix her teeth, during that that service something happened between the two and Mc Teague fell in love with Trina and explained to Marcus his friend and the latter agreed to let them start a relationship and live it in love, Marcus arranged the date for Trina and Mc Teague and everything was beautiful but since Trina won at lottery, Marcus became verbally and 5 Maggie a girl of the streets by Stephen Crane 1893 chapter II p8 11 psychologically violent he became a threat for the couple especially for Mc Teague his friend and he drove Mc Teague straight out to the ruin and he caused the misunderstanding of the couple that led them to be separated and pitiless and violent. Frank Norris mentioned from a quotation his work by showing to the reader how cruel, foolish, dangerous and violent a friend could be especially Marcus. « Hello, Mark, » said the dentist, « you here already? » « Hello, » returned the other, indifferently, helping himself to tomato catsup. There was a silence. After a long while Marcus suddenly looked up. « Say, Mac, » he exclaimed, « when you going to pay me that money you owe me? » McTeague was astonished. « Huh? What? I don’t—do I owe you any money, Mark? » « Well, you owe me four bits, » returned Marcus, doggedly. « I paid for you and Trina that day at the picnic, and you never gave it back. » « Oh—oh! » answered McTeague, in distress. « That’s so, that’s so. I—you ought to have told me before. Here’s your money, and I’m obliged to you. » Marcus. « You ‘a’ had to pay half a dollar for a bed at the flat. » « All right, all right, » cried the dentist, hastily, feeling in his pockets. « I don’t want you should be out anything on my account, old man. Here, will four bits do? » « I don’t WANT your damn money, » shouted Marcus in a sudden rage, throwing back the coin. « I ain’t no beggar 6 . Mc Teague has suffered abruptly the bad mood and the greedy side of his friend Marcus, who is different to recognize those days because of money which he did not own a penny of it, Marcus did not hesitate to show to his friend his dark side, he became violent, he asked Mc Teague to give him back his money in a disrespectful way and shameful manner. He started aggressing verbally and psychologically his friend, he forgot that Mc Teague was not the winner at the lotto but Trina, Marcus became greedy to greedy so that he want to benefit of his cousin money. 

 PHYSICAL VIOLENCE, THE NEW RULE FOR SURVIVAL

 Violence is a mean of struggle that non intelligent people use, it is the worst mean to get satisfaction in return, because violence grows hatred and rancor for people. We noticed the use of that evil never stops and create more damages on both sides, violence is an evil that nothing can blossom or flourish on that ground, it prevent people from moving steps together forward and it is sign that proves disunion in a family or a neighborhood. Crane in his novel portrays a shocking picture of how violence with its varieties but how verbal and physical violence have effected in his contemporaries lives, that evil was a daily because every stratums of society dealt with and it was heartbreaking. From that quotation he pictured how Bowery was torn by evils such like violence. A stone had smashed into Jimmie’s mouth. Blood was bubbling over his chin and down upon his ragged shirt. Tears made furrows on his dirt-stained cheeks. His thin legs had begun to tremble and turn weak, causing his small body to reel. His roaring curses of the first part of the fight had changed to a blasphemous chatter. In the yells of the whirling mob of Devil’s Row children there were notes of joy like songs of triumphant savagery. The little boys seemed to leer gloatingly at the blood upon the other child’s face. Down the avenue came boastfully sauntering a lad of sixteen years, although the chronic sneer of an ideal manhood already sat upon his lips7 . Crane displayed a heartbreaking image of youngsters, who broke a fight for honor, they broke a fight for nothing, they were victims of social forces, victims of poverty and others factors, the 19th century affected a lot people’s life because machine replace some posts in the factories which means that most of family men would be jobless and they could not satisfy the needs for their families and their own and the consequences are obvious they invade the streets like animals dealing with the issues, it’s like survival for the fittest, there were norms, physical violence widen in a society that are normless, there were no moral norms because did not have time to teach good manners to their children. Heredity played a key role in the making of children because instead of those issues they were facing, they were dealing with, parents did not try to help their children to better their lives, and maybe it’s because that they had nobody to help them out. It was shameful to see how people are so broken, and children suffered a lot of those consequences, they saw their children messed up, they could not remember any joy they felt once they were young. It was like issues have torn up an important chapter of their live which was childhood, everything they recollect was sorrow and pain, hunger and fear, hatred settled in their hearts and killed their feelings. Committed writers like Frank Norris did not wait point up issues which his contemporaries were dealing with, since Trina won at lotto the trouble started and it was settled by one man who was friend then turned up an enemy, it was a disgrace coming from such a trustworthy guy. Marcus is Mc Teague friend who accepted her cousin Trina and the dentist to settle together to live a lovely, he did a very noble action but unfortunately he declined his attitude because of money, an amount of money that did not belong to Mc Teague neither him, it was Trina money and she wanted to benefited from. He changed his attitude towards the dentist, he accused him of stealing his money. He attempted to attack the dentist but the dentist was physical strong, he was stronger than Marcus, he made of Mc Teague his enemy that he wanted to ruin unfortunately he did it at last. As he rose he caught Marcus’s wrist in both his hands. He did not strike, he did not know what he was doing. His only idea was to batter the life out of the man before him, to crush and annihilate him upon the instant. Gripping his enemy in his enormous hands, hard and knotted, and covered with a stiff fell of yellow hair—the hands of the old-time car-boy—he swung him wide, as a hammer-thrower swings his hammer. Marcus’s feet flipped from the ground, he spun through the air about McTeague as helpless as a bundle of clothes. All at once there was a sharp snap, almost like the report of a small pistol. Then Marcus rolled over and over upon the ground as McTeague released his grip; his arm, the one the dentist had seized, bending suddenly, as though a third joint had formed between wrist and elbow. The arm was broken8 . From that quotation above we witness how the former best friends relationship is broken, they hate each other Marcus challenged Mc Teague and failed because they are not physically the same Doc is stronger than him and Heise organized a picnic at their respective park the Schuetzen Park, they were celebrating Heise and his wife wedding anniversary and invited the neighbors to take part of that event. Unfortunately the former best friends join at the party and game was organized and it was a way for both to fight and they managed to hurt each other. Marcus who is the one who triggers that fight suffered a lot, Doc was pitiless toward him. Violence is an evil that breaks people it grows many bad things like hatred and rancor, nothing good grows on that land and it prevents a man and society to step forward, we notice how verbal, psychological and physical violence breaks people’s hope and it doesn’t offer chance for making better life, it doesn’t give a chance to enjoy life and dreaming of good life. Both writers Crane and Norris pointed out the consequences of violence