After I read one of the stories written by Stephen Crane, Maggie, a Girl of the street, I really grasped the meaning of the word "pessimism". This author held extremely pessimistic views on all human beings and all events on earth and he portrayed the details of some calamities in a matter-of -course tone, as in Maggie story. He mocked at the cruelty of reality with his wit, and represented it in a concise and deterous way of writing. I believe our lives are filled with ups and downs, but to ignore all the blessings and joy, to make life even harsher than a tragedy is truly queer. Maggie story cannot even be ranged with stories of the category of tragedy, because in a tragedy, you still have happiness intervened that makes the final sad ending all the more penetrating, while in Maggie, you feel utter gloom from beginning till the end. The author must have felt it was a sad world to live in.
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