Maggie's condition throughout the novel is forced upon her by things outside of her control. She has a crush on a boy, like many girls do at her age, but is too naive to the world to understand his intentions. Her family is mad because they believe she is sleeping around. While she is truly just an innocent young girl with a crush. These misunderstandings escalate to the point that Maggie is kicked out of her home. The rumors that are spread about her then prevent her from returning. Maggie's situation provoked her to do things that she normally wouldn't have done in order to survive on the streets.
As a young girl with a crush Maggie is totally blind to the real truth. When she first observes Pete her thoughts are clouded "Maggie perceived that here was the beau ideal of a man. Her dim thoughts were often searching for far away lands where, as God says, the little hills sing together in the morning. Under the trees of her dream-gardens there had always walked a lover." (Crane pg.19) Pete doesn't want to date Maggie per say, he just wants to sleep with her. He shows this when he says "I'm stuck on yer shape Mag." (Crane pg.19) When her mother tries to tell her that Pete isn't good for her she gets upset, because she truly isn't doing anything immoral. Maggie's mother doesn't understand that Maggie is a moral girl, which increases the tension between her and her family.
Even though Maggie is a virgin her family suspects differently, just because she goes on dates with Pete. Her mother professes her feelings about Maggie by saying "Yeh've gone teh deh devil, Mag Johnson, yehs knows yehs have gone teh deh devil. Yer a disgrace teh yer people, damn yeh. An' now, git out an' go ahn wid dat doe-faced jude of yours. Go teh hell wid him, damn yeh, an' a good riddance. Go teh hell an' see how yeh likes it." (Crane pg.30) Her mother believes that she is engaging in unholy acts. Maggie is kicked out of her house, but goes to live with Pete.
Maggie feels that her and Pete are to be together forever. "As to the present she perceived only vague reasons to be miserable. Her life was Pete's and she considered him worthy of the charge. She would be disturbed by no particular apprehensions, so long as Pete adored her as he did now said he did. She did not feel like a bad woman. To her knowledge she had never seen any better." (Crane pg.39) Although Maggie loves Pete he still just wants to sleep with her, then be done with her. But, to him, it seems that the "game" is wearing thin. Pete And Maggie are out on a date, when Pete sees a woman that he knows. He leaves Maggie at the show and goes out with the woman, who is a prostitute. After the incident Maggie leaves Pete's house, but ends up on the streets.
Now, Maggie has nowhere to go. She left Pete, and has been kicked out of her own home. When Jimmie brings up the idea for her to return, his mother responds saying "She kin cry 'er two eyes out on deh stones of the street before I'll dirty deh place wid her. She abused an ill-treated her own mudder - her own mudder what loved her an' she'll never git anodder chance dis side of hell." (Crane pg.41) Maggie now has been all but disowned by her mother. With nothing else to turn to she must live on the streets on New York, making a living anyway that she can.
Maggie's fate is caused by an uncontrollable downward spiral of events, that transpire against her well being. First, she is a naive girl, who is basically taken advantage of by an older man. Then her family is turned against her, because of her alleged actions. Since her family doesn't understand the relationship that she and Pete share they accuse her of things that she did not do. The friction between her and her family forces her out, but with nowhere to go she must fend for herself anyway necessary on the streets. The situation that Maggie ends up in is not her fault, but the faults of the actions, or inactions of the people around her. That ultimately cause her demise.
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