Animals

Welcome to the Jungle

Maggie is all about the nitty gritty of life, taking an unflinching look at the uglier elements of human existence and not hiding them with anything pretty. And in this book, animals and bugs represent the lowness of life. But not in the way you might be thinking: Instead of being counter to humans, animal and bugs in this book show that humans are no better than their beastly counterparts crawling around on the earth.

Jimmie—hater of all things—respects only one thing: fire engines. But is this loved held up as an indication that there is, in fact, some goodness in this tyrant's heart? Nope. Instead, we're told he "loved [fire engines] with a distant dog-like devotion" (4.26) and, in his sense of superiority, resembles "an African cow" (4.19). So, yeah—whether he's loving something or walking around like he's the best thing since sliced bread, Jimmie's no better than a creature that walks on all fours.

While it's pretty easy to see why Jimmie earns animal comparisons—he's unhinged, animalistic even, in his rage—his sister, Maggie, fairs no better despite starting out as a model of innocence and prettiness. We're told she "ate like a small pursued tigress" (2.42), for instance, and develops a "spaniel-like dependence" (14.3) on Pete. Notice that the tiger comparison doesn't make Maggie seem strong or capable—she's "pursued" and "small"—and, of course, in comparing her to a dog when it comes to Pete, we understand that her loyalty and devotion is misplaced.

These are just a few of the many animal references that speckle the text. Elsewhere, we're told that "The bravery of bull-dogs sat upon the faces of the men" (11.56) and that Jimmie moves "with the quickness of a cat" (11.54). Or, for another example: "Over on the Island, a worm of yellow convicts came from the shadow of a building and crawled slowly along the river's bank" (1.8). Importantly, no one seems to escape this symbol, with pretty much every character being compared to an animal at some point.

So why animals? When was the last time a pit-bull stopped to consider the consequence of his actions? Never. And that's the point: Humans are supposed to be different from animals—more rational, able to trump instinct with reason. By using animal symbolism, though, Crane shows that when people are reduced to life in a dehumanizing environment, they start to act like animals. It's about survival, and on that level, we're pretty much all the same.