For centuries, philosophers have debated how much truth can be found in the concept of free will. As humans, we tend to favor a point of view that grants us more control, that we are able to determine our future with our actions. However, with the literary naturalism movement came the counterargument: with the forces of economics, biology, and psychology, humans are deprived of free will. This concept has been explored in naturalist writings, including Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and To Build A Fire, both of which explore the extreme control that the environment can have on life. Although the lyrics use contrasting settings, both are set in worlds of harsh cruelty that are close to the protagonist. While both works prove to be exemplary examples of literary naturalism, using similar characterizations and thematic techniques, the differences lie in how natural forces are used to leave the protagonists without control or hope. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay. Both works present a theme of environmental determinism. In Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, protagonist Maggie is surrounded by rampant poverty, crime, and alcoholism. Although Maggie imagines growing up and moving away from the world she knows, this proves impossible. No matter how honest her actions, Maggie's environment forces her to constantly fight to survive, emotionally and physically. No Character Is Forgiven : Jimmie opens the story by getting into a street fight to maintain his reputation, and grows to become a womanizing drinker like so many men around him. The economic environment of poverty hinders the growth of all the characters, preventing them from making choices to overcome these difficulties. Likewise, in To Build A Fire, the environment of the wild Yukon determines man's destiny, regardless of self-sustaining actions. he takes. Throughout history, man must endure horribly harsh winter weather with no respite in sight. Despite being aware of the dangers of the Yukon and doing his best to overcome them, man continually falls victim to the ultimately more powerful forces of nature. In one scene, after the man successfully lights a fire he so desperately needs to survive, snow falls from a tree and extinguishes it. Just as Maggie thinks Pete might be her ticket out of poverty, the man sees his little fire as an opportunity to survive the winter tundra. However, ultimately it is the environment that asserts control: just as Pete leaves Maggie, the fire leaves the man. Although both characters fight to overcome their circumstances, ultimately their environments dictate their fates. Perhaps due to the relatively harsh environments of these stories, the protagonists are characterized in similar methods. Both Maggie and the man become numb to their surroundings, demonstrating the toll their surroundings have taken on them. When Maggie watches Pete leave the bar with Nellie, she doesn't respond by calling him or ranting and raving. Instead he calmly decides to return home. Maggie has been affected by her circumstances so badly that she is numb to the pain and has lost all inclination to defend herself. In To Build A Fire, the man is physically numb due to the cold. As he is trying to light the fire, the match begins to burn his hands. The only reason he notices this is due to the smell of burning flesh; his hands are too numb to even feel such pain. The cold environment has itdeprived of the basic instincts of self-preservation, leaving man at risk to himself. Both characters are depicted as victims of the loss of sensation, both emotionally and physically. Another similar characterization can be found in the rejection of social norms. Acting out of desperation, both characters are forced into situations that would seem amoral, or at least socially unacceptable. After Maggie is rejected by both her family and Pete, she turns to prostitution. Although morally questionable, this profession appears to be the only way for Maggie to survive. Similarly, in To Build A Fire, the man finds himself increasingly numb and unable to light a fire, coming to the conclusion of killing the dog to keep warm. In Western cultures, dogs are perceived as beloved pets and companions, and the idea of ​​killing your dog and inserting body parts into its body seems horrible. Yet man sees this as a solution to his rapidly decreasing body temperature. While he doesn't kill the dog because his hands are too numb, the simple act of considering such behavior is socially unacceptable. However, like Maggie, the man is a victim of a desperate environment. A key component of literary naturalism is the use of forces to explain why characters do not have free will. While Maggie: A Girl of the Streets and To Build A Fire do not use all forces equally, they both apply the force of biology. Maggie is a beautiful little girl who grows up to be a beautiful woman. Although facial beauty is usually seen as a blessing, in its patriarchal and chauvinistic environment, this is a disadvantage. Maggie is prone to being desired by men and falls victim to their womanizing ways. In To Build A Fire, man suffers simply from being human, the ultimate biological curse. As his feet and hands go numb, the man is forced to watch the dog curl up with its furious fur for warmth. No matter how many layers he wears or how big a fire he can start, his biology forces him to submit to the cold. Despite these similarities, significant differences can be found in how these two texts explore naturalism. Perhaps the most obvious difference is the choice of setting: while Maggie: A Girl of the Streets is set in a New York City slum, To Build A Fire is set in the freezing Yukon Desert. Both environments prove harshly antagonistic towards the main characters, albeit in different ways. Because Maggie lives in a crowded area, where underemployment and alcoholism are rampant, she is harmed primarily by the people around her. Other humans who exemplify the neighborhood's characteristics punish and hurt her, leaving her isolated and desperate. However, in To Build a Fire, man's only companion is the dog. Because of the Yukon's natural environment, man is not betrayed by humans, but by nature itself. Cold air, falling snow, and frozen springs inhibit any progress he can make. With such drastically different settings, these two works show their characters falling victim to the environment in directly opposite ways. In terms of natural forces asserting power, these texts take two distinctly different approaches. Although Maggie: A Girl of the Streets incorporates the biological strength of Maggie's beauty, that is not the point. Rather, it is economic forces that primarily dictate the fate of Maggie's life. Maggie grew up working class, experiencing poverty, crime, unemployment and alcoholism. Although Maggie is a pretty girl, she is surrounded by equally poor men, which gives her.