After the Civil War, realism became a dominant form of writing in the United States, with writers attempting to write about everyday life. After realism came naturalism, a form of writing similar to realism, but with more pessimism. One of the reasons for this pessimism comes from free will and the question of whether people possess it or not. In realism it is absolutely true, while in naturalism it seems less, but options are often less than ideal. Since choices exist for characters, free will is still present, which indicates that naturalism is a derivative form of Stephen Crane's "Maggie: A Girl of the Streets". , the characters may have little chance to escape the world they live in, like Maggie, Jimmie and Pete, but the choices are there, even if those choices are not very good. Maggie , herself, is a great example Crane's story, Maggie is transformed into a prostitute and dies (995-999). Yet his life wasn't supposed to end that way. One of the most important decisions Maggie makes is whether to be with Peter or not. This culminates in the moment Maggie's mother returns from drinking. Jimmie has to drag her in, and the two fight, with Maggie hiding in another room (Crane 977). In all that destruction, Pete arrives and tells Maggie “Come out with me! We're going to have a lot of fun” (Crane 978). Maggie has a choice: go with Pete or stay. Before all of this, Maggie had worked in a factory “where they made collars and cuffs” (Crane 967). This life has been hard. The factories of the time had horrible working conditions and left little opportunity for women to advance. Considering the slums Maggie grew up in, though, this was one of the best options she could have had. When Pete arrives... middle of paper..., but he had a chance. While he may not have done so well, the fact remains that he had a choice. Perhaps it could be argued, in the end, that Maggie's fate was not hers. She could be considered a victim of lack of free will due to the fact that part of what affects her life has to do with the choices of others, such as those of Jimmie and Pete, making lack of free will in naturalism a new genre of fiction. However, the fact remains that Maggie had a chance to avoid her descent into prostitution and, ultimately, her death. Because of these choices, he has a kind of free will, no matter how horrible his choices are or how he cannot totally avoid the world of the slums. Therefore, naturalism is not a new form, but related to realism. The two are closely related, with differences and similarities, just as any family would.