People in any society or culture can become negative products of their environment if their environment and families are built on negative foundations. Stephen Crane and Toni Morrison show examples of women who come from unstable backgrounds and are affected in their lives by constant negativity. Maggie and Florens share the constant struggle against negative environments and unstable families that have lasting effects on them mentally. Many may say that there is no such thing as being a “product of the environment,” but rather it is the choices individuals make that affect their lives. On the other hand, critic Nicholas Rescher believes that we are all products of our environments, although some of us are luckier than others. By analyzing the backgrounds and families of these three women, he can prove that lack of stability is the root of poor choices. Bowery is located in southern New York, in the borough of Manhattan. In the early days of realism, in the 1860s, the Bowery streets were the wargrounds of New York City's first street gangs. Bowery, also known as the "slums", was an area full of prostitution and catered to the wild gay community. Around this time, many of New York's lower-class whites settled on the dangerous streets of the Bowery. Bowery presented scenes of depression and generations of hope. Although Stephen Crane's Maggie: A Street Girl is a fictional story, Maggie's setting is devastatingly real. From the first chapter of the novel, it is evident that Crane discusses the Bowery neighborhood in the fictional play in the same light as the realistic Bowery of New York. Before Crane introduces Maggie to the reader, Crane introduces Maggie's environment of... .. middle of paper ...... t and Florens are sent away heartbroken and decentered as the environment in which she must return. Maggie and Florens are both flowers born from poverty and the eagerness to also want to be loved. Trials and struggles come their way due to their unstable environment and families, causing them to suffer from broken hearts and unhappy endings. Although Maggie is a white character from the slums of New York's Bowery and Florens, a black woman from the era of slavery in the 17th century, their different worlds are paralleled by Crane and Morrison. The authors place their main character in an unstable environment and allow readers to witness their journey toward self-destruction. Through Maggie and Florens, readers can see how negative environments and lack of a family foundation can lead to a life of unhappiness..