Right from the get-go, Crane painstakingly details the internal and external trials and tribulations of the Johnson family. We are introduced to Jimmy, who is in the midst of defending the honor of Rum Alley from the “urchins” of Devil’s Row. This isn’t an uncommon activity for Jimmy and his friends (an

While looking at instances when people take a proactive role in their own entertainment, it is important not to forget that being a spectator to someone else’s spectacle has the potential to be just as entertaining. Such is the case with the residents of Rum Alley. When trouble hits the neighborhood, the residents are at the scene, taking in the horrible displays lustfully: “Through the open doors curious eyes started in at Maggie. Children ventured into the room and ogled her, as if they formed the front row at a theatre,” (pg. 69). Here, Crane makes a direct reference to the event as a form of entertainment by comparing the staring crowd with a theatre audience. They stand right outside of the door and gaze in as the surviving members Johnson family emotionally thrash each other. This calls to mind a professional sport that we have come to call “boxing.” The whole object of a boxing bout is to inflict as much pain on your opponent as possible through punching him in an attempt to knock him out. Such events are widely publicized and bring in incredible amounts of cash. These events are able to accomplish this because boxing is entertaining for most people. The sight of two men (or two women nowadays) trying to destroy each other satisfies our primal urge for entertainment, regardless of the fact that it is a brutish and violent sport.

Not only is this point displayed through Jimmy’s aggressiveness but by through his parents as well. It seems like the only connection between Mr. Johnson and Mrs. Johnson besides their children is their love of alcohol. In the face of a wrecked family, a wrecked home, and a wasted, dwindling life, Mrs. Johnson chooses to drink: “His mother took a drink from a squdgy bottle that sat on the table. She continued her lament,” (pg. 57). Mr. Johnson is willing to stoop some of the lowest tactics for alcohol, “The father wrenched the pail from the urchin. He grasped it in both hands and lifted it to his mouth. He glued his lips to the under edge and tilted his head. His hairy throat swelled until it seemed to grow near his chin. There was a tremendous gulping movement and the beer was gone. The man caught his breath and laughed. He hit his son on the head with the empty pail,” (pg. 13). It is clear that Mr. Johnson didn’t leave this situation feeling guilty about the crime he had just committed. He laughed right in the face of h

Some topics in this essay:
Johnson Johnson, Devil’s Row, Maggie Children, Roxie Hart, , Richard Gere, Girl Streets, Renée Zellweger, Disappearing Act”, Queen Latifah, form entertainment, form entertainment entertainment, entertainment entertainment, rum alley, beer” pg, razzle dazzle, johnson family, roxie hart, devil’s row, murderer’s row, gonna roxie,