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Norris' "McTeague": Themes - Online Papers

Norris' "McTeague": Themes

McTeague, a novel written at the turn of the century by Frank
Norris, is a classic example of naturalist writing. This novel is written
with the harsh realities that were this time period. There are many themes
that occur in naturalism. Some of them that appear in this novel are greed,
lust, strife, as well as Darwinism and animal imagery. All of these themes
help Norris describe with vivid detail his tragic account of human
degradation.

One of the forces that drives many characters such is Zerkow, Trina,
and McTeague is greed. Zerkow is an old man who has gold fever. All he
ever thinks of is where he can get some more gold from. When he hear Maria
telling her story of the gold bowls and ...

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into his greed that when he could
not quell it with the gold he felt his life was not worth living. Trina
shows how greedy she is when she wins the 5,000 in the lottery. She will
not spend any money where it is needed, and because of this the couples
standards of living decline. Although Trina and Zerkows' greed for riches
was almost identical, Zerkow is vied as a lost soul, yet Trina is viewed
as a proper young lady. This is one of the things that leads to her death
and the downfall of McTeague. McTeague shows that he is greedy also after
Trina wins the money. He wants to control the money as if it belongs to
him. In a way greed also drives Marcus who feels like Trina's money should
be his.

Another force that fuels a characters fire is lust. This can be
greatly seen in McTeague. From the minute Trina sat down in his dentist
chair McTeague felt like he wanted her, like he MUST have her. this can be
seen on page 25. " The male, virile desire in him tardily awakened,
aroused ...

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Norris' "McTeague": Themes. (2004, March 18). Retrieved May 9, 2025, from http://www.essayworld.com/essays/Norris-McTeague-Themes/4752

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PAPER DETAILS

Added: 3/18/2004 01:35:47 AM
Category: Book Reports
Type: Premium Paper
Words: 1097
Pages: 4

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