"McTeague" written by Frank Norris

Essay by Anonymous UserCollege, UndergraduateB, October 1996

download word file, 5 pages 4.5

Downloaded 53 times

The novel, McTeague, written by Frank Norris has many ways to understand the

events. The relationships between the characters in the story are strange. First, it seems

that the first half of the story many of the characters come together. For example, Marcus

and McTeague become friends, Trina and McTeague get married, Maria and Zerkow get

married. As the story ends, the friendships of the characters breaks down into violence

and death. First, Zerkow killed Maria and himself, next McTeague kills Trina, and then

Marcus tracks down McTeague in the desert and they both die as McTeague kills Marcus

and then dies himself of dehydration. It seems the strong survive and the weak die. In this

case the strong survive longer than the weak. The theme that connects most of the

conflicts together is that of greed.

Greed is one of the three major themes in the novel 'McTeague'. McTeague

shows the dangers of greed and how it can get the best of you. This novel shows how

money can make you from a caring person into a evil person. Zerkow was greatly

obsessed with gold and riches. The same obsession for money was in all of the

characters. Zerkow was viewed as a 'lost' soul and Trina as a proper young lady, yet they

were both almost exactly alike. Here are some quotes on greed. 'Miser, nasty little old

miser. You're worse than old Zerkow, always nagging about money, money, and you got

five thousand dollars. You got more, an' you live in that stinking hole of a room, and you

won't drink any decent beer.' 'She don't care if I get wet and get a cold and die. No, she

don't, as long as she's warm and got her money.' Greed in the novel is...