Frank Norris & McTeague：A Greedy World of Pride and Violence

The following reading of Frank Norris’ McTeague is thematic with the emphasis on human greed, pride, and violence, because they are the fundamental forces or elements that most concern the characters in the novel. In McTeague, we see McTeague’s pride and brutal strength, Trina’s greed and possessiveness, and the vindictiveness of the jealous Marcus. Technically, Norris makes good use of juxtaposition and parallel portrayals to present the distinctiveness as well as the relatedness of the characters involved. On the other hand, with the Old Grannis-Miss Baker episode, Norris also hints that love or human care for each other is the only possible way out for human beings and the sole core value of life for human society. In my opinion, it is the disparity between the conflicting forces that attracts our attention and interests us much. This novel denotes Norris’ worry for a society woven by the threads of pride and greed; it designates as well the writer’s hope for a society of love, warmth, and mutual help, a society which is advanced, civilized, and free from brutality and violence.