AP Blog Post McTeague

It is interesting to note that this novel ends with the main character, McTeague, stranded in the middle of Death Valley, without water, while hand-cuffed to his dead ex-best-friend. Frank Norris' novel McTeague explores the effects of avarice and the ending may perhaps be a writer's way of saying greed will leave you feeling hopelessly alone and without any friends. Many relationships in this novel were destroyed due to greed and jealousy. In the beginning of the novel it became evident that McTeague and Marcus would have a sort of parting because of Trina's new wealth. Zerkow, a Jewish character obsessed with gold, also kills his wife Maria, the woman he married because of a story she would tell about her alleged past experience with gold, after becoming increasingly paranoid about the existence of the gold plates she would describe. He eventually killed his wife because he decided she was hiding the gold from him. McTeague, a previously peaceful and content dentist, also came into conflict with the corruption of wealth. Old Grannis lost his hobby because he sold his method, and the narrator noted, “He had sold his happiness for money; he had bartered all his tardy romance for some miserable banknotes. He had not foreseen that it would be like this. A vast regret welled up within him.” This one quote simply sums up the entire theme of the book. Tracking the changes in McTeague also offer insight into this theme. In the beginning of the book McTeague was rather content with his ways of drinking steamed beer and taking a nap, but his wife showed him finer things. It should also be noted that these finer things did not increase his happiness, but instead he began to take for granted these expensive habits and discontent with his old less-costly ways.