Frank Norris

the United States of America was Frank Norris. Norris took what he knew from his life in San Francisco, found great inspiration, as well as what was going on in the time period, and put it onto paper. The critics of the time did not acclaim Norris’ novel, they condemned it. Was this portrayal of real life too authentic for the people at this time period in history? Benjamin Franklin Norris was born on March 5, 1870 in Chicago, Illinois. When he was 14, Frank Norris moved to San Francisco with his

the reading, “McTeague,” by Frank Norris, a dentist named McTeague watches the day to day lives of San Francisco’s various laborers through the bay window of his Dental Parlor. McTeague noticed that the street was always occupied by people with different kinds of people at specific times of the day. Since San Francisco is described as full of energy because of the people in it, it is inferred that the city has a personal, tied connection to its inhabitants. Frank Norris portrayed the city as full

Benjamin Franklin Norris, or as he is better know, Frank Norris, was born on March 5th, 1870 (“Frank...Author”). Though the now famous author of the naturalist novel, McTeague, originally born in Chicago, his family moved to San Francisco when he was a boy (“Introduction”). After studying abroad in Paris for one year in 1887, Norris attended the University of California from 1890 to 1894. He also spent another year at Harvard University. After his extensive education, Norris had many different jobs

Norris offers a very pessimistic view of humans and society and that that humans are naturally evil to the reader early on. The fact that Norris described his main character in such a painfully honest tone at the onset of his story not only removes the veil of goodness, but reveals a man struggling to survive, instead of

Macbeth just as it is presented in many naturalist texts. One naturalist who captures this concept comprehensively is Frank Norris. In Norris’ tragic novel McTeague, those who defy fate are met with chaos and destruction while those who accept their fate can avoid fate’s wrath. From the very beginning, Norris asserts that fate is not a God, but rather fate is determined by genetics. Norris describes McTeague’s father in

Frank Norris’s Novel McTeague      Frank Norris’s novel McTeague explores the decay of society in the early twentieth century. Set in San Francisco, “a place where anything can happen…where fact is often stranger than fiction” (McElrath, Jr. 447), Norris explores themes of greed and naturalism, revealing the darker side of human psyche. What can be found most disturbing is the way that Norris portrays McTeague, in shocking detail, as nothing more than a brute animal at his core. Norris explores

in which the most adapted will survive the natural conflict of social groups. In its most simplest form, this theory follows the conception that the “strongest will survive” and leads readers to distinguish the naturalistic premise of the novel. In Frank Norris’s novel, McTeague, Social Darwinism is displayed through the failure of McTeague and Trina, and through the success of Old Grannis and Miss Baker.

Written in 1899, Frank Norris’ novel, McTeague serves as a view of societal factions of his time period. Norris illustrates the stratification of society in this San Francisco community by using the concept of Social Darwinism. He gives detailed accounts of the inner workings of society along with the emotions of the time. Through his characters, Norris shows the separation of classes and the greed that grew abundantly during the late 19th century. He also gives a grim picture of survival in his

McTeague, or Animalism - Unpublished      The last decade of the twentieth century in America saw a rise in programs for human’s “self betterment.” A popular form of betterment is that of the inner animal. Interest in Native American animal mysticism, vision quests, and totem animals have increased dramatically in the past few years. No forms of media have been spared; Calvin Klein’s supermodels come on during sitcom commercials to tell viewers they need to be a beast, or

Reverting Back to a Greedy Animal In the novel McTeague by Frank Norris, the author touches on various themes throughout the novel. Many of the characters exhibit animalistic qualities, greediness, and/or both. Characters are often compared to as animals, while others let their greed overcome them. Some characters— McTeague and Trina—also return to a previous place and/or state of being. Of all the themes noted in McTeague, the animal-like qualities, the greed, and the reversion of the characters