Animal Imagery in the Novel McTeague
The novel McTeague by Frank Norris emphasizes the very basic idea of greed and the animalistic effects that greed produces in the human race. The central characters of the novel come together in San Francisco during the Gold Rush Period. The novel revolves around a character known as McTeague, or affectionately known as Mac, an apprenticed dentist, and the movement his life takes. The novel begins with the young McTeague working in a mine and transcends through his life as a professional, his marriage, and his eventual death. Frank Norris' narrator portrays the characters of the novel McTeague as animals masquerading in human clothing. The characters are a direct representation of the reprehensible side of humanity that lingers beneath the surface, waiting for the opportune time to shed its skin and manifest itself. Throughout the novel, the characters repeatedly battle their inner desire to break free from their human skin and be the true animal that Norris metaphorically portrays them to be. However, it is important to note
The ongoing need for additional finger mauling by Mac and the boasting of her inflictions to Maria, her confidant, confirms this statement. As Trina submits to the domination and feeds on the physical torture that her husband inflicts upon her, she develops a sense of pleasure and hunger that demands further agony. His transformation begins during the treatment of his patient Trina. that the real animals of the world continue to lead their lives far superior than their human counterparts. Norris shows the reader further evidence of animal similes through the unfolding of the character Trina. Norris forces people to realize that our belief in what is right and just is in fact what causes us to be animals; human pride is not necessarily a virtue but a downfall of our species. The confrontation of the two dogs in the street and the cat, which runs away from the crime scene, go to confirm this declaration. They display honorable actions that escape the human species. This is obvious through the progression of his sexual control, to the verbal abuse he inflicts on his bride, to the ultimate act of physical abuse that results in Trina's death. Animals seem to be above the pettiness that we humans engage in. The nature of Trina is so simple that her inner transformation into a creature is portrayed relatively without consequence. This final act of self-deprivation affirms she has no human qualities left and is in fact a beast. In summary, Frank Norris' novel McTeague proposes that humans are less than animals; they are slow-witted creatures barely able to come to grips with their own human nature. He requires a greater dose of dominance than in the past.
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