Animal Imagery in the Novel McTeague essays

Animal Imagery in the Novel McTeague essays 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 that the real animals of the world continue to lead their lives far superior than their human counterparts. Animals seem to be above the pettiness that we humans engage in. They display honorable actions that escape the human 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. The unvarying description of McTeague as being large in stature suggests that his character is animalistic and primitive. Norris portrayal of Mac as a king of beasts can be seen in the repetition of his insistent mumbling and grunts, and by the profession in which he works, one which causes considerable pain to his clients. He is very instinctual and cannot control his large body; he is only capable of performing monotonous tasks. His transformation begins during the treatment of his patient Trina. Mac, for the first time, ba...