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 …showed first 75 words of 696 total…

…showed last 75 words of 696 total…their own human nature. 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. I believe that he accurately represents animals as having a higher level of moral propensity and shows the reader those human qualities and desires have a long way to go in terms of achieving greatness.