ipl-logo

Trina And Mcteague Analysis

510 Words3 Pages

The theory of Social Darwinism states that in a society, the strongest and most well-fit humans will survive and the weak will die out. These ideas became well known in the late nineteenth century after they arose from Charles Darwin’s popular theory of natural selection. Novelist Frank Norris incorporated Social Darwinism into his work to show how certain classes and races dominate due to their biologically superior qualities. Norris believed that if a man tried to change the social status that he inherited at birth, he would eventually be brought back to the class that he was born into. In McTeague, Norris’ view of survival of the fittest is shown through the downfall of McTeague and Trina and the success of Miss Baker and Old Grannis. Although McTeague and Trina are thought to be superior due to their European race, they experience a downfall when they attempt to change their position in society. After Trina wins a large sum of money in the lottery, the couple is suddenly rich and higher in social class than ever before. Despite this newly won fortune, McTeague and Trina face financial ruin after Trina becomes stingy and greedy. Once her strict money saving tactics worsen, McTeague loses his job and begins to drink. …show more content…

The two elderly Europeans finally became well acquainted when Miss Baker found the courage to bring Old Grannis a cup of tea. After feeling regret for giving up his favorite hobby for a large sum of money, Grannis’ emptiness is filled by the presence and love of Miss Baker. The union between these two characters ends in success because instead of focusing on money, their main goal is true love. Norris incorporates these characters into McTeague to show how their biologically superior traits allow them to disregard material wants and focus on more important things, such as love and

Show More
Related

  • Four Souls Character Analysis

    558 Words  | 3 Pages

    Fleur cares for and plays with her child as much as she can, but her child was born with problems and gets more troublesome as he grows up. John Mauser’s investments begin to fail and his empire of money disappears. Fleur’s alcohol fixation gets steadily worse, and corruption starts occurring inside of the household. Mouser ends up fleeing the country, and leaves everyone else to deal with the mess left behind. Meanwhile, back on the reservation, revenge has pushed Nanapush to the final straw.

    Read More

  • A Raisin In The Sun Essay

    756 Words  | 4 Pages

    The Younger family had been through many obstacles, and purchasing a home seem to be the end of their difficult times. However, this only brought new issues into their lives. They did nit have the finances to pay bills, Walter and Beneatha did not have the means to accomplish their dreams, and they were going into a situation that posed serious danger. At the end of the play, this family was not going into a happy ending. Instead, they were entering into a new series of

    Read More

  • Colorism In Zora Neale Hurston's Their Eyes Were Watching God

    1012 Words  | 5 Pages

    She questions why Janie would marry a dark man like Tea Cake. Mrs. Turner falsely assumes, like the rest of the people form the town, that Janie only married Tea Cake for his money because she could not possibly love him. Janie informs Mrs. Turner that her assumption is incorrect because Tea Cake was not wealthy when they met, and he is the only person that has made her truly

    Read More

  • Character Analysis Of Pamela Travers

    1835 Words  | 8 Pages

    They moved to a house and have a life which is far from what her family used to have. This has been heartbreaking for her mother but her father showed a positive attitude towards it. His father had a hard time balancing his work due to his alcoholism. It was also shown in the movie how he was almost fired and his employer just gave him a chance for the

    Read More

  • American Imperialism Analysis

    813 Words  | 4 Pages

    Imperialism is a policy of extending a country's power and influence through diplomacy or military force. It is a great way to strengthen the economy and gain power and territory for countries that practice it, though it often failed and resulted in war and the deaths of innocents. Four intellectuals that played a big part in influencing American imperialism were Frederick Jackson Turner, Alfred T. Mahan, Herbert Spencer and John Fisk. All of these influencers had different ideologies and came together to justify American imperialism. They believed America needed to expand power and gain territories.

    Read More

  • Commentary On Esperanza's Rising

    1278 Words  | 6 Pages

    She learns that she has to work hard to achieve what she wants to. Which, in this case, is getting her grandma to come to America from Mexico. She needs to earn the money herself by working in the fields, since her mother is sick. She needs the money for her Mom’s medicines. She is willing to do anything to get money.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Unhappiness In The Great Gatsby

    1873 Words  | 8 Pages

    The characters in the novel pretend that they have their lives all figured out, but through their successes their downfalls and emptiness can be seen, to prove that money cannot buy happiness. Jay Gatsby is the newest and upcoming star in New York during the 1920’s. Through his business and inheritance he is one of the richest men of his time. One may think that his abundance of wealth would lead him to be eternally happy, but he is the opposite. Gatsby longs for his love of Daisy, which is his personal American Dream.

    Read More

  • The Glass Menagerie Rhetorical Analysis

    1540 Words  | 7 Pages

    With this time period in mind, the audience can infer the financial situation of their family is very dire and that they are holding on by a thread to even live a normal life. Moreover it explains how the play is narrated and held in the point of view of the main character, Tom, and it is a memory play which illustrates that the play is taking place in Tom's memory which recalls events from a person's life that may be exaggerated and described in a sentimental way thus showing how many parts may become fairly unrealistic. Furthermore, in scene two, where the audience is told that Laura, the sister, dropped out of college due to an incident involving a panic attack, the audience is able to understand her personality by demonstrating that she has a very anxious, shy, and coward-like personality, thus adding to the exposition of the character traits. Also, with her dropping out, it explains that the tuition for her college was fifty dollars which was a lot of money, and that it was their mother's, Amanda's, plans and ambitions thrown down the drain which further supports that the family is in need of money because of the Depression. These overall, add to the exposition of the plot by explaining the setting, adding to the character traits, and things as such, but it may also include the rising action which is when Laura decided to drop out of her college, wasting the fifty dollars her mother paid for her

    Read More

  • Explain The Destruction Of The American Dream In The Great Gatsby

    1143 Words  | 5 Pages

    The author explains that Gatsby did all in his effort to get better for Daisy, but ended up dying in the midst of it. The author depicts this by stating, “Furthermore, his success obviously doesn’t last – he still pines for Daisy and loses everything in his attempt to get her back” (Wulick). The author also brings in the idea of George and Myrtle Wilson trying to achieve the American Dream. It is mentioned that George wants a better life just as much as Myrtle does. However, Myrtle seeks a better life through Tom and having him buy her materials.

    Read More

  • Theme Of Greed In Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin In The Sun

    1393 Words  | 6 Pages

    When people are poor, they often have a lot of problems in their life. They struggle through every day, but they learn to appreciate everything that they have. However, when people are going through tough times, they often think that money will solve all of their problems. In “A Raisin In The Sun” by Lorraine Hansberry, she guides the audience through a black family -- impacted by the need for money -- living on the south side of Chicago. The Younger family gets Lena Younger’s dead husband’s insurance check and buys a house in a white neighborhood, and they save the remainder of the money for Beneatha’s medical degree and for starting a liquor store.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Heroism In A Raisin In The Sun

    1130 Words  | 5 Pages

    The drama forms this conflict between pride and money, and although money does win out for a little bit, the Younger family still maintains its pride at the end of the

    Read More

  • Survival In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    1163 Words  | 5 Pages

    Survival is often introduced as a concept of endurance, persistence and perseverance, a textbook idea about simply living or dying. At the inception of human life, merely surviving was imperative and existence was something that humans fought for on a daily basis. But, as we flourish independently, as societies and as a race, the concept of survival is warped, and growth as an individual, as well as coping with everyday hardships and not just traditional examples of adversity such as poverty and destitution are prime examples of survival. In John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, the reader is presented with the idea that survival is not synonymous to staying alive, and moreover, that cultural and societal struggles shape self in accordance with the way we face them. Survival of the fittest is the primordial notion that only the fit have the power and strength to live, and more importantly, thrive in their environment.

    Read More

  • Gender Roles In Their Eyes Were Watching God

    978 Words  | 4 Pages

    The novel 's plot is driven by Janie 's series of relationships with different men: a kiss with Johnny Taylor, followed by marriages with Logan Killicks, Jody Starks and finally, Tea Cake. Logan Killicks and Jody Starks see Janie as defined by her relationship with them, and expect her to be obedient, silent and proper. Jody sees her as a kind of ornament that bolsters his social standing and that helps to justify his efforts to assert control over everyone, men and women alike. Tea Cake, in contrast, defines himself not by political power but rather by his physical strength and ability to have fun. Even while Tea Cake treats Janie as an equal, there still exists a certain power struggle in Janie 's relationship with him, as her increasing ability to recognize her needs as an individual throughout the novel emerges in response to Tea Cake 's treatment of her.

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of William Graham Sumner

    984 Words  | 4 Pages

    A Rhetorical Analysis of William Graham Sumner William Graham Sumner had a great influence on Social Darwinism in the nineteenth century. Sumner was a Sociology professor at Yale University, who adopted the idea of Social Darwinism because of his belief in the survival of the fittest. Even though he did not fully commit to Social Darwinism, he did promote the idea of the constant struggle against nature. He explains that in order for survival, one needs to struggle and compete with nature to provide our basic human needs of food and water. During the Gilded Age, businessmen and the middle class men supported the theory of Social Darwinism which was first introduced by the pioneers of Charles Darwin and Herbert Spencer.

    Read More

  • Love And Desire In The Great Gatsby

    1890 Words  | 8 Pages

    Ambitions: Myrtle and Daisy had chased both love and money, at different point in their life. For both of them, it is their ambition and dreams that they seek to fulfill themselves with. Regardless of their backgrounds, they remain the same in their wants towards something they don’t have, or in Daisy’s case, choosing what they want over everything else, regardless of how much they already have of it. Myrtle had married Wilson, not for the money he had owned, as he did not own any, but simply because she “thought that he was a gentleman”. However, Myrtle’s ambition was money, because when Wilson neither produced riches nor at the very least, gave her the love initially wanted, she turned to Tom to receive them both.

    Read More

More about Trina And Mcteague Analysis

Open Document