Return to Nature

Obviously the naturalism in McTeague is, well... obvious. Norris blames every outburst of anger or passion that McTeague performs on his bestial instincts.

The story of McTeague is a journey, both literally and metaphorically, showing the descent of man to his former evolutionary state.

When we first meet McTeague, the beast is contained. Though certainly not completely one with society, McTeague does run a somewhat successful business. He meets Trina, and through their courtship and the beginning part of their marriage, she is able to reform the rougher parts of McTeague into a somewhat refined gentleman. He gives up his steam beer, dresses nicer, cleans himself. He learns manners, and his business begins to pick up.

Eventually, however, society turns on the reformed beast. It no longer allows him to practice one of the few things he enjoys. Trina and McTeague move into a tiny, somewhat dirty apartment. And McTeague begins to spend a lot of time outside.

A critic I was reading made an interesting observation. When in the city, McTeague is often taken advantage of. Maria steals from him, Trina walks all over him, the city takes away his ability to practice. However, whenever we see McTeague truly in control of his surroundings, he is in his natural habitat. In the city, Marcus makes small of McTeague and attacks him at the tavern. Out in the park and away from the city, the critic observes, McTeague has the upper hand, humiliating Marcus on the picnic grounds.

As Trina and McTeague's situation in the city worsens, the dentist makes his way further away from the city. He spends his time on the outskirts of San Francisco, catching fish in the bay and eating them primitively in this little slice of the wild.

The story really gets going once McTeague leaves the city. Norris' description of McTeague's return to the mountains shows a beast returning to its natural habitat. In the mountains, McTeague follows his instinct. On his way to the Big Dipper Mine, instinct guides him on the right paths to reach his destination. This part of the story really struck me; it is at this point that the story comes full circle; there is power in seeing the brute return to nature.

And here in the wild, the brute is at home. While in the city he is stupid, a lumbering ox, in the wild, he belongs. He has a special instinct he has almost forgotten in the city, a sixth sense that awakens when he is in danger.

The ending is so very appropriate. The ape from the hills has destroyed the city boy. And, as McTeague was born in the wild, he too will die here. The story has come full circle.

WC: 456