How Money Affects the Characters - Part 1: Minor Characters

A single event in the life of a group of people can change them immensely. When that event has to do with money, the changes are exponential.

People react differently to money. Their are those who flaunt wealth, and those who horde wealth. Some want the fame that money brings, while others just want a good square meal. Paul warned Timothy that the love of money is the root of all evil. Ain't that the truth.

Filmmakers(and brothers) Joel and Ethan Coen explore this theme often in their movies. In several of their pictures, money itself is a curse. If you are a character in a Coen brothers movie, I would suggest that you do not take the satchel of money. No doubt you will be dead by the end of the picture.

So it is in McTeague. Those who touch(or attempt to touch) money end up dead. The gold is cursed.

I'd like to analyze the different characters and how they respond to money. In this novel gold is the Darwinian limited resource.

Maria
Response to the lottery:
Maria's response to the lottery is that of jealousy. After all, she was the one who sold the ticket to Trina. She feels cheated out of easy money.

Use of Money:
Maria's use of money is based upon survival. Her main sources of income are selling lottery tickets, collecting trash, and theft. She will do anything and exploit anyone to earn a buck.

The Outcome:
The result of Maria's obsession with money, like many other characters in the story, leads to her downfall. Her delusional rants about the golden plates lead her into a relationship with the foulest character in the book, Zerkow. Her fantasy of wealth of a bygone time lead to an abusive marriage, the death of a child, and her own murder.

Zerkow
Response to the lottery:
Zerkow's jealousy to Trina's winning of the lottery shows an entitlement mentality on the part of the Jew. He beleives, that of all people, he deserved to win the lottery. After all, of everyone he has worked the hardest to earn such a fortune

Use of Money:
For Zerkow, money is a fantasy. It is his way of escape from the filthy, grotesque world that he has created. He is constantly drunk on the idea of being wealthy. He loves to hear Maria rant about the golden fortune that her family supposedly once possessed. Wealth is his idea of paradise.

The Outcome:
Zerkow's obsession with money causes him to become a murderer. Day after day he descends deeper into madness, living in a fictitious world. His obsession with a fortune that does not even exist also leads to his death.

So far, we have learned from McTeague that touching money leads to death. Let's see if things bear out any better for the major characters of the story.

WC: 477