Artemis Fowl Greed Essay

Greed, the desire to obtain your wants, can influence anyone’s actions. People who are filled with greed will do whatever they see necessary to get their goal. Artemis Fowl, the main character in Eoin Colfer’s novel Artemis Fowl, is a prime example of how someone fueled by greed is influenced, for the twelve-year-old criminal mastermind takes drastic measure in order to get the gold he seeks.
Artemis Fowl II isn’t your average twelve-year-old boy, he comes a long line of criminals who were fueled by their desire for funds. The boy’s greed stems from his want to “restore the family fortune”, that his father jeopardized, and he plans to do it in “his own unique fashion” (2.29). Artemis, a boy none the less, may talk and play the part of an adult really well but he still has the ingenuous belief of magic so when he finds out about fairy gold, he starts formulating a plan to satisfy his greed. By gaining the fairy gold, he will not only be gaining fortune but do the impossible, win against fairies.

Artemis the genius boy, had a fool proof plan on how to gain money from the fairies.

Captain Holly Short, a stubborn elf held captive by Artemis Fowl, isn’t going to sit back and let the boy get away with everything. The author’s use alternative point of views was a way to show the foils of Artemis and Holly who both may be stubborn but they contradict each other on moral standards. Artemis wants money and plans to do whatever it takes to get it even if himself and everyone around him are put in danger while Holly puts everyone above herself, even the enemy. Artemis’s greed could be positive if he gets what he wants the way he planned it but could turn negative if his plan goes bad and everyone has to take some of the

consequences.
In Eion Colfer’s Artemis Fowl, he illustrates the growth of society in the early twenty-first century. He shows how the people of earth are slowly killing their home through pollution and industrialization. For example, as Holly few over the ocean, “she could see the pollution in” the water and how it causes “red sores on [the dolphins] backs,” which is just an example of how industrialization is causing harm to earth (4.68). He also subtly mentions the technology crazy and how people don’t pay attention to their surroundings any more. Colfer brilliantly writes the magically story of whether greed is positive or negative thought not only the character but society its self.