In October 1893, there was a murder in San Francisco. Sarah Collins was killed by her husband Pat Collins from multiple knife stabs. The reason of her death was to be known that she would not give her husband money. This sparked an idea in Frank Norris’ mind, thus creating the novel McTeague. In this novel, Norris shows change in social status and how it affects them through Social Darwinism. Social Darwinism is the biological evolution of people in their social system, also known as survival of the fittest. The novel McTeague, based on the 1893 murder in San Francisco, Frank Norris exemplifies Social Darwinism by showing the fall of characters such as McTeague and Trina, and Zerkow and Maria, yet the survival of Old Grannis and Miss Baker by not changing their status.
Although the death of Sarah Collins was predictable based on Social Darwinism the status of McTeague did not change until Trina stepped into his life. Norris writes of McTeague as starting from being sent away by his mother because life at the mine was of lower class to being a dentist on Polk St. able to keep up with his life status. Trina is from German Swiss family, lower of status, always willing to do anything to avoid a confrontation such as kissing McTeague because he wants to. Tina
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changes her status quickly after she wins the lottery but even more after she gets married to McTeague. In their marriage, McTeague uses more money and becomes more greedy rustling to his death while Trina saves her winnings to make up for the lack of money she had as a child. Her lust for her money resulted to her death after McTeague kills her for it. Even though Trina had all the money, she lacked to use it for its purpose.
Zerkow can be seen like Trina for the fact that he too is greedy. Zerkow is of Jewish decent and will do anything to find a few cents lying around even if it is marrying Maria, the mentally ill woman who lives in the squalor. Maria Macapa is a Hispanic cleaning lady who tells people that she once used to have gold dishes. Zerkow marries Maria for her gold dishes while Maria marries Zerkow to change her status. Zerkow’s greed, like Pat Collins, overcame him resulting to Maria’s death leaving Zerkow poor; he is found later in the river drowned. In spite of their marriage, death was inevitable for their sudden changing of their
status. On the other hand, the marriage that seemed to last is the marriage between Old Grannis and Miss Baker. Old Grannis is the owner of a dog hospital while in his free time he spends binding pamphlets while living next door to Miss Baker. Miss Baker is a poor retired seamstress. After Old Grannis sells his binding machine, he has a void in his life and cries for his loss until Miss Baker comes and fills that void with love and not lust, therefore they survive.
Growing up Mary Karr didn't have a “stable” childhood. Her parents Pete and Charlie had many obstacles they faced throughout their life. Pete, who worked at a graveyard at the oil refinery was an alcoholic. He would drink every day, whether it was at home or with the liars club, he always had a drink in his hand. Charlie, who dealt with many illnesses such as an anxiety disorder and being a hypochondriac was not the best role model in Mary and Lecia life. At only 2 years old, Charlie almost died of pneumonia. After surviving that, she wasn't a normal kid, she had many issues.
In Ken Kesey’s novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Randle Patrick McMurphy is the patients’ savior. By definition a savior is an individual who saves someone or something from danger, and who is regarded with the veneration of a religious figure. A savior either directly or indirectly gives faith to his followers in hopes of them continuing their fight against oppression. Upon his arrival to the ward McMurphy is quick to adapt the role of a Christ-figure as he helps the patients reach salvation from the societal restraints of the combine. Christ, however, is the ultimate savior. According to the bible Christ performed countless miracles to spiritually heal and inspire his followers. Christ’s most renowned act of miracle healing is when
Taylor Greer has lived in Kentucky all her life. Yet, the life available to her in Kentucky is not what she always dreamed of: "none of these sights had so far inspired me to get hogtied to a future as a tobacco farmer's wife" (3). Living with her mother, Taylor becomes more independent and striven to find a better life. Taylor's father disappeared before she could even remember what he looks like: "And for all I ever knew of my own daddy I can't say we weren't except for Mama swearing up and down that he was nobody I knew and was long gone besides" (2). Taylor's father's abandonment contributes to Taylor's dislike in men: "To hear you tell it, you'd think man was only put on this earth to keep urinals from going to waste" (112). She does not trust any men and Kingsolver displays this by not adding many male characters to the novel. Taylor feeling of being abandoned by her father scars her, even thought she does not express it clearly.
Born in 1867, Susan Glaspell was raised in rural Davenport, Iowa during a time where young ladies were expected to marry and raise a family. Glaspell never conformed to this expectation; instead graduating from Duke University, becoming a reporter for Des Moines Daily News, and becoming a successful author and playwright. During her years as a reporter, she covered the story of Margaret Hossock, a farm wife in Iowa accused of murdering her husband. This would later serve as her inspiration for Trifles. Glaspell was a woman who bucked societal expectations but was not blind to the plight other women faced. (Ozieblo) Trifles shows how silencing a person’s soul can be just as dangerous as taking the song out of a caged canary; stealing
...ess her husband just so happens to die. Her husband has spent most of his nights with the couple’s personal servant, Sarah, who has conceived the children of this man. Ms. Gaudet also dislikes the children solely for the fact that they remind her much of her husband. Manon is soon granted her freedom when her husband is murdered by African- American rebels.
Social Darwinism is a late 19th century term used to describe the application of British naturalist Charles Darwin’s theory of natural selection to social and political conditions. Late 19th century sociologist Herbert Spencer tried to capture the essence of social Darwinism with his phrase “survival of the fittest”. This essentially meant that the strong would rise to the top while the weak simply died out. Social Darwinists eschew social responsibility and compassion, instead believing that some people are more fit to survive than others. Many social Darwinists advocated that the government should maintain a laissez-faire, or hands off, approach when it came to regulating economic competition and alleviating social inequalities. Social Darwinism was used to justify the consolidation of the majority of wealth by a minority of Americans. The term allowed people to rationalize capitalism, imperialism, racism, and even eugenics. The wealthy believed in social Darwinism because it allowed them to justify their oppressive business tactics and low wages for their labor force. Politicians believed in it because it allowed them to justify imperialism, or expansion of the nation. Affluent Anglo-Saxons believed in social Darwinism, believing themselves to be the superior race, and used it to justify ...
"An attempt to trace the defects of human society back to the defects of human nature. The moral is that the shape of a society must depend on the ethical nature of the individual and not on any political system however apparently logical or respectable."
In 1959, C. Wright Mills released a book entitled ‘The sociological’. Imagination’. It was in this book that he laid out a set of guidelines of how to carry out social analysis of the data. But for a layman, what does the term ‘sociological imagination’ mean? actually mean.
“One needs to cultivate the spirit of sacrificing the little me to achieve the benefits of the big me” (Chinese saying, Page 155). America has gone from sacrificing oneself for the good of others, to sacrificing others for the good of oneself. Charles Darwin had long predicted this phenomenon and coined it as the “survival of the fittest.” By definition, it is “a 19th century concept of human society, inspired by the principle of natural selection, postulating that those who are eliminated in the struggle for existence are the unfit” (“Survival of the fittest”, Dictionary.com). The American society, once based on collectivism, has changed drastically and is now based on individualism. The shift can be easily shown through works of literature, art, and in the everyday actions of the ones around us. There was once an atmosphere of humility and love, the atmosphere transformed into a black hole of of arrogance and hate. There is no more assisting those who need more help, but instead throwing them to the nearest lion to get eaten while you move higher up on the totem pole. Are you being cradled? Or are you making your way to the top at any cost? It’s the survival of the fittest, will you be left behind?
of Louis XIV was that he thought human nature would always be the same. The
Darwinism, the theory of evolution, is a controversial theory that is still being contemplated today. Before the 19th century scientist were puzzled by the idea of where humans, plants, and animals originated. In the late 1700s the question was first tried by a group of scientist, but they were not successful. It was not until a young Charles Darwin found interest in the subject that the discovery was finally able to become a theory. His observations led to his theory of evolution by natural selection. Although, it was a new discovery that shocked so many, Darwin and his accomplices did not realize how significant their newfound theory was. ~~~~
A hero is considered to be any man noted for courage or nobility of Purpose; especially, one who has risked or sacrificed his life. In Ken Kesey's novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, the reader can see how McMurphy is a prime example of a hero. McMurphy's strength embodies a heroic devotion to the other acutes on the ward.
Darwin’s “Theory of Natural Selection” is described as being the process behind evolution. In the theory, an environment is essentially selecting which species will do well within it through different natural events. Individuals within a population differ, and the differences between the species are passed from parents to their offspring. Some individuals are more successful at surviving and reproducing than others, and the successful individuals succeed because of the favorable traits they have inherited. We can look at a giraffe for an example of Darwin’s theory, because a giraffe born with a longer neck has an inherent ability to reach for more food when compared to a giraffe with a shorter neck. This causes the giraffes with longer necks
Goldie Morgentaler, assistant professor of English at the University of Lethbridge, compares Charles Dickens’s Great Expectations with Charles Darwin’s The Origin of Species, suggesting that a Darwinian influence can be found within its text. Morgentaler argues her point using the time the two books were written and the sudden disregard of heredity as a formative influence of human identity in Dickens’s writing. Morgentaler’s arguments are somewhat weak in evidence but I agree that it probably isn’t a coincidence that Dickens’s writing on this subject matter changed around the same time as Darwin’s book was published. I will engage some of the points that I thought were strongest in favor to Dickens having been influenced by Darwin’s writing.
Life is a never-ending metamorphosis. It is always changing, always transforming. Sometimes a change is followed by positive results, but on the darker side, a metamorphosis can lead to damage or suffering. But of course, the concept of metamorphosis can also be related into the wonderful yet unrealistic world of magic and sorcery. Metamorphosis can mean a rapid transformation from one object to another or a distinct or even degenerative change in appearance, personality, condition, or function. The concept of metamorphosis is commonly used in pieces of literature to describe an extreme change in character or form.