loses his dental practice after Marcus, fueled by jealousy, reports him to the authorities.

The lottery win is not a blessing but a curse, proving that in a Naturalist universe, blind luck often dictates a person’s ruin.

The turning point occurs when Trina wins $5,000 in a lottery. This sudden wealth acts as a catalyst for destruction:

Norris presents McTeague as a "human beast," suggesting that beneath the veneer of civilization lies a primitive animal controlled by hereditary "vices" (like McTeague’s inherited alcoholism).

The novel concludes with a harrowing sequence in Death Valley. McTeague, having murdered Trina for her gold, is hunted down by Marcus. In their final struggle, McTeague kills Marcus, only to realize his victim has handcuffed them together. The book ends with McTeague stranded in the salt flats—rich with gold, but doomed to die of thirst next to a corpse. Key Themes