Greed in literature
Greed is a prevalent theme in literature, representing a selfish desire for material wealth, power, or status. This character trait often drives complex personalities, conflicts, and plot developments within narratives. Notable examples include Ebenezer Scrooge from Charles Dickens's *A Christmas Carol*, who undergoes a transformation from a miser to a generous figure after being visited by spirits, and Silas Marner by George Eliot, where the protagonist's focus on gold leads to isolation until he finds purpose in raising a child. Through various portrayals, literature explores the moral implications of greed, illustrating how it can lead to downfall or redemption. Authors like Shakespeare have also depicted greed, as seen in *Macbeth*, where ambition leads to moral corruption and murder. Additionally, works like *The Merchant of Venice* address greed within societal contexts, often reflecting broader social issues, including anti-Semitism. Greed can serve not only as a vehicle for moral lessons but also as a source of humor, as exemplified in Roald Dahl's *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*, where greedy characters face comical consequences. Overall, the exploration of greed in literature provides insights into human behavior and societal values, prompting readers to reflect on the consequences of their desires.
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Greed in literature
Greed is a common theme in literature. It is a selfish desire for money, power, status, property, or almost anything that a character values. Authors can use this character trait to create complex personalities, conflict, and plot developments. Greedy characters can achieve redemption, as in Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol, or meet their downfall or death, as in Harold Skimpole in Bleak House. For readers, greed and the resulting events can offer lessons in morality or enlightenment about social issues and conditions.
Background
The sixth-century leader of the Roman Catholic Church, Pope Gregory I, listed seven deadly sins as a warning to the faithful: pride, greed, lust, envy, gluttony, wrath, and sloth. These sins killed the soul; Christians who did not confess them and receive absolution were damned for eternity. Three of the sins—pride, envy, and wrath—are regarded as being spiritual, while sloth, gluttony, and lust are characterized as being bodily. Greed straddles these groupings because it appeals to both carnal and spiritual pleasures. Christianity heavily influenced European literature of the medieval period, so the seven deadly sins were common themes, as were the seven heavenly virtues: humility, charity, chastity, gratitude, temperance, patience, and diligence.
Scholars have examined greed as a human trait to try to understand its role in human history. Some researchers believe that unpredictability or scarcity in prehistory may have affected human evolution. Greed, or working to acquire as many resources as possible, was likely an advantage because it increased the likelihood of survival. This trait could be passed along to descendants. However, greed may also threaten society by decreasing the likelihood of cooperation and sharing resources. In modern times, sociologists have found that people who have grown up in unpredictable situations, such as households where caregivers were unreliable or resources were inconsistent, tend to place greater importance on financial security than those who have grown up in stable situations.
Overview
Greed is a common theme in literature. Some of the most famous works of fiction have included characters who commit miserly actions. Authors often use such characters to comment on society.
The most famous of all misers is likely Ebenezer Scrooge of A Christmas Carol, Charles Dickens’s beloved social commentary. Dickens wanted to illustrate the plight of the poor, in particular that of impoverished children, who he feared would become lawless adults if they survived childhood. The protagonist of the 1843 novella is so well-known that the term “scrooge” has entered the English language to describe a person who is selfish and miserly. The tale follows Scrooge, a wealthy moneylender, who is visited by three spirits on the night before Christmas morning. The spirits attempt to educate the miser on the meaning of Christmas. The Ghost of Christmas Past whisks Scrooge to Christmases of Scrooge’s own past including his lonely childhood at a boarding school and the Christmas when Belle, his fiancée, breaks off their engagement because she realizes he will never love her as much as he loves money. The Ghost of Christmas Present shows him his nephew and others sharing love and joy on the holiday. Scrooge learns about the love that his clerk, Bob Cratchit, has for his youngest son, Tiny Tim, who has a disability. Scrooge is touched by these scenes. The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come shows Scrooge future scenes related to a man who is very much disliked—the spirit later reveals this man to be Scrooge. The spirit also shows Scrooge the Cratchits, who are mourning Tiny Tim. Scrooge changes his ways, becoming generous and kind. Dickens’s miser exhibits traits that sociologists would expect of a person who grew up unloved and unsupported by family. As an adult, Scrooge sought financial security, but over time, the need for more money crowded out all other concerns, including his love for Belle and his only relative, his nephew, Fred.
Another well-known miser is the titular character of Silas Marner, another social commentary novel. Under the name George Eliot, Mary Ann Evans wrote the 1861 work to show fellow British people the effects of the Industrial Revolution on the country by setting the tale in the years before industry replaced agriculture as the engine of the economy. By the 1860s, traditional crafts and occupations had died out as factories took over manufacturing. Silas, a weaver, is initially a happy young man looking forward to marriage. He is accused of theft and loses everything, including his betrothed. When he is cast out of his community, he moves to another village, Raveloe, where he works as a weaver. As a loner who has no happiness or companionship, he spends his evenings focused on his gold coins. Many years later, a neighbor steals Silas’s gold, leaving him bereft. In a strange coincidence, a toddler wanders into his cottage while he is dozing in his chair and falls asleep near him. Silas wakes and reaches for his gold, only to realize what he sees is the child’s golden hair. He raises her with assistance from some neighbors, becomes part of the community, and stops hoarding wealth. Sixteen years later, when Silas’s stolen gold is found and returned to him, it means little to him because of the love he has for and receives from his adopted daughter. Although Silas hoarded gold, he did not love it. Instead, his focus on it was a replacement for relationships that he was afraid to make or that had failed him.
The British playwright William Shakespeare wrote often of greed. In Macbeth (1606), three witches share a prophecy with Scottish general Macbeth: He will become king. He shares this information with his wife, Lady Macbeth, who also lusts for power. When King Duncan arrives at their castle, Lady Macbeth convinces her husband to slay him and become king. The royal couple feels guilty about the murder, though it does not stop the pair from continuing to kill to hold onto power. The fate of Banquo, Macbeth’s best friend, is sealed when the witches foretell that his descendants will inherit the throne. Macbeth has Banquo murdered, but his son escapes. Lord and Lady Macbeth’s greed for the throne outweighs their morals and Macbeth’s love for Banquo.
The Merchant of Venice (c. 1598) features another memorable Shakespearean character, Shylock, a Jewish moneylender. The titular merchant, Antonio, defaults on a large loan. Shylock is unwilling to grant the loan because Antonio is antisemitic, but finally agrees to grant it without interest on one condition: If Antonio cannot repay the loan, Shylock may take a pound of Antonio’s flesh in payment. After a hearing in court, Shylock loses his wealth and is forced to convert to Christianity. Although scholars disagree as to Shakespeare’s intent in creating Shylock, the character prompted centuries of literary works that perpetuated the trope of the greedy, money-hungry Jew. For example, during World War II, the Nazis broadcast The Merchant of Venice as antisemitic propaganda, and the play was produced in several German cities.
One of Geoffrey Chaucer’sCanterbury Tales, “The Pardoner’s Tale,” includes a Christian man who preaches and sells pardons. The Pardoner’s topic is always the same: Greed is the root of all evil. After he preaches, he brings out fake relics to which he attributes supernatural qualities, such as healing powers, and pockets offerings from parishioners. The Pardoner is open about his motivation for preaching—money and the pleasures it will buy—and his ruthlessness in taking offerings from even the poorest parishioners.
Greed is often employed to impart moral or social lessons, but authors also use it for comedic effect. For example, in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (1964) by Roald Dahl, famed candymaker Willy Wonka welcomes characters to tour his factory. Several greedy guests get their just desserts during the visit. When Augustus Gloop tries to drink from the chocolate river, he falls in, and Violet Beauregarde turns into a blueberry when she chews some gum. Veruca Salt, whose motto is “I want,” tops them all. Her father tells everyone that Veruca always gets what she wants because she will kick and scream for hours until she gets her way. In Wonka’s factory, spoiled Veruca decides that she wants a worker squirrel. When Wonka tells her that she cannot have one, she tries to take it anyway. However, instead of getting a squirrel, she is jettisoned down a garbage chute because she is a “bad nut.”
Bibliography
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Griswold, Wendy. “Formal Capacities and Relational Understandings: Greed in Literature, Art and Sociology.” Sociologias, vol. 20, no. 48, 2018, DOI: 10.1590/15174522-020004804. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Hoyer, Karlijn, Marcel Zeelenberg, and Seger M. Breugelmans. “Greed: What Is It Good For?” Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, vol. 50, no. 4, 2024, pp. 597–612, DOI: 10.1177/01461672221140355. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Mullan, John. “Ten of the Best Misers.” The Guardian, 6 Mar. 2009, www.theguardian.com/books/2009/mar/07/ten-best-literary-misers. Accessed 12 June 2024.
Rakhamilova, Zina. “Jews and the Myth of Greed—Opinion.” The Jerusalem Post, 14 Feb. 2023, www.jpost.com/opinion/article-731482. Accessed 12 June 2024.