Comparing Immorality in The Rise of Silas Lapham and The Octopus Essay

motif of Immorality in The Rise of Silas Lapham and The Octopus In both William dean Howells The Rise of Silas Lapham and The Octopus by Frank Norris, a character is confront with the moral issues involved with operating his business. Howells character, Silas Lapham (The Colonel) and Norris Magnus Derrick argon both desirous to gift a prominent position in their respective societies, but are in the precarious situation of having to deploy immoral methods to achieve this coveted stature during the course of harder times. Each man has aspirations to be powerful, prestigious, famous, and/or wealthy. In combination with their lack of humility for their lofty position in family and their over ambitious definition of success, both are caused great incommode on the path and during the fight to reach this egotistic plateau. The image created by means of their business venture became the primary tool to evaluate their own personalised vision of success, and in doing so, the two mens morals and values became tainted, family transaction were hurt and even devastated, in addition to creating social debacles that caused incredible trauma to many others. Silas background consisted of poverty, hardships, and hard work. He acquired his own wealth and that exposed doors that were unknown to him or his family. The Colonels background and attributes led him into an awkward situation of evermore attempting to appear in society as something that he is not. He is a common, vulgar man, doing his best to appear sophisticated, educated, and knowledgeable, when, in fact, it is only his wealth that connects him to the hurrying class. His incredible wealth places within him the motivation and false sense of promise to conform to the tastes and pre... ... or power or fame. The path to attain these goals is practically filled with corruption, heartless doings, and unsympathetic forces. To see past material possessions and to curb ones ego and its self-centeredness should be sought. To accept ones lot in deportment and attempt to not control forces outside of ones power or constitution should be admired. Being concerned with ones family as a primary province and acting accordingly should be hailed an accomplishment. To face an evil force brush into ones reality and being able to hold onto ones morals and values in spite of it, an achievement. Works Cited Howells, William Dean. The Rise of Silas Lapham. New York Signet Classic, 1983.. Marx, Karl. The Alienation of Labor. Economic and philosophical Manuscripts of 1844. Richard Hooker, 1996 1-9. Norris, Frank. The Octopus. New York Penguin Books, 1986.