The Octopus: A Story of California
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Like the tentacles of an octopus, the railroad in California reached out across the state, grasping everything of value in the state.
Based on the bloody Mussel Slough Tragedy—a conflict between wheat farmers and the Southern Pacific Railroad—The Octopus is a stunning novel chronicling the twilight of the frontier West, a depiction of the tensions between the railroad, the ranchers, and the ranchers’ League.
The book emphasizes the control of “forces”—such as the power of railroad monopolies—over individuals. No one was truly innocent, as the farmers employed the same if not similar tactics as the monopolistic railroad companies, such as subversion, coercion, and violence.
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Frank Norris (1870–1902), American novelist, was born in Chicago. He first studied art but turned to journalism; while a reporter he was involved in the Jameson raid in South Africa. Influenced by Zola, he was one of the first American naturalist writers, his major novel being McTeague (1899).
Patrick Cullen (a.k.a. John Lescault), a native of Massachusetts, is a graduate of the Catholic University of America. He lives in Washington, DC, where he works in theater.
