Frank Norris

The Octopus: a Story of California Frank Norris

The Octopus: A Story of California is Frank Norris' novel describing the raising of wheat in California, and conflicts between the wheat growers and a railway company. It was to be the first book of Norris' The Epic of Wheat trilogy along with The Pit and Wolf which was never completed. The Octopus was inspired by role of the Southern Pacific Railroad in events surrounding the Mussel Slough Tragedy and depicts the tension between the corrupt railroad and the ranchers and the ranchers' League. The Octopus emphasizes the control of "forces" such as wheat and railroads over individuals.