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Chapter 12
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in McTeague, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Greed and Self-Destruction
Naturalism
Gender Stereotypes
Class Struggle
Isolation vs. Connection
Summary
Analysis
One week after Marcus leaves, McTeague receives a letter from the State of California, telling him that he can no longer practice dentistry because he never received a degree. McTeague reads the letter but cannot make any sense of it, so he waits for Trina to get home. When Trina arrives, she reads the letter and immediately goes pale. Then, she asks McTeague where he went to school. McTeague responds that he never went to dental school; rather, he learned by traveling around with the man his mother introduced him to. Trina warns McTeague that he cannot call himself a doctor if he does not have a degree. None of this makes sense to McTeague, who has been practicing dentistry for over a decade.
McTeague’s lack of formal education and the sudden threat to his career highlight the precarious nature of his professional status. McTeague does not understand the value of a formal education, thinking that his practical experience is more than enough for him to be able to practice. Once more, the book gestures toward the competing forces of natural reality and social convention.
Themes
Trina rereads the letter and then decides that perhaps McTeague will be okay. Even if he does not have a degree, she thinks he has been practicing long enough that the authorities will not bother him. However, as soon as McTeague goes back to work, she grows worried again. She warns McTeague that he should stop working immediately; otherwise, he might end up in prison. Trina wonders why anyone has decided to bother McTeague after all this time. Then, it finally dawns on her: it is Marcus who is behind it all.
As Trina suggests, it seems likely that Marcus is responsible for alerting the authorities, which is why he was so friendly with McTeague the last time the two men spoke. To make up for his earlier mistake of being selfless on McTeague’s behalf, which backfired on Marcus, he cuts off McTeague’s most important source of revenue.
Themes
Ultimately, McTeague decides to continue working, thinking it might just be Marcus trying to scare him. However, a few weeks later, a city official delivers McTeague another notice telling him he must quit practicing dentistry immediately. Trina forces McTeague to quit. At first, McTeague is okay with the idea of quitting because he thinks they will be able to live on Trina’s savings. However, when McTeague expresses this plan to Trina, she reminds him that she does not play to use anything except the interest from her fortune.
McTeague’s decision to continue working despite the warning reflects his stubbornness and disbelief in the gravity of the situation. Trina’s insistence on him quitting and her refusal to use her savings again demonstrates her financial rigidity, which strains their relationship. Without his practice, and apparently unable to secure new employment, McTeague has to rely on Trina, and Trina has no interest in using her money to help.
Themes
McTeague asks Trina what he should do for a living now that he is no longer a dentist. Trina tells him that she does not know. However, she suggests that he save face by quietly canceling his appointments and closing his business. Sad, McTeague organizes his office and thinks about what he has lost. He grows angry as he considers what he will do to Marcus if he ever sees him again.
Trina’s suggestion to quietly close the business reflects societal concerns about McTeague’s reputation. Closing down because he is not fit to be a dentist would ruin the identity McTeague built up for himself and has always taken pride in.
Themes
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