Previous
Chapter 7
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
Over the next several weeks, McTeague and Trina spend lots of time together. Trina also spends a lot of time shopping for her family. Since winning her fortune, she is always on the lookout for a good deal. One day, at lunch, Trina asks McTeague what he has been up to while she has been shopping. McTeague explains that he has been inquiring after the giant gilded tooth he wants to hang outside his practice. However, he has learned that the tooth would be too expensive. McTeague has also been looking at apartments for the two of them once they are married.
Here, it becomes clear that Trina and McTeague have different ideas of what to do with Trina’s newfound wealth. Although Trina’s ideas are certainly more conservative than McTeague’s, neither approach is completely unreasonable. While the giant gilded tooth is a status symbol, it is also a way for McTeague to attract more customers to his practice, so it serves a practical function as well.
Themes
McTeague finds that having $5,000 is less exciting than it seemed at first. Trina has invested the money in her uncle’s business and only collects $25 per month. In addition to the $25, McTeague also has the money he makes from his dentistry, and Trina also makes a small sum of money selling Noah’s Ark animals she makes out of wooden blocks. It quickly becomes apparent that Trina is the right person to be in charge of the household’s money, as she knows how to manage and grow it.
Trina’s prudent investment and ability to generate additional income demonstrate her resourcefulness. Even though she has never had a large sum of money before, she realizes that investing is the way to a better future. In contrast, McTeague’s reaction demonstrates the elusive nature of wealth. Even though Trina is now wealthy, their life doesn’t feel any different to McTeague.
Themes
As McTeague and Trina become more familiar with each other and begin to fall in love, Marcus grows distant. He starts ignoring McTeague, and the two men no longer go on walks together. One day, McTeague runs into Marcus in a bar. Marcus tells McTeague that McTeague owes him money. McTeague, confused, asks what Marcus is talking about. Marcus reminds McTeague that he paid for McTeague to enter the park on the day McTeague met the Sieppes. McTeague apologizes and gives Marcus the money he owes him. Then, Marcus also mentions that McTeague should have paid him for sleeping in the veterinary practice. When McTeague acts confused, Marcus yells at him and leaves the bar. McTeague feels bad, though he is unsure what he has done wrong.
Marcus’s resentment over money and his feeling of being owed for his earlier generosity reveal his deep-seated bitterness. It also confirms that his act of selflessness in letting McTeague pursue Trina has come back to harm him in the end: had he stood his ground and continued to court her himself, he might well be in McTeague’s fortunate position.
Themes
A few days later, McTeague sees Marcus at a coffee shop. Marcus often frequents the coffee shop and rants about politics. There, McTeague finds that Marcus is still angry at him. Marcus tells McTeague that he feels he is owed $5,000 and blames McTeague for stealing his money and his girl. Marcus acts as though McTeague schemed the entire thing. While ranting, Marcus asks McTeague if he will get any of Trina’s money. McTeague tells Marcus that he will not because the money does not belong to him.
Marcus’s sense of entitlement and his belief that McTeague has wronged him drive him to irrational behavior. Marcus’s accusations and McTeague’s straightforward denial highlight their conflicting perspectives on wealth and relationships. Losing Marcus’s friendship is a big deal for McTeague, who does not have many important relationships in his life.
Themes
Get the entire McTeague LitChart as a printable PDF.
In response, Marcus knocks the pipe McTeague is smoking out of his mouth, causing it to break. McTeague stands up suddenly, though he is more surprised than angry. Interpreting McTeague’s action as a threat, Marcus pulls out a jackknife and flings it at McTeague. The knife barely misses McTeague and ends up stuck in the wall behind his head. After throwing the knife, Marcus leaves, and the room grows quiet for a minute. Then, the rest of the men in the shop warn McTeague that he should watch out for Marcus because it seems like Marcus is willing to kill McTeague to get his hands on the money. McTeague tries to defend his friend, still feeling confused about what he has done wrong.
The escalation to physical violence illustrates the extreme lengths to which Marcus’s jealousy and anger have driven him. The entire novel is a commentary on the corrosive nature of greed and, here, Marcus’s jealousy, which stems from his greed, almost causes him to kill his friend. For his part, McTeague remains clueless because he does not feel that the wealth has altered his life all that much. Even if it had, he does not understand Marcus’s frustration because he is not on the unlucky side of the situation.
Themes
After thinking it over for a minute, McTeague grows angry. He stands up and loudly proclaims, “He can’t make small of ME”—the same declaration he yelled at the theater clerk who he felt disrespected him. McTeague returns to his apartment building and knocks and Marcus’s door. When Marcus does not answer, McTeague breaks the door down. However, Marcus is not inside, so McTeague waits for him in the communal parlor. There, he finds a package addressed to him from Trina. He opens it and inside finds the giant golden tooth he has always longed for.
McTeague’s outburst and subsequent actions reveal his underlying pride and propensity for violence when he feels disrespected. The phrase McTeague uses here becomes something of a catchphrase for him throughout the novel, and he returns to it whenever he feels socially inferior. Meanwhile, acquiring the golden tooth marks the fulfillment of a long-held dream, momentarily distracting him from his anger.
Themes
McTeague admires the quality of the tooth, knowing it must have been quite expensive. He spends an entire hour looking at it, nearly forgetting his quarrel with Marcus. McTeague goes to bed and places the tooth on a stand next to him, so it is the first thing he sees when he wakes up. Throughout the night, from next door, McTeague can hear two of Marcus’s dogs fighting with each other.
The giant golden tooth represents McTeague’s dreams and desires. His admiration of the tooth and its placement beside his bed show his deep attachment to this symbol of success. Also, the sounds of the dogs fighting next door serve as a reminder of the ongoing conflict with Marcus, highlighting the present tension and foreshadowing future confrontations. More generally, it reflects the competitive nature of human survival: it’s a dog-eat-dog world out there, the novel suggests.
Themes
