McTeague: A Story of San Francisco: Analysis of Major Characters
"McTeague: A Story of San Francisco" is a novel by Frank Norris that explores the lives and complexities of its central characters against the backdrop of a changing society in San Francisco. The protagonist, McTeague, is depicted as a physically imposing yet slow-witted man who struggles with his violent tendencies and moral decay, particularly in his relationships. His friendship with Marcus Schouler becomes strained over jealousy and competition for the affections of Trina Sieppe, Marcus's cousin and McTeague's eventual wife. Trina, shaped by her upbringing, develops a crippling miserliness after winning a lottery, which ultimately leads to her tragic demise at the hands of her increasingly brutal husband. Additional characters, such as the elderly couple Grannis and Miss Parker, alongside the dysfunctional Zerkov and Maria, further illustrate themes of loneliness, desire, and the darker facets of human nature. The narrative emphasizes the consequences of greed, violence, and the quest for identity amidst societal pressures, culminating in a grim portrayal of the characters' intertwined fates. This novel serves as a powerful examination of the human condition and the impact of environment and relationships on individual choices.
McTeague: A Story of San Francisco: Analysis of Major Characters
Author: Frank Norris
First published: 1899
Genre: Novel
Locale: San Francisco, and Death Valley, California
Plot: Naturalism
Time: The 1890's
McTeague (Mac), a massive, slow-witted man with a blond mustache and enormously strong hands. An unlicensed dentist, McTeague sometimes pulls teeth with his bare hands. He snoozes away Sunday afternoons in his dentist chair until he meets Trina Sieppe, the cousin and fiancée of his friend, Marcus Schouler. His friend sees that McTeague and Trina are attracted and with fairly good grace accepts the situation. Many of McTeague's violent and even repulsive qualities are highlighted by incidents in the novel. At an outing, Marcus and McTeague wrestle; Marcus, envious and angry, bites off McTeague's ear lobe; the dentist, in turn, breaks Marcus' arm. In adversity, McTeague's brutality is intensified by drink. Sadistically, he bites his wife's fingers until they are infected and have to be amputated. Adversity can only intensify his desperation, and one is not surprised when he beats his wife to death and then flees the consequences. In the middle of the desert, he is met by his former friend, now a member of the sheriff's posse; again a violent struggle is the only response McTeague can give. He kills his friend, but not before Marcus has handcuffed them together under the boiling sun. McTeague's death, like his life, is brutish. Readers have considered McTeague's career, as related by Norris, a triumph of realistic description.
Marcus Schouler, who lives above McTeague's dental office. The two men are friends. Smaller than McTeague but gifted with more intelligence, Marcus broods over the loss of his fiancée and her prize money and is petty enough to report McTeague to the authorities for practicing without a license. By fate or by sheer perversity, he binds his enemy to his own corpse with handcuffs; the two face eternity only hours apart.
Trina Sieppe, McTeague's wife, trained to be a thrifty housewife by her Swiss parents. She overdevelops this trait after she wins five thousand dollars in a lottery. She spends every spare moment carving small wooden Noah's Ark animals for her uncle's “import” business. Although counting coins is her only joy, she does buy a huge gold tooth as a sign for her husband's dental office. Sexually subservient to her husband's physical strength, she cannot protect herself from his drunken fury when he bites her finger tips. Her character shows only vestigial kindness, and her miserliness leads to her death.
Grannis, an aged English bookbinder, comforted each night by the delicate sounds of his neighbor's teatray on the opposite side of a partition. The tray belongs to the seamstress next door.
Miss Parker, a genteel dressmaker. She responds with fluttering heart when she hears Grannis and his supper tray. They marry.
Zerkov, a junk dealer.
Maria Macapa, a maid who collects junk for Zerkov. She raves about “gold dishes” once owned by her family. These ravings lead Zerkov to marry Maria. A head blow ends her aberration, however, and in frustration, Zerkov kills her.
Papa Sieppe and Mamma Sieppe, Trina's parents, elderly Swiss immigrants.