# McTeague — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for McTeague by Frank Norris.

- [McTeague](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/mcteague.md): The novel introduces McTeague, a slow-witted but strong dentist in San Francisco, and his daily life. He meets Trina Sieppe, who is brought to his office by her cousin Marcus Schouler for dental treatment. McTeague becom
- [I](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/i.md): McTeague's Sunday routine is established: a heavy meal, beer, sleep, and concertina playing. His friend Marcus Schouler visits, recounting a picnic where his cousin Trina fell and knocked out a tooth. McTeague's backgrou
- [Chapter II](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/ii.md): McTeague begins his work week, preparing gold fillings for his dental practice. He recalls an appointment with Miss Baker, a retired dressmaker, and reflects on the quiet romance between her and Old Grannis, who live in 
- [Chapter III](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/iii.md): McTeague is tormented by his desire for Trina and jealousy of Marcus Schouler. Maria Macapa collects junk from the flat's residents, stealing gold from McTeague and selling the junk to Zerkow. Zerkow becomes obsessed wit
- [Chapter IV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/iv.md): McTeague confesses his love for Trina to Marcus Schouler, who initially struggles with his own feelings for her but ultimately renounces his claim in a dramatic act of friendship. The two friends celebrate their bond wit
- [V](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/v.md): McTeague's courtship of Trina intensifies. After a passionate kiss, Trina is conflicted but ultimately accepts him. McTeague visits her home, becomes entranced by her room and belongings, and their relationship solidifie
- [VI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/vi.md): Trina Sieppe wrestles with her feelings for McTeague after their passionate encounter at the B Street station. She questions whether she truly loves him or was simply overwhelmed by his brute strength. Despite her doubts
- [VII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/vii.md): Trina Sieppe wins a $5,000 lottery prize, sparking a celebration in McTeague's Parlors. The news is met with excitement, congratulations, and a toast from the lottery agent. McTeague delivers an awkward speech. The eveni
- [Chapter VIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/viii.md): Over the next two months, McTeague and Trina enjoy a delightful courtship, meeting regularly for lunch in a private room at a small hotel. They discuss their future marriage and finances, with Trina insisting on sensible
- [Chapter IX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/ix.md): Trina and McTeague prepare for their wedding, spending her lottery winnings on household items. Trina is fiercely protective of her five thousand dollars, reluctantly parting with two hundred. McTeague tells Trina about 
- [Marriage and Domesticity](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/x.md): The chapter details the routine and gradual transformation of McTeague and Trina's married life, highlighting McTeague's contentment and Trina's growing miserliness after winning the lottery. It contrasts their early pas
- [Chapter XI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xi.md): The chapter depicts the McTeagues' domestic life three years into their marriage, including a picnic at Schuetzen Park that erupts into a violent fight between McTeague and Marcus Schouler over a trivial dispute, leaving
- [XII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xii.md): Marcus Schouler visits McTeague and Trina to say goodbye before leaving for a ranch, while Trina's miserly tendencies grow as she delays sending money to her mother. Meanwhile, Zerkow's obsession with Maria's story of a 
- [XIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xiii.md): McTeague receives a legal notice prohibiting him from practicing dentistry because he lacks a diploma from a dental college. Trina is devastated, realizing their livelihood is threatened. McTeague stubbornly insists he w
- [Chapter XIV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xiv.md): Trina and McTeague are forced to sell nearly all their possessions after losing their home and McTeague's dental practice. Trina's obsessive saving intensifies as she clings to her savings, while McTeague stubbornly refu
- [XV](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xv.md): The McTeagues' marriage deteriorates as poverty and Trina's avarice strain their relationship. McTeague loses his job and regresses to old habits, while Trina hoards money and lies about their finances. Their grim routin
- [Chapter XVI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xvi.md): A month passes after McTeague loses his job, and the couple's financial situation worsens. Trina forces them to move to cheaper quarters and tries to find work for McTeague, but he becomes increasingly idle and listless,
- [Chapter XVII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xvii.md): Old Grannis, having sold his bookbinding apparatus, feels a profound sense of loss and regret, fearing the end of his quiet companionship with Miss Baker. However, Miss Baker, overcoming her timidity, brings him a cup of
- [XVIII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xviii.md): Trina is haunted by nightmares of Maria's murder, which irritates McTeague, who has become increasingly abusive. He spends his days on long solitary walks, rediscovering his old mining instincts. The couple moves into th
- [Chapter XIX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xix.md): Trina, now living alone and working at a kindergarten, becomes consumed by her obsession with the five thousand dollars she won in the lottery. She withdraws her entire capital from Uncle Oelbermann's keeping and hoards 
- [Chapter XX](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xx.md): McTeague returns to the Big Dipper mine, where he worked before becoming a dentist, and secures a job as a chuck-tender on the night shift. He adapts quickly to the mining life, finding a brutal satisfaction in the work.
- [XXI](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xxi.md): McTeague, fleeing into Death Valley, is tormented by exhaustion, thirst, and the relentless instinct to escape his pursuers. He fires his rifle in a paranoid frenzy, then discards it when he realizes he has no ammunition
- [Chapter XXII](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xxii.md): In the heart of Death Valley, McTeague and Marcus Schouler confront each other in a final, desperate struggle. Their mule, crazed from locoweed, bolts and is shot, destroying their only water supply. Realizing they are d

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