# XIII explained — McTeague

> Chapter companion for McTeague by Frank Norris.

## What happens

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 will not quit for 'just a piece of paper,' but Trina suspects Marcus Schouler is behind the notice. The couple struggles with the impending loss of income and the fear of poverty.

## Themes in this chapter

### Social Class and Decline

The loss of McTeague's dental practice threatens to plunge the couple into poverty, highlighting their precarious social standing and the rapid decline from middle-class respectability.

### Determinism and Heredity

McTeague's lack of formal education and his slow-witted, obstinate nature—shaped by his upbringing in a mining camp—limit his ability to adapt, suggesting a deterministic outcome.

## Character check-ins

### McTeague

Receives the notice forbidding him from practicing dentistry; stubbornly refuses to quit despite the legal threat.

### Trina Sieppe

Panics upon learning McTeague cannot practice; suspects Marcus Schouler is responsible for the notice.

### Marcus Schouler

Implied to have reported McTeague to the authorities, leading to the legal notice.

### Vanovitch

A plumber who has an appointment with McTeague to have a bicuspid pulled.

## Key lines

> I ain't going to quit for just a piece of paper.

McTeague refuses to stop practicing dentistry simply because he lacks a diploma.

_This phrase becomes a mantra for McTeague, reflecting his stubbornness and inability to grasp the legal consequences._

> It's Marcus that's done it.

Trina realizes that Marcus Schouler is likely responsible for reporting McTeague to the authorities.

_Trina's suspicion underscores the personal vendetta behind the legal action._

> Oh, if you'd only killed Marcus Schouler that time he fought you!

Trina wishes McTeague had killed Marcus during their earlier fight, expressing her desperation and anger.

_This outburst reveals Trina's growing despair and the depth of her resentment toward Marcus._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters/xiii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/mcteague_se/chapters