McTeague · Chapter
Chapter XXII explained
In the heart of Death Valley, McTeague and Marcus Schouler confront each other in a final, desperate struggle.
What happens
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 doomed, their old enmity resurfaces over the five-thousand-dollar sack of gold. They fight, and McTeague kills Marcus, but in the last moment Marcus handcuffs himself to McTeague, leaving the dentist chained to the corpse in the vast, desolate wasteland.
Themes in this chapter
Greed and Avarice
The five-thousand-dollar gold sack becomes the fatal object of contention, driving the two men to murder even as they face certain death from thirst.
Violence and Brutality
The chapter culminates in a savage physical fight where McTeague beats Marcus to death, highlighting the primal brutality that emerges under extreme duress.
Isolation and Loneliness
The setting of Death Valley emphasizes the utter isolation of the characters, with no hope of rescue and only each other for company in their final moments.
Characters to notice
- McTeague
McTeague is captured by Marcus but ultimately kills him in a fight over the gold, only to be handcuffed to the dead body.
- Marcus Schouler
Marcus tracks McTeague into Death Valley, shoots the mule and loses their water, then dies after handcuffing himself to McTeague.
Key passages
“We’re dead men.”
Marcus acknowledges that they have no chance of survival.
After the water is lost, Marcus accepts their fate.
“McTeague did not know how he killed his enemy, but all at once Marcus grew still beneath his blows.”
McTeague kills Marcus in a blind rage, unaware of the exact moment of death.
The violence is instinctual and uncontrolled.
“Marcus was dead now; McTeague was locked to the body.”
McTeague is physically chained to the corpse of his enemy.
The handcuffs symbolize their inescapable bond even in death.