McTeague

by

Frank Norris

Marcus Schouler Character Analysis

Marcus Schouler is McTeague’s friend and Trina’s cousin. At the beginning of the novel, Marcus is considering marrying Trina, whom he likes but does not love. At first, Marcus is a happy-go-lucky man and a good friend to McTeague, though he is also a bit arrogant. When Marcus learns McTeague wants to marry Trina, he steps aside and allows his friend to pursue her instead. However, when Trina wins her fortune, Marcus changes. He becomes jealous, angry, and even violent with McTeague. From this moment forward, McTeague becomes him enemy, and Marcus sets out to humiliate him. It's likely Marcus, for instance, who informs the government that McTeague is practicing dentistry without a license—a act of betrayal that leads McTeague to lose his practice and his livelihood. Marcus’s feud with McTeague drives him to act irrationally, and he eventually hunts McTeague down through Death Valley to get revenge, leading to Marcus’s death.

Marcus Schouler Quotes in McTeague

The McTeague quotes below are all either spoken by Marcus Schouler or refer to Marcus Schouler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Greed and Self-Destruction Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

Marcus was thinking hard. He could see very clearly that McTeague loved Trina more than he did; that in some strange way this huge, brutal fellow was capable of a greater passion than himself, who was twice as clever. Suddenly Marcus jumped impetuously to a resolution.

“Well, say, Mac,” he cried, striking the table with his fist, “go ahead. I guess you—you want her pretty bad. I’ll pull out; yes, I will. I’ll give her up to you, old man.”

Related Characters: McTeague, Trina Sieppe, Marcus Schouler
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

“You fool, you fool, Marcus Schouler! If you’d kept Trina you’d have had that money. You might have had it yourself. You’ve thrown away your chance in life—to give up the girl, yes—but this," he stamped his foot with rage—"to throw five thousand dollars out of the window—to stuff it into the pockets of someone else, when it might have been yours, when you might have had Trina AND the money—and all for what? Because we were pals. Oh, ‘pals’ is all right—but five thousand dollars—to have played it right into his hands—God DAMN the luck!”

Related Characters: Marcus Schouler (speaker), McTeague, Trina Sieppe
Page Number: 101-102
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

The dentist circled about that golden wonder, gasping with delight and stupefaction, touching it gingerly with his hands as if it were something sacred. At every moment his thought returned to Trina. No, never was there such a little woman as his—the very thing he wanted—how had she remembered? And the money, where had that come from? No one knew better than he how expensive were these signs; not another dentist on Polk Street could afford one. Where, then, had Trina found the money? It came out of her five thousand dollars, no doubt.

Related Characters: McTeague, Trina Sieppe, Marcus Schouler
Related Symbols: The Gilded Tooth
Page Number: 116
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

Then followed a terrible scene. The brute that in McTeague lay so close to the surface leaped instantly to life, monstrous, not to be resisted. He sprang to his feet with a shrill and meaningless clamor, totally unlike the ordinary bass of his speaking tones. It was the hideous yelling of a hurt beast, the squealing of a wounded elephant. He framed no words; in the rush of high-pitched sound that issued from his wide-open mouth there was nothing articulate. It was something no longer human; it was rather an echo from the jungle.

Related Characters: McTeague, Marcus Schouler
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

As McTeague rose to his feet, he felt a pull at his right wrist; something held it fast. Looking down, he saw that Marcus in that last struggle had found strength to handcuff their wrists together. Marcus was dead now; McTeague was locked to the body. All about him, vast interminable, stretched the measureless leagues of Death Valley.

McTeague remained stupidly looking around him, now at the distant horizon, now at the ground, now at the half-dead canary chittering feebly in its little gilt prison.

Related Characters: McTeague, Marcus Schouler
Related Symbols: The Caged Canary
Page Number: 347
Explanation and Analysis:
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Marcus Schouler Quotes in McTeague

The McTeague quotes below are all either spoken by Marcus Schouler or refer to Marcus Schouler. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Greed and Self-Destruction Theme Icon
).
Chapter 4 Quotes

Marcus was thinking hard. He could see very clearly that McTeague loved Trina more than he did; that in some strange way this huge, brutal fellow was capable of a greater passion than himself, who was twice as clever. Suddenly Marcus jumped impetuously to a resolution.

“Well, say, Mac,” he cried, striking the table with his fist, “go ahead. I guess you—you want her pretty bad. I’ll pull out; yes, I will. I’ll give her up to you, old man.”

Related Characters: McTeague, Trina Sieppe, Marcus Schouler
Page Number: 44
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 7 Quotes

“You fool, you fool, Marcus Schouler! If you’d kept Trina you’d have had that money. You might have had it yourself. You’ve thrown away your chance in life—to give up the girl, yes—but this," he stamped his foot with rage—"to throw five thousand dollars out of the window—to stuff it into the pockets of someone else, when it might have been yours, when you might have had Trina AND the money—and all for what? Because we were pals. Oh, ‘pals’ is all right—but five thousand dollars—to have played it right into his hands—God DAMN the luck!”

Related Characters: Marcus Schouler (speaker), McTeague, Trina Sieppe
Page Number: 101-102
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 8 Quotes

The dentist circled about that golden wonder, gasping with delight and stupefaction, touching it gingerly with his hands as if it were something sacred. At every moment his thought returned to Trina. No, never was there such a little woman as his—the very thing he wanted—how had she remembered? And the money, where had that come from? No one knew better than he how expensive were these signs; not another dentist on Polk Street could afford one. Where, then, had Trina found the money? It came out of her five thousand dollars, no doubt.

Related Characters: McTeague, Trina Sieppe, Marcus Schouler
Related Symbols: The Gilded Tooth
Page Number: 116
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 11 Quotes

Then followed a terrible scene. The brute that in McTeague lay so close to the surface leaped instantly to life, monstrous, not to be resisted. He sprang to his feet with a shrill and meaningless clamor, totally unlike the ordinary bass of his speaking tones. It was the hideous yelling of a hurt beast, the squealing of a wounded elephant. He framed no words; in the rush of high-pitched sound that issued from his wide-open mouth there was nothing articulate. It was something no longer human; it was rather an echo from the jungle.

Related Characters: McTeague, Marcus Schouler
Page Number: 184
Explanation and Analysis:
Chapter 22 Quotes

As McTeague rose to his feet, he felt a pull at his right wrist; something held it fast. Looking down, he saw that Marcus in that last struggle had found strength to handcuff their wrists together. Marcus was dead now; McTeague was locked to the body. All about him, vast interminable, stretched the measureless leagues of Death Valley.

McTeague remained stupidly looking around him, now at the distant horizon, now at the ground, now at the half-dead canary chittering feebly in its little gilt prison.

Related Characters: McTeague, Marcus Schouler
Related Symbols: The Caged Canary
Page Number: 347
Explanation and Analysis: