McTeague: Chapter 10 Summary & Analysis

Summer passes into winter as Trina sits in the bay window of her new apartment and listens to the sounds of Polk Street. Trina spends much of her time working for her Uncle Oelbermann—whose business she invested in—and whittling her Noah’s Ark animals. In her spare time, she often finds herself thinking of McTeague and the love she feels now that she has submitted herself to him. She does not love McTeague because of who he is as a person, but rather because she has “merged her individuality into his.”

However, Trina did not feel this way immediately. For some time after the wedding, she often doubted herself for marrying McTeague. One day, three weeks into their marriage, Trina entered McTeague’s dental parlor and found him sleeping there and snoring loudly. His snores, mixed with the smell of beer and cheap tobacco, repulsed Trina. She wondered whether she had permanently tied herself to a stupid and brutish man. However, eventually she got over these feelings and now she feels like their marriage is in a good place.

For his part, McTeague does what he can to keep Trina satisfied. He starts dressing nicer and spends his Sundays in the park with Trina instead of eating and drinking alone. Once Trina feels more confident in her marriage, she shifts all her attention to controlling their finances. She becomes quite miserly, never spending a penny that she does not have to. Since winning the lottery, she feels the need to continue to accumulate wealth, always thinking she is at a deficit when in reality she has more savings than ever.

Meanwhile, McTeague is happy to have Trina and loves to hold her close to him, but he does not put any any real thought into the relationship. He also does not mind Trina’s changes in temperament throughout the first few months of their marriage, as he suspects she is just doing what all women naturally do. Over time, McTeague realizes that he does not have the same passion for Trina that he had on the day he gave her ether. However, he still considers his marriage a success and does not overthink it.

Because he is married to Trina, McTeague starts to take interest in the same sorts of things that she does. He begins reading about politics and starts going to church with Trina on special occasions. Additionally, he becomes more ambitious. He dreams of one day owning a six-bedroom home for himself, Trina, and their future children. He thinks about how his son, whom he wants to name Daniel, will one day take a wife of his own, and they will all live together in this giant house. He hopes to one day be the patriarch of a large family with many children and grandchildren.

One day, Trina and McTeague attend the annual Mechanic’s Fair together. The fair is crowded and features music and art. As they walk around the fair, Trina tells McTeague that they should make an effort to educate themselves in the arts. Whenever Trina points out something that she likes, McTeague agrees with her, though he does not really understand. Not long after, the city holds another big event, “The Polk Street Open Air Festival,” which Marcus organizes. Marcus is more involved in politics than ever and uses the festival as a political platform. However, his political opinions remain vague and inconsistent. Around the same time, Trina learns that her family is not doing well in Los Angeles—Mr. Sieppe is losing money, and August has to work instead of going to school.

After three years of marriage, McTeague and Trina have their first serious fight. It starts because McTeague sees a house for sale and wants to buy it. The house would cost $35 per month, which Trina does not think they can afford. McTeague reminds her that they have $5,000 in addition to the money they bring in from work. As soon as McTeague mentions Trina’s lottery winnings, Trina him shuts down and says, “That money’s never, never to be touched.” McTeague, irritated with Trina’s refusal to spend money, suggests that they use some of the other money Trina has saved up. In response, Trina lies and pretends to have saved less money than she actually has.

The following day, McTeague decides to buy the house himself without telling Trina. The owner haggles with McTeague and claims to give him a bargain, though McTeague is not so sure. Still, he signs the contract for the house without consulting with Trina. When McTeague tells Trina what he has done, she is irate. She warns McTeague that she will not use any of her money to pay for the house. Instead, she expects the money to come out of his earnings. McTeague insists that they pay for the house together, but Trina tells him that he should be responsible since it is his stupidity that caused the problem in the first place.

This issue begins a yelling match between the married couple, which ends with McTeague calling Trina a “miser.” After the fight, they remain angry at each other for a week and barely speak. For the time, McTeague pays for the house by himself. However, after some time, Trina starts to feel bad, and she wonders if she should help pay for the house to make McTeague happy. Eventually, she decides she will give him $10 per month, thinking it is all she can afford. However, when she goes to her safe and actually holds the money in her hand, she decides she cannot do it, after all.