McTeague (Dramatized) characters

Appears from the start

A physically immense, slow-thinking dentist who practices from rooms on Polk Street in San Francisco despite having no formal diploma. He enjoys a narrow routine of work, heavy meals, beer, and music from his concertina. His friend Marcus brings Trina to him for dental treatment, disturbing that settled life.

Appears from the start

Marcus Schouler's young cousin, brought to McTeague's rooms because she has broken a tooth. She belongs to a thrifty Swiss-German family and is quiet and conventional when McTeague first meets her.

Appears from the start

McTeague's closest friend and Trina's cousin. Talkative, excitable, and fond of presenting himself as knowledgeable, he works at a dog hospital and initially treats McTeague as a trusted companion.

Appears from the start

The Mexican-born woman who does cleaning in the Polk Street building and searches its refuse for objects she can sell. She repeatedly tells a confused family story about a lost service of gold plate.

Appears from the start

An elderly bookbinder who lives in the room beside Miss Baker's. Gentle and intensely shy, he has silently loved his neighbor for years, sharing small routines with her while neither speaks openly about their affection.

Appears from the start

An older dressmaker who occupies a room adjoining Old Grannis's. She is as reserved as he is and takes comfort in hearing him work through the thin partition, though their mutual attachment remains unspoken.

First appears in chapter 3

A Jewish junk dealer who buys Maria's finds. His imagination is seized by her tale of vanished gold, and he presses her to repeat every detail whenever she visits his shop.

First appears in chapter 5

Trina's energetic mother and the forceful organizer of the Sieppe household. Practical, noisy, and attentive to propriety, she closely supervises her daughter's courtship and family arrangements.

First appears in chapter 5

Trina's father, an immigrant who makes ornamental wooden animals and other carved goods. He is more subdued than his wife and generally follows her lead in family matters.

Also known as Owgooste

First appears in chapter 5

Trina's small younger brother, whose family pronunciation of August sounds like Owgooste. He accompanies the Sieppes at public and family occasions and requires frequent attention from his mother.

First appears in chapter 8

A harness maker and one of the men in McTeague and Marcus's Polk Street social circle. He joins their evenings of drinking and conversation and serves as a familiar witness to the friendship between them.