McTeague · Character

Maria Macapa

The flat's maid-of-all-work, a superstitious woman who tells anyone who'll listen about the gold dinner service her family once owned.

supporting

Also known as Maria, Macapa, May

First appearance: i

As a supporting figure in McTeague, Maria Macapa is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Introduced as a maid in the apartment building who tells stories about a set of gold dishes.

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Maria cleans McTeague's rooms, gossips across the building, and thrills at dogfights and small scandals with equal appetite. Her recurring tale of a lost golden service is half memory, half mania, and it lodges in the…

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See Maria Macapa in i

Character Web

16 connections

A slice of how Maria Macapa sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Social
Psychological
Other

Character groups

Polk Street community
Peripheral or historical figures
Protagonist

+11 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This chapter marks the dramatic climax because it represents the emotional and psychological peak of Trina’s a…

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Relationships

Trina Sieppe
social · ambivalent
Maria is a gossipy acquaintance and neighbor who interacts frequently with Trina. How this plays out →
Zerkow
psychological · negative
Marcus Schouler
social · ambivalent
McTeague
social · ambivalent
Old Grannis
social · positive
Trina Sieppe
social · ambivalent
Maria is a gossipy acquaintance and neighbor who interacts frequently with Trina. How this plays out →
Marcus Schouler
social · ambivalent
Trina Sieppe
social · ambivalent
Maria is a gossipy acquaintance and neighbor who interacts frequently with Trina. How this plays out →
Zerkow
psychological · negative
Zerkow
psychological · negative
McTeague
social · ambivalent
Old Grannis
social · positive

Trina Sieppe
Maria is a gossipy acquaintance and neighbor who interacts frequently with Trina.
Zerkow
Zerkow obsessively manipulates Maria to extract her stories about a mythical gold service, driven by greed.
Marcus Schouler
Marcus and Maria are casual acquaintances in the same boarding house, often exchanging gossip.
McTeague
Maria is a talkative neighbor who interacts with McTeague in the boarding house.
Old Grannis
Maria and Old Grannis are fellow boarders who share a quiet, neighborly acquaintance.
Trina Sieppe
Maria is a gossipy acquaintance and neighbor who interacts frequently with Trina.
Marcus Schouler
Marcus and Maria are casual acquaintances in the same boarding house, often exchanging gossip.
Trina Sieppe
Maria is a gossipy acquaintance and neighbor who interacts frequently with Trina.
Zerkow
Zerkow obsessively manipulates Maria to extract her stories about a mythical gold service, driven by greed.
Zerkow
Zerkow obsessively manipulates Maria to extract her stories about a mythical gold service, driven by greed.
McTeague
Maria is a talkative neighbor who interacts with McTeague in the boarding house.
Old Grannis
Maria and Old Grannis are fellow boarders who share a quiet, neighborly acquaintance.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Maria Macapa in i

In the story

Maria Macapa appears across 10 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

McTeague
Introduced as a maid in the apartment building who tells stories about a set of gold dishes.
Chapter II
The Mexican woman who takes care of lodgers' rooms; first noticed and spread the news of the romance between Miss Baker and Old Grannis.
Chapter III
Collects junk from the flat; steals McTeague's gold; sells junk to Zerkow; tells Zerkow the story of the golden service.
VII
Recalls a tale of a lost golden service, stirred by Trina's sudden wealth.
Marriage and Domesticity
Seen by Trina as the maid-of-all-work in the flat.
Chapter XI
Reported to be engaged to Zerkow, causing surprise among the neighbors.
XII
Now married to Zerkow, gives birth to a sickly child who dies, and begins to deny the story of the gold plate service.
XV
Visits Trina to gossip about Zerkow's worsening behavior, including his spying and threats; claims she can manage him by pretending to know the secret of the gold dishes.
Chapter XVI
Confides in Trina about Zerkow's obsessive search for gold and his violent behavior; later found murdered with a gash in her throat.
XVIII
Appears in Trina's nightmares, covered in blood.

Chapter companion notes

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See Maria Macapa in i

See Maria Macapa in McTeague