The Professor’s House · Character

Scott McGregor

A painter and Kathleen's husband whose blunt good humor masks a sharp eye for the compromises other people make with money and comfort.

supporting

Also known as McGregor, Scott

First appearance: book i the family

As a supporting figure in The Professor’s House, Scott McGregor is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

Sulky and restless during the dinner, he mutters 'Outland, outlandish!' and later makes cynical remarks about Louie's announcement.

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Scott McGregor is the Professor's neighbor and son-in-law, an artist who needles the Marselluses' new wealth while cheerfully refusing to be impressed by anyone. He treats St. Peter's stubborn attachment to the shabby old house as a joke, but his offhand remark that a man has a right to two houses if he wants them lands with unexpected weight. His easy irreverence gives the novel a counterweight to its quieter griefs, and his read on the family's shifting fortunes helps frame the Professor's growing detachment.

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The fuller portrait of Scott McGregor sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Scott McGregor in book i the family

Character Web

14 connections

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

Relationship types

Friendship
Other

Character groups

Central characters
Protagonist

+9 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

Tom Outland’s solitary return to the mesa after Blake’s disappearance marks the emotional peak of his grief an…

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Relationships

Louie Marsellus
friendship · positive
Louie and Scott share a genial, social friendship, often engaging in business and family… How this plays out →
Louie Marsellus
friendship · positive
Louie and Scott share a genial, social friendship, often engaging in business and family… How this plays out →
Louie Marsellus
friendship · positive
Louie and Scott share a genial, social friendship, often engaging in business and family… How this plays out →

Relationship notes

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

See Scott McGregor in book i the family

In the story

Scott McGregor appears across 9 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

II
Sulky and restless during the dinner, he mutters 'Outland, outlandish!' and later makes cynical remarks about Louie's announcement.
V
Meets Lillian and goes to the Professor's lecture, then takes him swimming; discusses Sir Edgar Spilling and the naming of the estate, and reveals his own career dissatisfaction.
VI
Mentioned as potentially blackballing Louie from the Arts and Letters club due to jealousy.
VIII
Mentioned as having laryngitis and writing prose poems about tending the furnace in cold weather.
IX
Attends the dinner and later drives home with Kathleen, reflecting on Louie's mention of a bracelet and reaffirming his love for his wife.
XI
Kathleen's husband, offers to contribute a hundred dollars toward Augusta's loss.
XIV
Encounter on the train, notices St. Peter's exhaustion and resolves to tell Kitty they must look out for her father.
Chapter XVI
Mentioned as having blackballed Louie from Arts and Letters, and as potential recipient of furniture.
IV
Amused by the Professor's refusal to leave the old house, engages in a brief conversation about it.

Chapter companion notes

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See Scott McGregor in book i the family

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