Martin Chuzzlewit
The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit is a novel by English author Charles Dickens, considered the last of his picaresque novels. It was originally serialised between January 1843 and July 1844. While he was writing it Dickens told a friend that he thought it was his best work thus far, but it was one of his least popular novels, judged by sales of the monthly instalments. Characters in this novel gained fame, including Pecksniff and Mrs Gamp.
Like nearly all of Dickens's novels, Martin Chuzzlewit was first published in monthly instalments. Early sales of the monthly parts were lower than those of previous works, so Dickens changed the plot to send the title character to the United States. Dickens had visited America in 1842 in part as a failed attempt to get the US publishers to honour international copyright laws. He satirized the country as a place filled with self-promoting hucksters, eager to sell land sight unseen. He also unfavourably highlighted slavery and featured characters with racist attitudes and a propensity to violence. In later editions, and in his second visit 24 years later to a much-changed US, he made clear in a speech that it was satire and not a balanced image of the nation and then included that speech in all future editions.
The main theme of the novel, according to Dickens's preface, is selfishness, portrayed in a satirical fashion using all the members of the Chuzzlewit family. The novel is also notable for two of Dickens's great villains, Seth Pecksniff and Jonas Chuzzlewit. Dickens introduced one of the first literary private detective characters, Mr Nadgett, in this novel. It is dedicated to Angela Georgina Burdett-Coutts, a friend of Dickens.
Plot summary
Martin Chuzzlewit has been raised by his grandfather and namesake. Years before, Old Martin took the precaution of raising an orphaned girl, Mary Graham, to be his companion and nursemaid, with the understanding that she would receive income from him only as long as Old Martin lives. Old Martin considers that this gives her a motive to keep him alive, in contrast to his relatives, who want to inherit his money. Young Martin falls in love with Mary and wishes to marry her, conflicting with Old Martin's plans. Young Martin and his grandfather argue, each too proud to yield to a resolution. Young Martin leaves home to live on his own, and Old Martin disinherits him.Young Martin becomes an apprentice, at the late age of 21, to Seth Pecksniff, a relative and greedy architect. Instead of teaching his students, Pecksniff lives off their tuition fees and has them do draughting work that he passes off as his own. He has two spoiled daughters, Charity and Mercy, nicknamed Cherry and Merry. Pecksniff takes Young Martin on to establish closer ties with his wealthy grandfather.
Young Martin befriends Tom Pinch, a kind-hearted soul whose late grandmother gave Pecksniff all she had in the belief that Pecksniff would make an architect and a gentleman of him. Pinch is incapable of believing any of the bad things others tell him of Pecksniff and always defends him vociferously. He works for exploitatively low wages while believing that he is the unworthy recipient of Pecksniff's charity, rather than a man of many talents.
Young Martin spends one week at the house of Pecksniff, alone with Tom, as the family spends the week in London. Young Martin draws the designs for a school during that week. When Old Martin learns of his grandson's new life, he asks that Pecksniff kick him out. When Pecksniff returns, they argue and Young Martin leaves, once again to make his way alone. Soon, Old Martin and Mary arrive in the area; the former seems to fall under Pecksniff's control. During this time Pinch falls in love with Mary, who loves to hear him play the organ, but does not declare his feelings, both because of his shyness and because he knows she is attached to Young Martin. Pecksniff decides that Mary should be his next wife and rudely courts her.
Old Martin's brother, Anthony Chuzzlewit, is in business with his son, Jonas. Despite their considerable wealth, they are miserly and cruel. Jonas, eager for the old man to die so that he can inherit, constantly berates his father. Anthony dies abruptly and under suspicious circumstances, leaving his wealth to Jonas. Jonas then woos Cherry, while arguing constantly with Merry. He then abruptly declares to Pecksniff that he wants to marry Merry and jilts Cherry, not without demanding an additional £1,000 on top of the £4,000 that Pecksniff has promised him as Cherry's dowry, with the argument that Cherry has better chances for matchmaking.
Jonas becomes entangled with the unscrupulous Montague Tigg, formerly a petty thief and hanger-on of a Chuzzlewit relative, Chevy Slyme, and joins in Tigg's crooked insurance business. As Young Martin raises funds in London, Tigg cheats him at the pawn shop of the full value of his valuable pocket watch. Tigg uses the funds to transform himself into a con man with a new personal appearance, calls himself "Tigg Montague" and rents a fine office. This new image convinces investors that he is an important businessman from whom they may greatly profit.
At this time, Pecksniff, in front of Old Martin, orders Pinch out of his house. He does this after eavesdropping on a conversation between Tom and Mary, when Mary tells of Pecksniff's villainous designs on her. Pinch suddenly sees the true character of his employer and goes to London to seek new employment. He meets John Westlock, a good friend. Pinch rescues his sister Ruth from mistreatment by the family that employs her as a governess, and the two rent rooms in Islington. Pinch quickly receives an ideal job from a mysterious employer with the help of an equally mysterious Mr Fips.
Meanwhile, Young Martin has encountered cheerful innkeeper Mark Tapley. Deciding his occupation does not reflect well on him because it shows no strength of character to be happy when one has good fortune, Mark heads to London to find a situation to test his cheerfulness by maintaining it in worse circumstances. To this end he accompanies Young Martin to the United States to seek their fortunes.
Young Martin believes the words of men in New York selling land unseen, along a major American river, thinking that place will need an architect for new buildings. Instead, he and Mark find a swampy, disease-filled, nearly empty settlement. Mark aids a couple who watch their children die in Eden. Young Martin, soon followed by Mark, falls ill of malaria. This grim experience changes Young Martin's selfish character, and he takes Mark's suggestion to apologize to his grandfather. The men return to England, where Young Martin seeks reconciliation with Old Martin, who is still with Pecksniff. In London, Young Martin reunites with Pinch and meets Westlock. Old Martin shows himself at Pinch's office, revealing himself as the mysterious employer. He has been pretending to be in thrall to Pecksniff, while keeping up with other, more important members of his extended family.
While Young Martin was in America, a witness came forward to Westlock who believed Jonas had killed Anthony, using drugs the witness gave him in trade for erasing a gambling debt. Chuffey, who survives his master Anthony, had seen the drugs and prevented Jonas from using them on his father, who died a natural death. The police, including Slyme, have discovered the body of Tigg Montague and have the benefit of the information gathered by Montague's investigator, Nadgett, to know the murderer. At the home shared by Jonas, Merry and Mr Chuffey, the police and Old Martin confront Jonas. Jonas is saved of the charge of murdering his father by Chuffey's story. He is taken for the murder of Montague, who had fooled him and taken his money. Old Martin takes Merry under his protection, as she was an abused wife, with none of her happy ways left.
Old Martin, with his grandson, Mary and Pinch, confront Pecksniff with their knowledge of his true character. Pecksniff has lost all his funds, as he was taken in by Jonas and Montague. Only his eldest daughter, a shrew who had been jilted on her wedding day, is left to him. Old Martin reveals that he was angry at Young Martin for becoming engaged to Mary because he had planned to arrange that particular match himself, and felt that his glory had been thwarted by their action. Young Martin and his grandfather are reconciled, and Young Martin and Mary are married, as are Ruth Pinch and John Westlock, another former student of Pecksniff. Pinch remains in unrequited love with Mary for the rest of his life, never marrying, and always being a warm companion to Mary, Martin, Ruth and John, who now knows his value and his skills.
Characters
Extended Chuzzlewit family
Seth Pecksniff is a widower with two daughters, who is a self-styled teacher of architecture. He believes that he is a highly moral individual who loves his fellow man, but he mistreats his students and passes off their designs as his own for profit. He is said to be a cousin of old Martin Chuzzlewit. Pecksniff's rise and fall follows the novel's plot arc.Charity and Mercy Pecksniff are the two daughters of Mr Pecksniff. They are also known as Cherry and Merry, or as the two Miss Pecksniffs. Charity is portrayed throughout the book as having none of that virtue after which she is named, while Mercy, the younger sister, is at first laughing and girlish, though later events drastically change her outlook on life.
Old Martin Chuzzlewit, the wealthy patriarch of the Chuzzlewit family, lives in constant suspicion of the financial designs of his extended family. At the beginning of the novel he travels with Mary, an orphan he raised, who is his companion and caretaker. She receives an income while he is alive and is not named in his will; he feels this motivates her to keep him alive. Later in the story, with Mary still his companion, he makes an apparent alliance with Pecksniff, who, he believes, is at least consistent in character. His own true character is revealed by the end of the story.
Young Martin Chuzzlewit is the grandson of old Martin Chuzzlewit. He is the closest relative of old Martin, and has inherited much of the stubbornness and selfishness of the old man. Young Martin is the protagonist of the story. He is 21 years old at the start, and older than the usual apprentice to an architect. His engagement to Mary is the cause of estrangement between himself and his grandfather. By the end of the story he is a reformed character, having realised and repented of the selfishness of his previous actions.
Anthony Chuzzlewit is the brother of old Martin. He and his son, Jonas, run a business called Chuzzlewit and Son. They are both self-serving, hardened individuals who view the accumulation of money as the most important thing in life.
Jonas Chuzzlewit is the mean-spirited, sinisterly jovial son of Anthony Chuzzlewit. He views his father with contempt and wishes for his death, so that he can have the business and the money for himself. He tried to hasten the old man's death, but his father's friend intervened. He is a suitor of the two Miss Pecksniffs, wins one, then is driven to commit murder by his unscrupulous business associations.
Mr and Mrs Spottletoe are the nephew-in-law and niece of old Martin Chuzzlewit, Mrs Spottletoe being the daughter of old Martin's brother. She was also once the favourite of old Martin, but they have since fallen out.
George Chuzzlewit is a bachelor cousin of old Martin.