Charles Dickens: Martin Chuzzlewit

The story opens with the greedy Chuzzlewit family awaiting the death of old Martin Chuzzlewit – everyone seeking to gain his favour and to ascertain a share of his heritage. Not so with Young Martin Chuzzlewit, who, after a quarrel with his grandfather, has lost all hope of reconciliation.

Young Martin takes a position as a student of architecture at his uncle Pecksniff. But Pecksniff, described as a hypocrite, does full justice to this name and dismisses Martin by orders of Old Chuzzlewit. Young Martin leaves England with his self-announced servant and later devote friend Mark Tapley and sails to America, there to seek his fortune. But after a whole year of hardships and great disappointments - whereby Dickens reflects his own negative experiences he has made in the United States – Martin returns to England.

In the meantime Pecksniff has more and more gained control over old Martin Chuzzlewit and seemingly controls him perfectly. Moreover, in his greed and selfishness, he has married his younger daughter to Jonas Chuzzlewit, only child and consequently only heir of the late Anthony Chuzzlewit, Old Martin’s brother. Deeming himself financially secure within the Chuzzlewit family, Pecksniff even aspires to marry Old Martin’s young companion and Young Martin’s love: Mary Graham.

But the course of events unites Martin and Mark with their friends Tom Pinch, former servant of Pecksniff, and John Westlock, formerly a student at Pecksniff's. More by chance than anything else these four companions discover a terrible truth concerning the death of Anthony Chuzzlewit. But in the end justice prevails, thanks to Old Martin Chuzzlewit, who has only acted to be weak and dependent. The lovers are united and the villains find their deserved punishment.

Although somewhat too long, Martin Chuzzlewit, with typically Dickensian passages about Victorian life and times, rewards the reader with a grand finale.

Charles Dickens: Martin Cuzzlewit. Wordsworth Classics, 1997. 832 pages. First published in 1844.