Little Dorrit · Character

Maggy

A childlike young woman with a disordered mind, she follows Little Dorrit everywhere and calls her 'Little Mother,' offering the novel its purest image of devotion.

supporting

Also known as Maggy, the staring Maggy

First appearance: Little Mother

As a supporting figure in Little Dorrit, Maggy is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A woman of about twenty-eight with the mind of a ten-year-old; she is devoted to Little Dorrit and recounts her fever and hospital stay.

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Maggy's mind stalled at girlhood after a long illness, but her heart kept growing, and she attaches herself to Little Dorrit with a loyalty no hardship can shake. She falls asleep mid-sentence, wakes to announce that a theatre is almost as good as a hospital, and provides comic relief that is also genuine tenderness. Her dependence sharpens our sense of how much weight Little Dorrit carries — and how little she asks in return.

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Character Web

27 connections

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

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Circumlocution Office and Society
Minor Characters and Background Figures
Protagonist

+22 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 excerpt represents the story's dramatic climax because it depicts Arthur Clennam’s psychological nadir an…

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In the story

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

Little Mother
A woman of about twenty-eight with the mind of a ten-year-old; she is devoted to Little Dorrit and recounts her fever and hospital stay.
Little Dorrit's Party
Accompanies Little Dorrit; falls asleep and wakes intermittently; enjoys the food and wine offered by Clennam.
A Puzzle
Commissioned by the Dorrit family to deliver letters to Clennam; given a shilling by Clennam.
Fortune-Telling
Summons Little Dorrit to see Arthur Clennam, but Little Dorrit sends her back with a message.
Spirit
Assists Little Dorrit in setting up tea for the group in the Marshalsea.
More Fortune-Telling
Present in the room, she interjects with a confused reference to a fairy tale about a princess and a secret.
A Letter from Little Dorrit
Little Dorrit sends her love to Maggy and asks Arthur to tell her she has been missed.
The Progress of an Epidemic
Maggy is present in the background, still wearing her monstrous cap, watching with open mouth and eyes.
Gone
Overjoyed at the engagement, she runs downstairs to share the news and meets Flora and Mr. F.'s Aunt.

Chapter companion notes

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