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Martin Chuzzlewit · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Martin Chuzzlewit by Charles Dickens.

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  1. Chapter 1

    Dedication

    The author dedicates the tale to Miss Burdett Coutts with true and earnest regard.

  2. Chapter 2

    Martin Chuzzlewit

    The chapter introduces the Chuzzlewit family and their various members, focusing on the manipulative Seth Pecksniff and the arrival of young Martin Chuzzlewit as his pupil, setting the stage for themes of hypocrisy, greed, and family dysfunction.

  3. Chapter 3

    Introductory, concerning the pedigree of the Chuzzlewit family

    The chapter humorously traces the ancient lineage of the Chuzzlewit family, claiming descent from Adam and Eve and linking them to historical events like the Norman Conquest and the Gunpowder Plot. It satirizes family pride, the tendency to exaggerate ancestry, and the absurdity of genealogical claims, while introducing the family's traits of violence, vagabondism, and eccentricity.

  4. Chapter 4

    Chapter II

    Mr. Pecksniff, with his daughters Charity and Mercy, receives Tom Pinch and John Westlock. Westlock, leaving Pecksniff's tutelage, attempts a friendly parting, but Pecksniff refuses to shake hands, offering a sanctimonious forgiveness. Westlock exposes Pecksniff's hypocrisy and exploitation of Tom Pinch, but Tom remains loyal and blind to his master's faults. The chapter ends with Westlock departing by mail, leaving Tom in confused admiration of Pecksniff.

  5. Chapter 5

    Chapter III

    Old Martin Chuzzlewit, recovering from illness at the Blue Dragon, confronts Seth Pecksniff, who has come to offer his services. Martin expresses his deep distrust of relatives and his bitter view of money as a source of misery. Pecksniff, maintaining a facade of disinterested virtue, insists on being treated as a stranger. The chapter explores Martin's cynicism and Pecksniff's hypocritical self-righteousness.

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  1. Chapter 6IV
  2. Chapter 7Chapter V
  3. Chapter 8Chapter VI
  4. Chapter 9VII
  5. Chapter 10VIII
  6. Chapter 11Chapter IX
  7. Chapter 12Containing Strange Matter
  8. Chapter 13Chapter XI
  9. Chapter 14XII
  10. Chapter 15Chapter XIII
  11. Chapter 16XIV
  12. Chapter 17Chapter XV
  13. Chapter 18Chapter XVI
  14. Chapter 19Chapter XVII
  15. Chapter 20Chapter XVIII
  16. Chapter 21XIX
  17. Chapter 22Chapter XX
  18. Chapter 23XXI
  19. Chapter 24XXII
  20. Chapter 25XXIII
  21. Chapter 26Chapter XXIV
  22. Chapter 27XXV
  23. Chapter 28An Unexpected Meeting, and a Promising Prospect
  24. Chapter 29Showing that old friends may not only appear with new faces, but in false colours. That people are prone to bite, and that biters may sometimes be bitten.
  25. Chapter 30Mr. Montague at home. And Mr. Jonas Chuzzlewit at home.
  26. Chapter 31Chapter XXIX
  27. Chapter 32Mr. Pecksniff's Design
  28. Chapter 33XXXI
  29. Chapter 34XXXII
  30. Chapter 35XXXIII
  31. Chapter 36XXXIV
  32. Chapter 37XXXV
  33. Chapter 38Tom Pinch departs to seek his fortune. What he finds at starting.
  34. Chapter 39Tom Pinch, going astray, finds that he is not the only person in that predicament. He retaliates upon a fallen foe.
  35. Chapter 40Secret Service
  36. Chapter 41XXXIX
  37. Chapter 42XL
  38. Chapter 43Mr. Jonas and his friend, arriving at a pleasant understanding, set forth upon an enterprise
  39. Chapter 44Chapter XLII
  40. Chapter 45Chapter XLIII
  41. Chapter 46Chapter XLIV
  42. Chapter 47XLV
  43. Chapter 48XLVI
  44. Chapter 49Chapter XLVII: Conclusion of the Enterprise of Mr. Jonas and His Friend
  45. Chapter 50XLVIII
  46. Chapter 51XLIX
  47. Chapter 52L
  48. Chapter 53Chapter LI
  49. Chapter 54In which the tables are turned, completely upside down
  50. Chapter 55What John Westlock said to Tom Pinch's sister; what Tom Pinch's sister said to John Westlock; what Tom Pinch said to both of them; and how they all passed the remainder of the day.
  51. Chapter 56LIV
  52. Chapter 57Postscript
  53. Chapter 58Endnotes