Martin Chuzzlewit · Chapter
XXV explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Mould enjoys domestic tranquility with his family, surrounded by the trappings of his funeral business. Mrs. Gamp visits and engages in banter about marriage and her nursing work. Meanwhile, John Westlock attends to a sick gentleman at an inn, and Mrs. Gamp arrives to take over night-nursing duties from Mrs. Prig.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Dickens public…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Hypocrisy and Self-Deception
Mrs. Gamp feigns surprise at being offered rum, despite her well-known fondness for drink, and invents dialogues with the fictitious Mrs. Harris to justify her habits.
- Family and Dysfunction
Mr. Mould's family is cheerfully immersed in the funeral trade, while Mrs. Gamp recounts her late husband's drunken neglect of their child.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Mould
Relaxing at home with his family, enjoying punch and the sounds of his coffin-making shop.
- Sarah Gamp
Visits Mr. Mould's home, discusses marriage and nursing, then goes to the inn to take up night-nursing duties.
- John Westlock
Attends to a sick gentleman at an inn, arranges payment for care, and meets Mrs. Gamp.
- Betsey Prig
The day-nurse at the inn, hands over duties to Mrs. Gamp and provides a report on the patient.
Key passages
“The woodpecker tapping the hollow elm tree”
Mrs. Mould compares the sound of coffin-making to a woodpecker tapping a hollow elm tree.
A playful domestic joke between Mr. and Mrs. Mould about their trade.
“Mrs. Harris often and often says to me, ‘Sairey Gamp,’ she says, ‘you raly do amaze me!’”
Mrs. Gamp claims that her imaginary friend Mrs. Harris frequently expresses amazement at her moderation in drinking.
Illustrates Mrs. Gamp's self-deception and reliance on a fictional character to justify her habits.
