Martin Chuzzlewit · Character

Sarah Gamp

A gin-soaked night-nurse who attends births and deaths with equal relish, forever quoting her invisible friend Mrs. Harris to clinch an argument or cadge a glass of rum.

supporting

Also known as Mrs. Sarah Gamp, Gamp, Mrs. Gamp, Mr. Gamp, Sarah, Sairey Gamp, Sairey, Sairah, Sairah Gamp

First appearance: xvii

As a supporting figure in Martin Chuzzlewit, Sarah Gamp is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

A monthly nurse and midwife hired for the funeral; fond of drink and food, she partakes in the feasting and converses with Mr.

In the storyXIXOpen this moment free

See Sarah Gamp in XIX Book page

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Mrs. Gamp moves through the novel's sickrooms and funerals as a paid witness to other people's grief, her shawl, her umbrella, and her bottle never far from hand. She invokes the conveniently absent Mrs. Harris to lend authority to every self-serving claim, and her patter is so richly self-deceiving that it becomes its own kind of comedy. Dickens uses her to expose the callous commerce that surrounds death, and her rambling monologues are among the book's most quoted passages.

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The fuller portrait of Sarah Gamp sits in Reading Lens — open the free preview to keep reading with notes on the page.

See Sarah Gamp in xvii

Character Web

42 connections

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

Relationship types

Social
Other

Character groups

Central Chuzzlewit Circle
Minor London Figures
Extended Cast and Servants
American Hucksters

+37 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

This is the story's dramatic climax because it marks the emotional and psychological peak where Dickens public…

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Relationships

Seth Pecksniff
social · ambivalent
Sarah Gamp is a drunken, disreputable nurse who occasionally interacts with Pecksniff in… How this plays out →
Chuffey
social · ambivalent
Tom Pinch
social · negative
Seth Pecksniff
social · ambivalent
Sarah Gamp is a drunken, disreputable nurse who occasionally interacts with Pecksniff in… How this plays out →
Chuffey
social · ambivalent
Seth Pecksniff
social · ambivalent
Sarah Gamp is a drunken, disreputable nurse who occasionally interacts with Pecksniff in… How this plays out →
Tom Pinch
social · negative
Tom Pinch
social · negative
Chuffey
social · ambivalent

Seth Pecksniff
Sarah Gamp is a drunken, disreputable nurse who occasionally interacts with Pecksniff in his professional capacity.
Chuffey
Chuffey and Sarah Gamp share a grim, incidental acquaintance through their connections to the Chuzzlewit household.
Tom Pinch
Sarah Gamp encounters Tom Pinch occasionally, treating him with her characteristic rudeness and drunkenness.
Seth Pecksniff
Sarah Gamp is a drunken, disreputable nurse who occasionally interacts with Pecksniff in his professional capacity.
Chuffey
Chuffey and Sarah Gamp share a grim, incidental acquaintance through their connections to the Chuzzlewit household.
Seth Pecksniff
Sarah Gamp is a drunken, disreputable nurse who occasionally interacts with Pecksniff in his professional capacity.
Tom Pinch
Sarah Gamp encounters Tom Pinch occasionally, treating him with her characteristic rudeness and drunkenness.
Tom Pinch
Sarah Gamp encounters Tom Pinch occasionally, treating him with her characteristic rudeness and drunkenness.
Chuffey
Chuffey and Sarah Gamp share a grim, incidental acquaintance through their connections to the Chuzzlewit household.

Relationship notes

How these ties play out is in the reading companion — open the free preview.

See Sarah Gamp in xvii

In the story

Sarah Gamp appears across 10 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

XIX
A monthly nurse and midwife hired for the funeral; fond of drink and food, she partakes in the feasting and converses with Mr. Mould.
XXV
Visits Mr. Mould's home, discusses marriage and nursing, then goes to the inn to take up night-nursing duties.
An Unexpected Meeting, and a Promising Prospect
Mrs. Gamp is the nurse and housekeeper at Jonas's house, being replaced by the new bride; she is sly, professional, and curious about the marriage.
Chapter XXIX
Prepares to travel with her patient Lewsome; speaks cryptically about the Bull and about hidden hearts.
Secret Service
Discusses Nadgett's mysterious behavior with Mr. Sweedlepipe.
XL
Mrs. Gamp is encountered at the wharf, delivering a dramatic monologue about the perils of steamships and a young lady passenger.
XLV
Identified by John Westlock as the old lady involved in the mysterious letter.
XLVI
Mrs. Gamp arrives at the house for tea, delivering a characteristic rambling speech about Mrs. Harris and her own opinions.
XLIX
Deeply offended by Betsey Prig's denial of Mrs. Harris, she ends their partnership and becomes more pliable to John and Martin's plans.
Chapter LI
Present in the room, affected to tears by Chuffey's words; keeps partly hidden behind the door.

Chapter companion notes

Spoil-light check-ins for Sarah Gamp unlock in the free preview.

See Sarah Gamp in xvii

See Sarah Gamp in XIX