The Life and Adventures of Martin Chuzzlewit

Young Martin Chuzzlewit, a careless lad who is scorned by his tough and upright old grandfather, travels to America to seek his fortune. Dickens's satiric vision of America as a place full of criminals and disease alienated many of his American fans, but Martin survives his American ordeal and returns to England. He finds his grandfather in thrall to the evil Pecksniff and falls in love with Mary Graham. In the end, thanks to the wit of the wily old man and to Martin's inherent goodness, all is well: the evil are punished, the virtuous rewarded, and Dickens's usual wit and colorful cast of characters are much in evidence. Dickens pronounced MARTIN CHUZZLEWIT one of his favorites among his novels. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.