Martin Chuzzlewit · Chapter
XIX explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Pecksniff, acting on Jonas Chuzzlewit's instructions to spare no expense for his father Anthony's funeral, visits Mrs. Gamp, a nurse and midwife, to engage her services. After a comical attempt to rouse her from sleep, he succeeds and they return to Jonas's house, where the bereaved son is haunted by guilt and fear over his father's death. The chapter depicts the oppressive atmosphere of mourning, with Jonas tormented by the presence of the corpse, while Pecksniff, Mrs. Gamp, and the undertaker Mr. Mould indulge in feasting and drink, treating the funeral as a profitable and jovial affair. The day of the funeral arrives, with Mould extolling the virtues of expensive funerals in binding broken hearts, and everyone except the old clerk Chuffey feasting like ghouls.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Self-Deception
Jonas's lavish spending on the funeral is a performative act to avoid public censure, masking his true feelings of guilt and greed. Pecksniff's moralizing is undercut by his own indulgence in feasting.
Greed and Corruption
The funeral becomes a commercial enterprise, with Mould, Mrs. Gamp, and Pecksniff all profiting from death. The 'dismal joviality' highlights how greed corrupts even mourning.
Family and Dysfunction
Jonas's relationship with his father was marked by mistreatment, and his guilt-ridden reaction to Anthony's death reveals deep family dysfunction, with no genuine grief shown.
Characters to notice
- Seth Pecksniff
Acts as Jonas's agent, engaging Mrs. Gamp and overseeing funeral arrangements; indulges in moralizing and high living during the mourning period.
- Jonas Chuzzlewit
Grief-stricken and guilt-ridden after his father's death, haunted by the corpse's presence; insists on lavish funeral spending to avoid accusations of stinginess.
- Sarah Gamp
A monthly nurse and midwife hired for the funeral; fond of drink and food, she partakes in the feasting and converses with Mr. Mould.
- Chuffey
Anthony's old clerk, deeply affected by his master's death; weeps and wanders about, raising cries, but is largely ignored by the others.
- Mr. Mould
The undertaker, who praises the consoling power of expensive funerals and oversees the lavish arrangements for Anthony's burial.
Key passages
“Mankind is evil in its thoughts and in its base constructions, and Jonas was resolved it should not have an inch to stretch into an ell against him.”
Jonas believed people were inherently malicious and would twist his actions, so he was determined not to give them any opportunity to criticize him.
Reflects Jonas's paranoid and defensive mindset, driving his extravagant funeral spending.
“He often, in every night, rose up from his fitful sleep, and looked and longed for dawn; all directions and arrangements, even to the ordering of their daily meals, he abandoned to Mr. Pecksniff.”
Jonas frequently woke during the night, restless and eager for morning, and left all decisions, including meal planning, to Pecksniff.
Illustrates Jonas's psychological torment and his dependence on Pecksniff during the mourning period.
“In short, the whole of that strange week was a round of dismal joviality and grim enjoyment; and everyone, except poor Chuffey, who came within the shadow of Anthony Chuzzlewit’s grave, feasted like a Ghoul.”
The week was a bizarre mix of gloom and merrymaking, with everyone except Chuffey indulging in food and drink as if celebrating death.
Highlights the hypocrisy and grotesque behavior of the characters surrounding Anthony's death.