David Copperfield

The moral lesson that David Copperfield could be said to impart is that kindness, sympathy, and generosity are more important and perhaps more desirable than wealth, power, and social position.

David perceives Mr. Murdstone as a cruel and oppressive figure. From their first encounter, David senses Mr. Murdstone's harsh and authoritarian nature, which only intensifies after Mr. Murdstone...

Mr. Micawber exposed Uriah Heep by revealing his embezzlement and illegal activities. Micawber, who worked under Heep, arranged a meeting with David, Traddles, Aunt Betsy, and Mr. Dick to disclose...

David's first day at the Wickfield house is a very happy occasion for the young man. Though sad to see Miss Betsey depart, he's nonetheless pleased that he will now be staying in a comfortable house...

In David Copperfield, David's first visit to Yarmouth is a very happy one. He spends two blissful weeks with Peggoty's family, who make him feel right at home. During his stay, David develops...

Salem House is a harsh, prison-like school where students are treated cruelly and subjected to corporal punishment by Mr. Creakle, reflecting Murdstone's uncharitable views. In contrast, Dr. Strong's...

At Salem House, David Copperfield experiences harsh treatment and strict discipline. He is bullied by older boys, particularly by James Steerforth, who later becomes a significant figure in his life....

Charles Dickens's narrative techniques of first-person point of view, autobiographical style, and characterization help the reader better understand the character of David Copperfield. All of these...

The main themes of David Copperfield are the virtue of the poor and the nature of marriage. The novel highlights the nobility and honesty of the poor, such as Ham and Mr. Peggotty, contrasting them...

Miss Betsey Trotwood is a strong-willed, independent woman who initially appears stern and eccentric. Despite her tough exterior, she is compassionate and protective, especially towards David. She...

David's school in Canterbury, as described in David Copperfield, is a significantly better institution than his previous one in London. The schoolroom is depicted as a large, quiet hall with a view...

David's father died six months before David was born. His mother fainted after an emotionally draining discussion with Miss Betsey. Pegotty, the housekeeper, took David to Yarmouth while his mother...

In David Copperfield, David's mother is kind, gentle, and childlike, which makes her ill-suited for the harsh realities of life. She creates a loving environment for David, but her meekness allows...

David Copperfield gets the idea that Peggotty, his family’s live-in servant, is “cross” with him when he asks her about marriage (Chapter 2). The boy is trying to find out if a person can remarry...

While David is at boarding school, his March birthday arrives. He is summoned to the school parlor. He happily anticipates a hamper of treats from Peggotty and hurries off to receive them. What...

David Copperfield describes himself as “a posthumous child,” meaning that he was born after the death of his father. To be precise, he came into the world six months after his father passed away.

Mr. Micawber eventually becomes a friend to David, but I would describe him as more of a mentor when David first meets him.  When David is sent to work in London, he is offered lodging with...

As his stepfather prepared to test him on his lesson, David felt apprehensive and miserable. His stepfather used the lessons to belittle David, and he dreaded every test his stepfather gave him.

David knows his aunt likes him—especially after she begins calling him Trot—but he wonders about his schooling. Then one night at the beginning of chapter 15, as they are playing backgammon, Miss...

It is in Chapter 45 that we find the final answer to all of the suspicion and curiosity concerning the exact nature of the "friendship" between Annie Strong and Jack Maldon, when Annie has a...

The climax is the turning point of a story, and the most exciting part.  In David Copperfield, the climax occurs when David witnesses the aftermath of a shipwreck and Steerforth’s death. ...

David's fears for Emily as she run along a "ragged timber" over deep water do forbode and foreshadow harm Emily might come to from her impulsive and fearless nature.

You haven't missed anything. You are completely right - all Mr. Dick actually does is use his position as a "simple-minded" individual to do and say what everyone else was not doing and saying so...

David Copperfield is considered a Bildungsroman because it focuses on the protagonist's growth and personal development from childhood to adulthood. The novel explores David's experiences,...

Miss Betsey Trotwood has become so disillusioned with men after her unfortunate experiences with a violent husband that she wishes to have nothing to do with her beloved nephew, David Copperfield...

This is an entirely subjective answer, of course, but I would say that Tommy Traddles is easily the more likable of the two. Although he comes across as a bit of a clumsy clodhopper, Tommy has a...

David Copperfield at this stage of the novel has been sent by his stepfather, Mr. Murdstone, to work in his wine warehouse under terrible conditions. However, he is lodging with the Micawber...

Uriah Heep in David Copperfield is one of the least appealing characters that Charles Dickens created. Although he does not, on the outside, seem evil, Uriah’s obsequious personality hides his...

David and Peggotty travel to Yarmouth in chapter three of David Copperfield to stay with Peggotty’s brother, Dan, for two weeks. They are met by Ham, who takes them back to the Peggotty home....

When David Copperfield's mother was pregnant with him, Betsey Trotwood was certain that she'd give birth to a little girl. In the days before pre-natal scans, all that people had to fall back on to...

The answer you are looking for can be found in Chapter 17 of this amazing classic Dickens novel. Having shifted educational establishments to Mr. Strong's school, much to his relief, David reports...

Steerforth asks David to think well of him because he needs others to see him positively despite his poor treatment of Emily Peggotty and others. Steerforth craves adulation and feels superior to...

The name of David Copperfield's house was strange because it was called "the Rookery," although there were no rooks near it.

In Charles Dickens's autobiographical novel, David Copperfield, after David's mother dies, he is sent away by his cruel stepfather, Edward Murdstone in an effort to be rid of David.  In London...

One of the best ways you can tell that this is a story about growing up is by reading the first sentence, which I think is one of the best openings in all of literature. Whether I shall turn out...

It is important to remember that this book is a bildungsroman, or a novel of education, which features a protagonist and his or her journey towards maturity and finding his place in society. As...

Young David is sent by his wicked stepfather, Mr. Murdstone, to school at Salem House. It's a grim-looking place in an advanced stage of decay. There are no boys there; they've all gone home for...

It is indeed a most pleasant surprise for David when Mr. Pegotty and Ham unexpectedly show up. Their arrival is a reminder of what's most important to young master Copperfield, and presents a...

David, until the age of ten, grows up in comfortable middle-class circumstances. First, he is raised with kindness and indulgence by his mother and Peggotty, and even after his mother marries Mr....

After David's unfortunate encounter with Mr. Murdstone in Chapter 5 of David Copperfield, he sent away to Salem House where Mr. Creakle is the headmaster.  He is a man with a "fiery face"...

In writing an essay about the recollection of childhood in David Copperfield, it is important to bear in mind that David's recollections are not always completely accurate. On the whole, the...

What has always bothered me about David Copperfield is that it is too idealistic.  Dickens presents a picture of David marrying a girl who is really all wrong for him, but then David is...

Dora represents the idealized figure of female beauty, while Agnes is a practical beauty. David’s first wife, Dora, is angelic.  She is young, small, cheerful, helpless, and pretty.  She...

It is a quotation from Thomas Gray's poem "Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard." It is a way of showing learning. The line itself refers to a cemetery, where all the ancestors of a specific small...

In David Copperfield, David's mother, Clara, is victimized by her second husband, Mr. Murdstone. He is cruel and authoritarian, imposing strict rules and harsh punishments. Clara's gentle and...

Peggotty told David that he was going to see her family in Yarmouth and it would be fun, and nothing about his mother's wedding. Peggotty did not tell David that his mother was getting married; she...

In the first chapter of David Copperfield, David’s aunt Betsy Trotwood asks Mrs. Copperfield what she calls her servant girl so that she can summon her. Names are on her mind as she asks this,...

David is miserable at Salem House.  He describes it as desolate and depressing. When he first arrives, the students are on holiday.  He is also forced to wear a sign saying that he...

When David returned home from school, he found that his mother and Mr. Murdstone had a new baby. Before, David had been the sole child and sole focus of attention from the adults. Now he has been...

David Copperfield starts in Blunderstone Rookery, a house in Suffolk England, but really is set all over. At different parts during the novel, Copperfield is in London, Yarmouth, Canterbury, and...