Character List Character List Bookmark this page Manage My Reading List David Copperfield He is the central character in the novel and tells the story of his life from birth to adulthood. David is a sensitive youth who first suffers under the cruel Murdstones and then is sent away to work in a wine warehouse. David first marries Dora Spenlow, an empty-headed young girl; afterward, he realizes how incompatible they really are. When Dora dies, he marries Agnes Wickfield and by the novel's end, he has matured into a successful writer and adult. Clara Copperfield David's mother. She is an attractive, tender person, but impractical and emotional and easily taken in by Mr. Murdstone, who marries her because he is interested in her annuity. Clara Peggotty The Copperfields' housekeeper, who also acts as David's nurse. She is a woman of intense loyalty and is David's only companion after his mother's death. Peggotty marries Barkis, the cart-driver, and continues throughout the novel to be David's friend. Edward Murdstone David's stepfather. A dark, handsome man who cruelly beats David and slowly drives David's mother to an early death.

Jane Murdstone Mr. Murdstone's sister. She runs the Copperfield household and incessantly harasses David. Mr. Barkis The driver of the horse-cart that travels between Yarmouth and David's home, He is a shy, quiet man who uses David as a messenger in his courtship of Peggotty. Mr. Chillip The doctor who delivers David. He is an exceedingly mildmannered, frightened little man who is especially afraid of David's aunt, Betsey Trotwood. Daniel Peggotty Clara Peggotty's brother and a Yarmouth fisherman. He is a warm-hearted man whose house is a refuge for anyone who needs help. Ham Peggotty Mr. Peggotty's orphaned nephew. Ham, like his uncle, is a considerate, kindly person. He is in love with Em'ly and waits patiently for her after she runs away. He finally dies in an attempt to save Steerforth, Em'ly's seducer. Little Em'ly Mr. Peggotty's orphaned niece. She is David's childhood sweetheart, but becomes engaged to Ham and later runs away with Steerforth.

She is a quiet, compassionate young girl who wants to become a "lady," a desire that leads to unhappiness. Mrs. Gummidge The widow of Mr. Peggotty's partner. She constantly complains about her hardships, but when Em'ly runs away, she changes into a helpful, inspiring confidante of Mr. Peggotty. Charles Mell A schoolmaster at the Salem House boarding school. A gentle friend and teacher of David. Mr. Creakle The sadistic headmaster of the Salem House School. He is a fiery-faced man who enjoys flogging the boys with a cane. He later becomes a prison magistrate. Mr. Tungay The assistant and cruel companion of Mr. Creakle. He has a wooden leg and repeats everything that Creakle says. James Steerforth A spoiled young man whom David admires. He has a surface polish and the good manners that deceive people who do not know him. His true selfishness is shown when he deserts Em'ly, leaving her with his servant, Littimer. He is killed in a storm off Yarmouth along with Ham, who tries to save him. Tommy Traddles David's friend.

Of all the boys at the Salem House School, Traddies receives the most punishment. He is a good-natured, loyal friend to both David and Mr. Micawber. Traddles is persistent, and this quality helps him rise from his humble background to become a judge. Wilkins Micawber A constantly impoverished, but always optimistic, gentleman who boards David during his stay in London. He is a broad comic character with a passion for writing flowery letters and uttering grandiloquent speeches. He finally accompanies Mr. Peggotty to Australia, where he becomes a successful magistrate. Emma Micawber Mr. Micawber's long-suffering wife. She stands by her husband through all his hardships, even joining him in debtors' prison. Betsey Trotwood David's great-aunt. She is unhappy that David was born a boy instead of a girl, but later she acts as his guardian and provider during his early years of schooling. Her formal, often brisk, nature is deceiving; she is basically a sympathetic person. Richard Babley (Mr. Dick) A lovable simpleton cared for by Betsey Trotwood. He is engaged in writing a long manuscript that he uses to paper a huge kite. Mr.

Dick is devoted to David's aunt and becomes a great friend of David's. Uriah Heep A repulsive, scheming young man who attempts to marry Agnes Wickfield and gain control of her father's law practice. He pretends to be humble and uses this as a means to gain vindictive revenge on people he believes have snubbed him. He is exposed by Mr. Micawber and ends up in prison. Mr. Wickfield A solicitor and the widowed father of Agnes Wickfield. He is a proud man, but his excessive drinking allows Uriah Heep to take advantage of him. Agnes Wickfield The daughter of Mr. Wickfield; David's second wife. She is a dutiful companion and housekeeper to her father and a sisterly friend to David while he stays at the Wickfield house. She proves to be a perfect wife and an inspiration to David in his writing. Dr. Strong The headmaster of the school which David attends in Canterbury. He is a scholarly, trusting gentleman who is married to a girl much younger than himself. Although his wife is accused of infidelity, he maintains his faith in her. Annie Strong Dr. Strong's youthful wife.

She is a beautiful, affectionate girl whose family exploits her husband. Jack Maldon Annie Strong's cousin. He is a lazy, vain young man who tries to compromise Mrs. Strong, but is repulsed. Mrs. Markleham Annie Strong's mother. A forceful, selfish woman, she always takes Jack Maldon's part and unwittingly helps cause the misunderstanding between her daughter and Dr. Strong. Mrs. Steerforth James Steerforth's mother. A possessive woman who has spoiled her son by over-indulgence and a smothering affection; she lapses into a semi-invalid state when she hears of her son's death. Rosa Dartle Mrs. Steerforth's companion. She is a neurotic, quick-tempered young woman with a consuming love for Steerforth. Littimer Steerforth's personal manservant. He is a formal, haughty person who has an air of respectability, yet he aids Steerforth in his seduction of Em'ly. He is trapped by Miss Mowcher and is sent to Creakle's prison. Miss Mowcher A middle-aged dwarf who is a hairdresser for wealthy families.

She is upset when she realizes that she was duped into helping Steerforth run off with Em'ly, and is instrumental in the capture of Littimer, who aided Steerforth. Martha Endell Em'ly's friend. She is a suffering woman who is forced to go to London to hide her shame. Martha redeems herself by saving Em'ly from a similar life and finds happiness in her own life after she arrives in Australia. Mr. Spenlow A proctor and partner in a law firm in Doctor's Commons. He is a pompous, aristocratic lawyer who objects to David's plans to marry his daughter. Dora Spenlow David's first wife. She is an impractical, empty-headed girl who cannot cook or manage a household. Although she is a poor selection as a wife, David is so taken by her childlike beauty that he overlooks her faults and marries her. Their marriage is a comedy of mismanagement until Dora dies, leaving David free to marry the domestically perfect Agnes. Mr. Omer The Yarmouth undertaker and dealer in funeral clothes. Minnie Omer Mr. Omer's daughter and Em'ly's working companion.

Joram Minnie Omer's sweetheart and eventually her husband, and finally, Mr. Omer's business partner. Mr. Quinion A business associate of Mr. Murdstone. Janet Betsey Trotwood's housekeeper. She assists Miss Trotwood in chasing donkey riders off the lawn. Mr. Jorkins Mr. Spenlow's seldom-seen partner. He is reputed to be a strict businessman, but he is really a mild-mannered individual whose name is used to frighten new employees. Julia Mills Dora's girl friend. She is a romantic person who advises David in his courtship with Dora. Mrs. Crupp David's landlady. She is a lazy woman who drinks David's brandy and feuds with Aunt Betsey. Sophy Crewler Traddies' sweetheart. A patient girl from a large family, she marries Traddies and assists him in his work as a lawyer. David Copperfield Characters | GradeSaver Buy Study Guide David Copperfield The novel's protagonist and a representation, more or less, of Charles Dickens himself. David was born in Blunderstone Rookery, Suffolk, later his childhood home.

He was born six months after his father passed away, a detail that certainly affected him growing up. He claims to have a very detailed memory like that of a child. Peggotty The loyal and trusted household servant to David and his mother when he was a young boy. David describes her as having "no shape at all, and eyes so dark that they seemed to darken their whole neighborhood in her face, and cheeks and arms so hard and red..." She is a large woman, and one of her defining traits is that whenever she hugs someone, buttons pop off of her dress, with the number of buttons lost corresponding to the strength of her hug. She is the aunt of Ham and Emily Peggotty and the sister of Daniel Peggotty. Together she and her brother are "Peggotty and Mr. Peggotty." Agnes Wickfield Daughter of Mr. Wickfield and a family friend of Miss Betsey. She is very close to David and gives him advice about many issues. She is known for her calm and soothing demeanor. She eventually marries David. Steerforth A classmate of David's at Salem House. James Steerforth is a haughty, cocky boy consumed with his upper-class status.

He receives much admiration from David because of his class and confidence. Uriah Heep The slimy, sneaky servant of Mr. Wickfield who tricks his way into a partnership with his employer. He steals from and cheats many people, including the Micawbers and Miss Betsey, but he is eventually exposed and forced to give back what he took. He ends up in jail for defrauding the Bank of England. Little Em'ly The niece of Peggotty and Daniel Peggotty. Emily is David's love interest when David visits Yarmouth for the first time. Her father Tom is the brother-in-law of Mr. Peggotty and Peggotty, and he, too, drowned at sea. Because of this, even from a young age, Emily has had a fear of the ocean. Dora Spenlow Daughter of Mr. Spenlow, David's employer. She is David's first wife, and he often calls her his "child-wife." She is very beautiful but young and childish, not at all competent at household chores. She also is constantly accompanied by a dog named Jip. Ham The nephew of Peggotty and her brother Daniel.

Ham was present at David's birth but did not actually meet him until David visited Yarmouth for the first time. He is strong, broad, and six feet tall. He has a boyish face and is very boyish in nature. His father is actually Joe Peggotty, Mr. Peggotty's and Peggotty's brother, who drowned at sea. Clara Copperfield David's mother, who was widowed when David's father died six months before she gave birth. She is consistently described as being very pretty, like a "wax doll." She married David's father when she was very young, and as a result, she was slightly naive and lacking in some of the knowledge necessary to be a successful housewife. Still, she loves her son very much and gives him a fun, healthy atmosphere to grow up in until she marries Mr. Murdstone. Mr. Murdstone The man whom Clara marries while David visits Peggotty's family in Yarmouth. Edward Murdstone, often referred to as Mr. Murdstone, is a tall, intimidating man with a dark handsomeness. He has very black, thick hair and black eyes.

He is a very controlling husband and stepfather to the Copperfields. Jane Murdstone Mr. Murdstone's sister, who comes to help the family shortly after her brother's marriage to Clara. Jane, often referred to as Miss Murdstone, is nearly as dark, intimidating, and firm as her brother. She is often associated with metallic objects and images, especially images of jail cells. Mr. Barkis The carrier driver who drives David and Peggotty to Yarmouth near the beginning of the novel and who also drives David to Yarmouth to be sent to boarding school. Mr. Barkis takes a fancy to Peggotty after trying one of the cakes she made for David's journey to London. He tells David to write to Peggotty the message, "Barkis is willin'," which sparks the relationship between the two. Miss Betsey The unusual sister of David's late father. Miss Betsey, or Miss Trotwood, disapproved of the marriage between David's parents because of their significant age difference. She herself had a disastrous marriage with a man younger than she was, and after their mutual separation, she moved to a small house near the sea with one servant and lived a secluded life.

She storms out of David's house when he is born, upset that he is not a girl. Mr. and Mrs. Micawber The couple with whom David stays when he is first sent to work at Mr. Murdstone's warehouse. David becomes very close friends with them and their family. They are constantly in financial strife but are good-spirited nonetheless. Mr. Micawber is very emotional and eloquent, especially in his writing. Traddles Tommy Traddles, one of David's classmates from Salem House. He is quite good-natured. He gets closer to David after they leave school and live near one another in London. Dr. Strong and Annie The married couple whom David meets during his stay with Mr. Wickfield. Dr. Strong is the master of David's school and is much older than Annie. They encounter difficulties when Uriah accuses Annie of having an affair with her younger cousin, but thanks to Mr. Dick, the two reconcile and remain a very affectionate couple. Mr. Dick SparkNotes: David Copperfield: Character List David Copperfield Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters David Copperfield - The protagonist and narrator of the novel.

David is innocent, trusting, and naïve even though he suffers abuse as a child. He is idealistic and impulsive and remains honest and loving. Though David’s troubled childhood renders him sympathetic, he is not perfect. He often exhibits chauvinistic attitudes toward the lower classes. In some instances, foolhardy decisions mar David’s good intentions. Read an in-depth analysis of David Copperfield. Agnes Wickfield - David’s true love and second wife, the daughter of Mr. Wickfield. The calm and gentle Agnes admires her father and David. She suffers patiently through David’s other romances, and although she loves David, she is not overcome by jealousy. Agnes always comforts David with kind words or advice when he needs support. James Steerforth - A condescending, self-centered villain. From his boyhood, Steerforth possesses a restless energy that he can neither satisfy nor divert. He charms both women and men for the feeling of power it gives him. He also abuses David, although David is too enraptured with him and too grateful for his patronage to notice. Read an in-depth analysis of James Steerforth. Clara Peggotty - David’s nanny and caretaker.

Peggotty is gentle and selfless, opening herself and her family to David whenever he is in need. She is faithful to David and his family all her life, never abandoning David, his mother, or Miss Betsey. In her kind motherliness, Peggotty contrasts with the cruel and unloving Miss Murdstone. Little Em’ly - Peggotty’s unfaithful niece, who is sweet but also coy and vain. Little Em’ly’s desire to be a lady causes her to disgrace herself by running away from her family. Uriah Heep - A two-faced, conniving villain who puts on a false show of humility and meekness to disguise his evil intentions. Uriah is motivated by his belief that the world owes him something for all the humiliations he suffered as a young man. Ultimately, Uriah’s veneer of humility proves as empty as his morals. Read an in-depth analysis of Uriah Heep. Miss Betsey Trotwood - David’s eccentric, kind-hearted aunt. Although Miss Betsey’s intentions are mysterious at the beginning of the novel, her generosity toward David soon becomes clear, and she acts as David’s second mother. Dora Spenlow - David’s first wife and first real love.

Dora is foolish and giddy, more interested in playing with her dog, Jip, than in keeping house with David. Because David cannot bear to displease Dora, he permits her to retain the pouty habits of a spoiled child. Mr. and Mrs. Wilkins Micawber - An unlucky couple crippled by constantly precarious finances. Although Mr. Micawber never succeeds at supporting his own family, he is generous and industrious in serving others. Mrs. Micawber stands by her husband despite his flaws and regardless of the hardships they suffer. Tommy Traddles - Young David’s simple, goodhearted schoolmate. Traddles works hard but faces great obstacles because of his lack of money and connections. He eventually succeeds in making a name and a career for himself. Clara Copperfield - David’s mother. The kind, generous, and goodhearted Clara embodies maternal caring until her death, which occurs early in the novel. David remembers his mother as an angel whose independent spirit was destroyed by Mr. Murdstone’s cruelty. Mr. Edward Murdstone and Miss Jane Murdstone - The cruel second husband of David’s mother, and Murdstone’s sister.

The Murdstones are strict and brutal not only toward David, but to his mother as well. Together, they crush David’s mother’s spirit. Mrs. Steerforth and Rosa Dartle - Steerforth’s mother and her ward, the orphan child of her husband’s cousin. Mrs. Steerforth and Miss Dartle are cruel and bitter toward the world and also haughty and proud, as evidenced by their overwhelming fondness for Steerforth and their disdain of David. Mr. Peggotty, Ham, and Mrs. Gummidge - The simple relatives of David’s nurse, Clara Peggotty. Mr. Peggotty, Ham, and Mrs. Gummidge represent the virtues of simple people. Mr. Peggotty and Ham are sailors, Mrs. Gummidge a sailor’s widow. They are devoted and loving to each other and David. Doctor Strong and Annie Strong - A man and woman who exemplify the best of married life. Doctor Strong and Annie are faithful and selfless, each concerned more about the other than about himself or herself. Their deep love for each other enables them to survive Uriah’s attempts to disrupt their bliss.

David Copperfield: Character Profiles | Novelguide David Copperfield: Character Profiles Total Votes: 207 David Copperfield David is the narrator and protagonist of the novel, which tells the story of his life. As a boy, despite his difficult upbringing, he is naive, innocent, and well-meaning. The adult David narrates his childhood experiences from the point of view of the innocent child rather than the more knowing adult. This means that the reader can often see characters' true motives and intentions when David cannot. For example, he admires and loves Steerforth from the time when he first meets him, and believes that Steerforth has his best interests at heart, whereas the reader can clearly see that Steerforth is a self-centered person who exploits David and belittles him. By the end of the novel, when David is an adult, he can see Steerforth's selfishness and frivolity, though he still loves him and thinks of him at his best. This shows that David has grown in understanding, but retained his fundamental innocence. Though David has a warm heart, he has weaknesses.

Chief of these is his emotional immaturity or "undisciplined heart" (to quote Annie Strong's words in Chapter XLV), which leads him to fall in love with and marry Dora, who is childish, frivolous, and unsuited to him. In doing so, he throws away the calmer love of Agnes, who is a perfect match for him, consigning her to the role of beloved sister. The death of Dora and other events in David's life have a maturing effect on him, and he eventually realizes that he has always loved Agnes. At the novel's end, she becomes his second wife, and they are blissfully happy together. David's story contains many autobiographical elements from Dickens's own life. Dickens's family, like David's, traumatized him by removing him from school and sending him to work in a factory, to bring in much-needed money. They did so because Dickens's father, like Mr. Micawber, was irresponsible with money and frequently in debt, leading to his incarceration in the debtors' prison. Agnes Wickfield Agnes is the daughter of Mr. Wickfield and David's second wife.

She is the closest thing to a perfect person in the novel. She loves her father and David and is an unfailing support to both men. Even when David marries Dora, Agnes selflessly puts her own love for him aside and never gives way to jealousy or melancholy. She remains a loyal friend to him, always willing to offer wise advice and affection, and also befriends Dora. James Steerforth The handsome, charming, and wealthy Steerforth befriends David at Mr. Creakle's school. David loves him and believes him to be a true friend; he is too innocent to see that Steerforth is self-seeking and vain, and that he exploits and belittles David. All these truths are, however, clear to the reader, thereby underscoring the gap between the naïve young David and the knowing reader. Steerforth is a snob, as is clear from his patronizing attitude to people who are poorer and less privileged than him, such as the schoolmaster Mr. Mell, and Ham. The incident in which Steerforth scarred Rosa Dartle's face for life by throwing a hammer at her reveals a disturbing streak of violence in his character.

The incident prefigures the destruction and chaos he causes in Mr. Peggotty's family by seducing Ham's fianc�e, Little Em'ly, and vanishing with her. He is too frivolous and restless a character to love her properly, and soon abandons her. Steerforth does have the occasional glimmer of conscience, such as when, before he takes Little Em'ly away, he wishes he were as innocent as David. But he manages to ignore its promptings and continues on his immoral course. Steerforth's death is as reckless as his life: he drowns when his boat is wrecked in a storm, clinging to the mast and waving a red cap in the air at the onlookers. Ham dies trying to rescue him. Dora Spenlow Dora is David's first wife. She is childish, frivolous and silly. More importantly, she is unsuited to being David's wife, in that her mind is no match for David's and she is utterly incapable of the most basic housekeeping tasks. On the other hand, she is a joyous, playful, and beautiful woman who adores David and inspires all who know her to love and protect her - including David.

Her friend Julia Mills, while warning David that his attempts to educate her in housekeeping will almost certainly fail, calls Dora "a thing of light, and airiness, and joy." Though David attempts to "form" Dora's mind after they are married, he only makes her miserable and soon abandons the project. Dora is never strong, and falls ill after becoming pregnant and losing the baby, either through miscarriage or stillbirth. On her deathbed, Dora tells David she believes that she married too young. Then, she tells Agnes that she 'bequeaths' David to her. David is grief-stricken by Dora's death, but it frees him to give way to the quieter, more mature love he shares with Agnes. Betsey Trotwood Betsey is David's aunt. She turns up at David's mother's house on the day David is born, but marches off in disgust when she finds out that the baby is a boy. David does not see her again until he runs away from the factory job that his stepfather, Mr. Murdstone, forced him into. He goes to Betsey, as his only known relative, and she adopts him and becomes a second mother to him.

Betsey is an irascible but kindly woman who mistrusts the male sex, having been betrayed by a husband she loved. Her eccentricities include a fastidious dislike of donkeys trampling on her lawn; an absolute confidence in the remarkable qualities of the simple-minded Mr. Dick, another of her adoptees; and a concern that people should not make unwise matches, as she did. When David falls in love with Dora, she comments in exasperation, "blind, blind, blind!"/span> Though Betsey at first expresses contempt for silly, immature and incapable women such as Clara Copperfield and Dora, she becomes very fond of Dora. This shows that in spite of Betsey's abrupt manner and tendency not to suffer fools gladly, her heart is warm. Clara Peggotty Peggotty is David's nurse when he is a child. She loves David and cares for him her whole life. After Mr. Murdstone marries Clara Copperfield, Peggotty is David's - and his mother's - main source of motherly love and support. After Clara Copperfield's death, Peggotty and Betsey become surrogate mothers to David. Peggotty marries Mr. Barkis. Mr.

Daniel Peggotty Mr. Peggotty is Clara Peggotty's brother. He is a fisherman who lives in a house made from an overturned boat on the beach in Yarmouth. Mr. Peggotty's household is made up of orphans (Little Em'ly and Ham) and a widow (Mrs. Gummidge) whose fathers and husband were drowned at sea. He generously cares and provides for them all. After Little Em'ly runs away with Steerforth, Mr. Peggotty devotes his life to searching for her. When he finds her, he emigrates with her to Australia so that she can make a fresh start. David says of Mr. Peggotty in Chapter LI that he "thought of everybody's claims and strivings, but his own." Mr. Peggoty, Ham, and Mrs. Gummidge are all simple yet virtuous people, and are contrasted with sophisticated villains like Uriah Heep and Steerforth. Little Em'ly Little Em'ly is Peggotty's niece. She was taken in and brought up by Mr. Peggotty when her father drowned at sea. As a boy, David falls in love with Little Em'ly.

She is vain, and has a strong desire to be a lady, which proves her downfall. Though she is engaged to Ham, she is enchanted by Steerforth's wealth and charm, and allows him to seduce her and take her away from her family. When he abandons her, she is a disgraced woman. Eventually, she is found by Mr. Peggotty, who takes her with him to Australia to escape her ruined reputation and make a fresh start. There, she refuses all marriage proposals and devotes herself to hard work on the family farm and acts of kindness and charity to her neighbors. With Mrs. Gummidge, Little Em'ly is the character who most transforms herself through suffering. Ham Ham is a young fisherman who was taken in and looked after by Mr. Peggotty when his father was drowned at sea. He courts Little Em'ly and they become engaged, but then Little Em'ly runs away with Steerforth. Ham is heart-broken. He drowns while selflessly trying to save Steerforth from a shipwreck. Mrs. Gummidge Mrs. Gummidge is a sailor's widow who was taken in and looked after by Mr.

Peggotty when her husband was drowned at sea. She complains constantly of being a poor "lone and lorn" creature since her husband died. After Little Em'ly runs away with Steerforth, Mrs. Gummidge, who had been devoted to the girl, undergoes a transformation. She stops complaining, supports Mr. Peggotty, and keeps his house while he is away looking for Little Em'ly. After Little Em'ly is found, Mrs. Gummidge goes with her and Mr. Peggotty to live in Australia, where she works hard on the family farm and even receives a proposal of marriage. Uriah Heep Uriah is a devious and hypocritical villain who stands in contrast to David. The contrast is made more visible by the fact that Uriah has a similar background to David's, in that both came from poor families. However, they have responded to the challenges of their upbringing in opposite ways. Uriah has become bitter and manipulative, putting on a false show of being "umble" when he is really controlling others for his own ends. He feels that he is entitled to rewards to make up for the humiliations he suffered in his youth. To this end, he ensnares Mr.

Wickfield, robbing him of his power and authority and embezzling his money. David, on the other hand, has responded to his difficult childhood by remaining trusting, loving, and honest. He gains his ends not by cheating others but by working hard and maintaining his integrity. At the beginning of the novel, Uriah is an employee in the law firm of Mr. Wickfield. He rises by dishonest means to become a partner in the firm, and hopes to marry Agnes. His ambitions in law and regarding Agnes provide another similarity to David. It is perhaps because of these similarities that Uriah regards David as his deadly rival. Dickens portrays Uriah as evil by using demonic imagery: Uriah writhes like a snake (the serpent is a Biblical symbol of the devil), and he has red hair and eyes. When Mr. Micawber exposes Uriah's frauds against Mr. Wickfield, there is a terrifying scene in which Uriah suddenly drops his mask of humbleness and shows himself to be violent and full of hatred towards David. Unlike Steerforth, Uriah utterly lacks a conscience.

When he is imprisoned for bank fraud, he resumes his act of humbleness and convinces the prison reformers that he is a true penitent, but his hypocritical public 'forgiveness' of the almost entirely innocent David alerts the reader to the fact that Uriah has not changed in the least. Clara Copperfield Clara Copperfield is David's mother. Like Dora, she is beautiful, gentle, and loving, but also like Dora, she is childlike and impractical. Her second husband, Mr. Murdstone, and his sister, Miss Murdstone, are cruel to her, crushing her joyful spirit and eventually making her fatally ill. Betsey nicknames her "poor baby," conveying her immaturity and helplessness in the face of the Murdstones. Mr. Edward Murdstone and Miss Jane Murdstone Mr. Murdstone is Clara Copperfield's second husband, and Miss Murdstone is his sister. Mr. Murdstone is a strict and cruel man whose motive in marrying Clara appears to be to crush her spirit and control her, under the pretence of improving her mind and "firmness" of character.

In this, he is aided by his sister, Miss Murdstone, who is a female version of him. The Murdstones treat David with equal brutality, and make it clear from the beginning that they want him out of the way. After Clara's death, Mr. Murdstone takes David out of school and sends him away to work in a factory; David never returns to his household. By the end of the novel, Mr. Murdstone has married again and is reported to be destroying his new wife as surely as he did Clara. For a short period, Miss Murdstone becomes a paid companion to Dora, whom she bosses about just as she did Clara. Dr. Strong and Annie Strong Dr. Strong is the elderly headmaster of the school in which Betsey enrolls David to complete his broken education. A kind and generous man, Dr. Strong has married a much younger and very beautiful woman, Annie. Annie comes from a poor family and her relatives, particularly her mother, use her name to extort money from Dr. Strong. Annie is ashamed of their behavior, not least because it gives rise to a popular suspicion that she only married Dr. Strong for his money.

Some of the people who believe that Annie has ulterior motives in her marriage also believe that she is having an affair with her cousin, Jack Maldon. Uriah Heep exploits both these suspicions, and tells Dr. Strong that Annie and Jack are lovers, upsetting Dr. Strong and driving a wedge between him and his wife. In fact, both suspicions are false. Annie is faithful to her husband, whom she loves deeply, and mercenary considerations played no part in her decision to marry him. Mr. Dick encourages Annie to speak out her true feelings to Dr. Strong; this clears the air, and they are reconciled. The Strongs are an example of true compatibility in marriage. Though they are very different from each other in superficial measures like age and attractiveness, in Annie's words, they are alike in "mind and purpose." Jack Maldon Jack Maldon is Annie Strong's cousin and childhood sweetheart. He continues to love her and tries to persuade her to leave Dr. Strong for him. Dr. Strong and Mr. Wickfield find him a job in India but he returns, ostensibly because the climate does not agree with him, but really because he cannot bear to be away from Annie. Mr. Spenlow Mr.

Spenlow is the father of Dora Spenlow and David's employer during his days as a proctor at the Doctors' Commons. He dies suddenly, immediately after opposing David's planned marriage to Dora. Mr. Dick Mr. Dick is a simple-minded man who lives in Betsey's house. His brother wanted to have him put in a lunatic asylum, but Betsey is confident that he has a remarkable mind that only she fully recognizes. In return, Mr. Dick thinks of Betsey as "the most wonderful woman in the world." Mr. Dick has an obsession with King Charles I, which distracts him from doing any useful work, and is trying to write his autobiography ("Memorial"). He has a gentle and loving heart; this, and his lack of intellectual rigor often enable him to know and do the right thing when more intelligent people are paralyzed by complexities. When David turns up, ragged and covered in dust, on Betsey's doorstep, it is Mr. Dick who suggests that the next step is to give him a bath. When the Strongs are set at odds with each other by Uriah's false accusations, it is Mr. Dick who reconciles them. Mr.

Dick loves to fly his kite, which he does with David. Mr. Wickfield Mr. Wickfield is Agnes's father. He and Agnes are devoted to each other. As a friend, lawyer, and financial advisor to Betsey, Mr. Wickfield provides a home to David when he attends Dr. Strong's school. Mr. Wickfield employs Uriah Heep as a clerk in his law firm. Uriah exploits Mr. Wickfield's weakness for alcohol in order to gain power over him. There is irony in this process, in that Mr. Wickfield is so eager to see ulterior motives in others that he wrongly suspects Annie Strong of having an affair with Jack Maldon, but at the same time he is blind to Uriah's motives, enabling Uriah to enslave him and to take over his business and his home. Uriah embezzles Mr. Wickfield's money, but Traddles manages to restore it to him after Mr. Micawber exposes Uriah's frauds. Tommy Traddles Traddles is David's schoolmate. He is a warm-hearted and loyal friend to David.

Though he is poor, Traddles works hard and succeeds in scraping the money together to train as a lawyer. Against severe odds, Traddles finally enjoys success and a happy marriage to his beloved Sophy. With Mr. Micawber, Traddles plays a part in unmasking Uriah's frauds and in restoring the money that Uriah stole from Mr. Wickfield and Betsey. Mr. Wilkins Micawber Mr. Micawber is a well-meaning man who is always in financial difficulties. He is unable to find reasonably paid employment and frequently receives visits from bailiffs and debt collectors, who seize his property to offset upaid debts. He spends some time in the debtors' prison. Mr. Micawber swings between despair at his money problems and cheerful optimism that "something" will "turn up" to save him from ruin - the latter mood generally prevailing after he has eaten a lavish dinner. The turnaround in Mr. Micawber's life comes when Uriah Heep gives him a job as his clerk. Mr. Micawber is expected to collude in Uriah's frauds. His conscience makes him miserable for a time and at last prompts him to gather evidence and expose Uriah.

This is an act of selflessness because it involves losing his job. He is rewarded for his sacrifice when Betsey, grateful for the return of the money that Uriah stole from her, encourages him to emigrate to Australia with his family and loans him the money for his journey. He does so, and becomes successful and respected there. The model for Mr. Micawber is widely believed to be Dickens's father. Mrs. Micawber Mrs. Micawber is Mr. Micawber's wife. She is from a socially superior family to her husband's, and her relatives all disapprove of him because of his financial problems. Nevertheless, she is devoted to her husband, standing by him in his difficulties and never losing faith in his abilities. Her favorite expression is, "I never will desert Mr. Micawber." Students of the psychoanalytical theory of the unconscious may wonder if this is because the possibility of deserting Mr. Micawber is ever-present at the back of her mind, however unacceptable it may be to her conscious awareness. Mrs. Steerforth Mrs. Steerforth is James Steerforth's wealthy mother. A proud and arrogant woman, she dotes on her son to such an extent that she has spoiled him.

Mrs. Steerforth treats David contemptuously when he is not occupying his role of admirer of Steerforth. When Steerforth takes away Little Em'ly, Mrs. Steerforth blames Little Em'ly for bringing disgrace upon the Steerforth family. Mrs. Steerforth never recovers from Steerforth's death, remaining bitter and quarreling with Rosa about who loved him best. Rosa Dartle Rosa Dartle is a distant relative of the Steerforths, an orphan, and a ward of Mrs. Steerforth's. She has a deep scar on her face, made by Steerforth as a boy when he threw a hammer at her because she exasperated him. The wound is symbolic of the inner hurt that she nurses as a result of years of unrequited and suppressed love for Steerforth. She has become bitter and sarcastic. She mercilessly picks apart Steerforth's assumptions with seemingly innocent but pointed questions which she poses under the pretence of trying to educate herself. Like Mrs. Steerforth, Rosa fails to move on from Steerforth's death, and the two continue to quarrel about which of them loved him best.

Littimer Littimer is Steerforth's servant. He is discreet and polite, and has the impeccable manners of the well-trained English servant. Dickens calls him "respectable" so often that the word gains a heavy irony, which reaches its peak when Littimer colludes with his master in taking away Little Em'ly. After Steerforth abandons her, he suggests to Littimer that he (Littimer) marry her. When Little Em'ly reacts with horror, Littimer becomes her jailer, keeping her locked in a room until she manages to escape. Such activities, of course, are so far from respectable as to be morally depraved. Miss Mowcher Miss Mowcher is a dwarf who is a professional hairdresser. She cuts Steerforth's hair and then carries a letter from him to Little Em'ly which leads Little Em'ly to run away with him. Miss Mowcher is willing to carry this letter because she has been falsely led to think that it warns Little Em'ly against the predatory intentions of David.

When Miss Mowcher learns of Steerforth's betrayal, she is full of sorrow at the part she unwittingly played in Little Em'ly's downfall. Miss Mowcher redeems herself by carrying out a citizens?' arrest of Littimer and holding him until the police arrive to arrest him. Miss Mowcher acts as a mouthpiece for Dickens in proclaiming the rights of people who are disabled or different to treated with respect. Martha Martha is a young woman whom Little Em'ly befriends when they both work at Mr. Omer's. Martha subsequently falls into disgrace; it is implied, though not explicitly said, that she works as a prostitute. Martha is redeemed when she devotes herself to the search for Little Em'ly, finds her, and restores her to Mr. Peggotty. She is rewarded by being taken to Australia by Mr. Peggotty, where she marries. Mr. Creakle Mr. Creakle is the brutal headmaster of the school to which Mr. Murdstone sends David. He never speaks above a whisper, gives beatings for the slightest misdemeanor, and is much feared by the boys. After David becomes famous, Mr.

Creakle, who is now in charge of a prison, writes to invite him to meet some prisoners who are shining examples of Mr. Creakle's reforming methods. The prisoners turn out to be Uriah and Littimer, who, David perceives, are not in the least reformed. Mr. Barkis Mr. Barkis is a coach driver who subsequently marries Peggotty. He is a man of few words, and his courtship of Peggotty consists mostly of a single phrase: "Barkis is willing," conveyed to her via David. He is a good man, though mean with money, which he keeps in a secret box under his bed. David Copperfield Characters - eNotes.com David Copperfield Characters Characters Discussed (Great Characters in Literature) Themes and Characters (The entire section is 7843 words.) Get Free Access Start your free trial with eNotes for complete access to this resource and thousands more. 30,000+ Study Guides Save time with thousands of teacher-approved book and topic summaries. Get Homework Help Ask real teachers questions on any subject or search 300,000+ answers. On the Go Access Are you a teacher or educator?

Find out about our Teacher’s Edition . David Copperfield Homework Help Questions Guns, Germs, and Steel Jared Diamond eNotes.com is a resource used daily by thousands of students, teachers, professors and researchers. We invite you to become a part of our community. David Copperfield: Amazon.de: Charles Dickens: Fremdsprachige Bücher Fremdsprachige Bücher Verkauf und Versand durch Amazon. Geschenkverpackung verfügbar. Menge: Um Adressen zu sehen, bitte Anmelden Bitte tragen Sie eine deutsche PLZ ein. Bitte tragen Sie eine deutsche PLZ ein. Oder Kommentar: medimops: schnell, sicher und zuverlässig In den Einkaufswagen Zur Rückseite klappen Zur Vorderseite klappen Hörprobe Wird gespielt... Angehalten Sie hören eine Hörprobe des Audible Hörbuch-Downloads. Kunden, die diesen Artikel angesehen haben, haben auch angesehen Seite 1 von 1 Zum Anfang Seite 1 von 1 Diese Einkaufsfunktion wird weiterhin Artikel laden.

Um aus diesem Karussell zu navigieren, benutzen Sie bitte Ihre Überschrift-Tastenkombination, um zur nächsten oder vorherigen Überschrift zu navigieren. Es wird kein Kindle Gerät benötigt. Laden Sie eine der kostenlosen Kindle Apps herunter und beginnen Sie, Kindle-Bücher auf Ihrem Smartphone, Tablet und Computer zu lesen. Apple Geben Sie Ihre Mobiltelefonnummer ein, um die kostenfreie App zu beziehen. oder Jeder kann Kindle Bücher lesen — selbst ohne ein Kindle-Gerät — mit der KOSTENFREIEN Kindle App für Smartphones, Tablets und Computer. Den Verlag informieren! Sie haben keinen Kindle? Hier kaufen oder eine gratis Kindle Lese-App herunterladen. Produktinformation Verlag: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (24. November 2010) Sprache: Englisch Von Manuela am 1. Oktober 2013 Verifizierter Kauf Ich wollte gerne "David Copperfield von Charles Dickens" (auf Englisch) im Urlaub lesen.

Ich habe diese Version des Buches bestellt, da die Lieferzeit die kürzeste war und das Buch somit noch vor meinem Abflug ankommen sollte. Die Lieferung war auch tatsächlich sehr schnell. Aber: Es handelt sich hierbei nicht um das bekannte Buch von Dickens!!! Umschlag und Titel entsprechen den Angaben. Im Buch ist allerdings ein völlig anderer Text abgedruckt (das Theaterstück "Electra"). Jetzt ist mir auch aufgefallen, dass die Seitenanzahl mit 66 angegeben ist- damit kann es sich eigentlich nicht um das Buch "David Copperfield" handeln- aber wer achtet schon vorher auf die Seitenzahl?? Habe das Buch nun zurück gesendet und hoffe auch den richtigen und problemlosen Ersatz. Mit der Urlaubslektüre wird es aber nichts mehr. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens · OverDrive: eBooks, audiobooks and videos for libraries Juvenile Fiction Juvenile Literature The story traces the life of David Copperfield from childhood to maturity.

David was born in Blunderstone, Suffolk, near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, England, in 1820, six months after the death of his father. David spends his early years in relative happiness with his loving but frail mother and their kindly housekeeper, Peggotty. When he is seven years old his mother marries Edward Murdstone. David is given good reason to dislike his stepfather and has similar feelings for Murdstone's sister Jane, who moves into the house soon afterwards. Murdstone attempts to thrash David for falling behind in his studies. David bites him and soon afterwards is sent away to a boarding school, Salem House, with a ruthless headmaster, Mr. Creakle. There he befriends James Steerforth and Tommy Traddles.David returns home for the holidays to learn that his mother has given birth to a baby boy. Shortly after David returns to Salem House, his mother and her baby die, and David returns home immediately. Peggotty marries a man named Mr Barkis. Murdstone sends David to work for a wine merchant in London – a business of which Murdstone is a joint owner.

Copperfield's landlord, Wilkins Micawber, is sent to debtors' prison (the King's Bench Prison) and remains there for several months before being released and moving to Plymouth. No one remains to care for David in London, so he decides to run away.He walks from London to Dover, where he finds his only relative, his unmarried, eccentric great-aunt Betsey Trotwood. She agrees to raise him, despite Murdstone's attempt to regain custody of David. David's great-aunt renames him "Trotwood Copperfield" and addresses him as "Trot", and it becomes one of several names to which David answers in the course of the novel. As David grows to adulthood, a variety of characters enter, leave, and re-enter his life. These include Peggotty and her family, including her orphaned niece "Little Em'ly", who moves in with them and charms the young David. David's romantic but self-serving school friend, Steerforth, seduces and dishonours Emily, precipitating the novel's greatest tragedy, and Agnes Wickfield, the daughter of David's landlord, becomes his confidante.

The novel's two most familiar characters are David's sometime mentor, the debt-ridden Micawber, and the devious and fraudulent clerk, Uriah Heep, whose misdeeds are eventually revealed with Micawber's assistance. Micawber is painted sympathetically even as the narrator deplores his financial ineptitude. Micawber, like Dickens's own father, is briefly imprisoned for insolvency. The major characters eventually get some measure of what they deserve, and few narrative threads are left hanging. Peggotty's brother Dan takes Emily to a new life in Australia, accompanied by the widowed Mrs. Gummidge and the Micawbers. All eventually find security and happiness in their adopted country. David marries the beautiful but naïve Dora Spenlow, who dies after failing to recover from a miscarriage early

Question: Mr Barkis, Edward Murdstone and Tommy Traddles are all characters in which Charles Dickens novel?
Answer: David Copperfield