Today we explain a novel. Its name is David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. This novel was published in 1850 in a book form. The full title of this novel is “The personal history, adventures, experience and observation of David Copperfield the younger of Blunderstone Roockery . This novel is the most famous and is dickens own “favourite child.” This is an autobiographical novel. David Copperfield tells the moving story of David’s life journey from infants to maturity. David Copperfield is a work of fiction. David Copperfield is the eighth novel written by Dickens. This novel occupies the important place in author’s heart. In January of 1849 Dickens began to write ‘David Copperfield’. His son Henry Fielding Dickens was born that month too.

“A loving heart is the truest wisdom.”

                         (David Copperfield)

David Copperfield written by Charles Dickens

Summary of David Copperfield:-

The novel David Copperfield interweaves social conditions, personal experiences, attitudes and issues present in early Victorian age. This is the story of an orphan child, named ‘David Copperfield. It is considered to be the autobiography of Dickens. Dickens himself liked this novel. The life and Adventures of David Copperfield are, in fact, the life and adventures of the novelist himself. Micawber is the pen- portrait of his own father. Uriah Heap stands for humility and hypocrisy. Murdstone is a cruel father. Peggotty stands for a kind nurse.

David Copperfield is born at Blunderstone in Suffolk, six months after the death of his father. He spends happily his early life with his mother Clara and house keeper Peggotty. Clara remarries Edward  Murdstone when David was only seven years old. David is sent with Peggotty in Yarmouth. Peggotty’s brother is Mr. Peggotty who is a fisherman. He lives in a house, built in an upturned boat on the Beach. Mr. Peggotty lives with Emily, Ham, and Mrs. Gummidge . David likes Emily.after sometime David returns to his house. Murdstone‘s sister Jane also comes there. She, with her brother, teases David and his mother. Murdstone beats David when he falls behind in his studies. David Bites him. The result is that he is sent to a boarding school, salem house where he is under the care of Mr. Creakle, ruthless headmaster. He makes friendship with James Steerforth and Tommy Traddles. During holidays David goes home. His mother gives birth to a baby .soon his mother and the little baby die.

The housekeeper, Paggotty marries Mr. Barkis. David is sent to manial employment in London where he passed a life of poverty and misery. David’s landlord Wilkin Micawber is arrested for debt. David moves from London to Dover where great Aunt Betsey Trotwood lives. She takes pity on him and agrees to raise him, in spite of Murdstone’s attempt to regain custody of David. She renames   David “Trotwood Copperfield” and calls him “Trot”. She sends him to a better school, run by Dr. Strong. David lives with Mr. Wickfield, the lawyer and his daughter Agnes. Agnes is David’s friend. Wickfield’s secretary Uriah Heep begins to dominate over alcoholic Wickfield. Uriah Heep wants to marry Agnes. But, Micawber exposes Uriah’s forgery and theft.

David starts working as secretary under his former teacher Doctor Strong. He learns Shorthand with the help of his school friend Traddles. He becomes a Parliamentary reporter. Finally he writes fiction and gets name and fame as an author. Streerforth seduces Emily, dies in a storm. Steerforth also dies. Mrs. Gummidge and Micawbers to begin a new life.

David marries Dora spenlow. The marriage is not successful. Dora dies. Agnes supports and brings him to normal life. David realises that he loves her. When he returns to England, he finds that Agnes also loves him. They marry and live happily.  

Characters in ‘David Copperfield’

Some short explanations of this play are following-

David Copperfield-

David Copperfield is the hero of the novel. He is the narrator and protagonist of this novel. He is raised by his mother, Clara and nursemaid Peggotty until his mother remarries with Murdstone.his step-father is very rude to David. So he sent him a boarding school. At last he marries Dora Spenlow and later Agnes Wickfield. We see the life of an orphan boy that how he manage his whole life with difficulties.

Clara Copperfield-

She is the mother of David Copperfield. She is very innocent. She is remarried to Murdstone, a rude person. She raised David with the help of her Housekeeper. She give birth her second child and after giving birth, her son and she both are dying.

Peggotty-

Peggotty is the affectionate and faithful maid of David Copperfield.

Edward Murdstone-

He is the villain of the first half of the novel. He is young David’s stepfather who beats David cruelly. He sent David to Salem house- a boarding school owned by Mr.Creakle. one day he sends David to work at a factory in London.

Daniel Peggotty-

He is Paggotty’s brother. He is a kind hearted man. He takes his nephew ‘Ham’and niece ‘Emily’ into his custody.

Ham Peggotty-

The good –natured nephew of mr. Peggotty. He is a tall and strong person. He is a skilled boat builder. One day a strong storm at sea off Yarmouth demasts a ship from south so Ham rescue his crew but unfortunately Ham was drowned.

Steerforth-

He is a student of salem house and friend of young David. He becomes a charming and handsome young man but he seduces and later leaves Little Emily. His life ends in a fierce storm at sea .

Uriah Heep-

He is the main villain of the second half of the novel. He has a wicked and bad character. He committed multiple acts of fraud. He exposed by Wilkins Micawber and Traddles. By cheating he found the personal wealth of Wickfield’family.

Ages Wickfield-

She is a fictional character and the second wife of David Copperfield. She is David’s school time friend.

Autobiographical touch in ‘David Copperfield’-

David Copperfield contains many autobiographical elements. There are some examples of its links- David and Dickens both are become orphan in childhood. David’s employment at murdstone and Grinby’s is drawn from Dickens’s own painful experiences at Warren’s Blacking Factory. Their careers also the same as- reporter and then novelist. David’s love for Dora Spenlow is modelled after Dickens’s youthful Fascination for Maria Beadnell.  Both his fater and Mr. Micawber were imprisonate for debt. The character of David’s gentle, young and pretty mother was inspired by Dickens’s mother. The death of David’s mother represented the change Dickens felt toward his mother when she was eager for him to work at a Factory.Dickens, through the role of David Copperfield, shares with us some of the values that he believes lead to his success in life. 


FAQ (frequently asked questions):- 

  • What is the story of David Copperfield by Charles Dickens?

  • answer- This novel of Dickens begins with " It was the Best times, it was the worst times. "This is the story of David Copperfield. the novel explores the life of David Copperfield from the time of his childhood to his maturity. His early life spent happily with his mother, Clara and housekeeper. after the some time his mother married to a cruel person, Murdstone who beats David and sent him a boarding school. David goes to home for the Holydays to learn that his mother has given a baby boy and both of them are died. then Murdstone sent him in a working company. now David lived with Mr. Peggotty. where he meet Ham and Emily. David Married with Dora. Their Marriage proves troublesome for David . after a miscarriage dora died. After sometimes  David return to normal life and his profession of writing. David realises that he loves Agnes they quickly marry, and in this marriage he finds true happiness.

  • Why did Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield?

Answer- Dickens was a great novelist and it is said that his novel belong entirely to the humanitarian movement of the Victorian age. we can say him as a social reformer of his age . he picks the topic for his novels related to society. the problems of people and society are his main concern. he has special art of characterization . his characters are flat. David Copperfield is his favourite works. he walks with his friends and seeing that atmosphere he remember and turned to Fanny and to his childhood and express his personal feelings in this book. so this novel has the autobiographical touch.

  • What is the main theme of David Copperfield?

  • Answer- The main theme of this novel is focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the David Copperfield  from childhood to adulthood. there are some themes find in the novel as
  • Wealth and Class
  • Equality in Marriage
  • The plight of the Weak
  • Ambition and social differences
  • morality
  • woman and Gender roles
  • home and family