Observations: David Copperfield by Charles DIckens

[DATo]

The following comments are personal observations regarding the novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. I have read David Copperfield three times in my life but it was only in this last reading when things began to emerge which I had previously not noticed. Like most of you I read for entertainment and reading a novel superficially is not uncommon, but in the case of Dickens there is always more, MUCH more, hiding just below the surface.

Warning: This article contains spoilers.

Part 1 : The omnipresence of death

It is interesting to note the number of people peripheral to the story who do not actually appear in the novel and are deceased. David tells us within the first few pages that he is a "posthumous child" as his father had died prior to the beginning of his narrative, but as we delve deeper into the novel a multitude of people appear who have relatives who are deceased. We soon learn that lil'Emily has lost both her parents, as has Ham, as has Rosa Dartle, as has Traddles, as has David's mother, as has Mrs. McCawber, as has the McCawber's servant. David has lost his father, as has Steerforth, as has Uriah Heep, as has Annie Strong. Dora has lost her mother, as has Agnes. Mrs Gummage has lost her husband, and we are at first led to believe that Aunt Betsy has lost her husband as well.

In the course of the novel David's mother dies, Steerforth dies, Ham dies, Dora dies, Jip dies, Dora's father dies. Barkis dies, Aunt Betsy's estranged husband dies, Traddles' mother-in-law dies.

There are three allusions to a 'death wish'. One on the part of Mr. McCawber as he brandishes his razor and threatens to cut his throat. We do not take him seriously because we know that in five minutes he will be whistling a happy tune and making punch. Martha contemplates suicide as she stands next to the river. Daniel Peggotty tells David that Ham has been taking on dangerous jobs since Emily has left as though Ham does not value his life anymore.

There are numerous symbols of death as well. David constantly refers to the graveyard in which his father is buried. There are references to tombstones (David's father's and Ham's), black crepe mourning cloth, undertakers and coffins, Traddles draws skeletons, Lazarus rising from the dead.

At first I thought I was just imagining things but upon later reflection I feel Dickens was making a point. Death looms menacingly down upon the characters in this novel but there are three examples of Death being defeated by the goodness of human kindness and love. It is certain, and David even makes this point, that he would have perished as a child if Aunt Betsy had not taken him in and rescued him from his plight as a child. Martha saves Emily and is in turn saved by Mr. Peggotty from the possibility of suicide later.

I feel Dickens is trying to say that the evil in this world, despite its power, can be thwarted by love. Death is all OVER this novel and I feel it is by design, to paint in broad brushstrokes the power of what three characters overcome through their goodness.

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In the course of this novel several people undergo a character metamorphosis. I feel that Dickens is making the point that people can change but only after a major resolution of personal conflict following a watershed event in their lives. Below are a few examples including the main climax of the book.

I have noticed that when Dickens wants to make a special point he comes back to it time and time again. He is nudging us in the ribs and is saying, "Here, look, I'm trying to tell you something."

Part 2 : Reoccurring Motifs (sample)

EXAMPLE : Tommy's Skeletons[/b]

Traddles constantly draws skeletons as a child at Salem House. Why? Why does Dickens bring us back time and time again to this practice employed by Traddles? Sometimes in a role playing game one must advance further into the game to find a clue or an object or weapon which is needed for use in a previous scenario of the game. Then we must then go back with our new-found tools and fit the pieces in their proper place. It is only at the conclusion of the book that we find out what kind of man Tommy has become in spite of his early handicaps and we can make the inference as to how it all happened.

Traddles draws skeletons constantly, but most profusely when he is under duress. Mr. Creekle beats Traddles every day. He punishes him constantly. At one point David tells us that Tommy Traddles is placed in isolation and when he comes out his notebook is fairly covered in skeletons. Tommy mentions that he has considered writing to his uncle (his guardian) to complain of his treatment at Salem House but never does - instead, he draws skeletons.

Many children persecuted as Tommy has been grow up to become Uriah Heeps - dispensing the evil that they received as children to others - but not Tommy. Tommy Traddles grows up to be a very well-adjusted man and arguably one of, (if not THE) greatest success stories of the entire novel.

After David and Tommy have grown to be adults they meet again and David mentions Mr. Creekle. Tommy bursts into a big smile and says words to the effect, "Good old Mr. Creekle! I wonder how he's doing." David is amazed that Tommy is not incensed with hate at the mention of Mr. Creekle's name but Tommy just says something about all those bad things having taken place long ago and he has forgotten them.

It is my opinion that Dickens intends for Tommy to be the more practical foil of Steerforth while sharing this position with Agnes who serves more as a spiritual foil. Tommy is unattractive and chubby as a child. He makes mistakes in judgement and is not the brightest bulb on the tree. He is not rich or from the upper class. He is persecuted by Mr. Creekle. He would be the boy last picked to be on a team by the other members of Salem House. Steerforth, on the other hand, is handsome and aristocratic. He is rich. He is admired and respected not only by the boys but also by the teachers at Salem House. Steerforth is the person everyone, especially David, wants to have as their special friend.

When Steerforth challenges Mr. Mell and is ultimately the cause of Mr. Mell losing is position only Traddles stands up to him and takes him to account for what he has done. Steerforth essentially calls Traddles a sissy ("Miss Poly" I think) for being so sentimental towards Mr. Mell being without a job. The other boys are starting to waver in sympathy to Tommy's position till Steerfoth says, "Don't you know I will write to my mother and she will send him some money." Steerfoth comes from a class which believes that money can solve all problems. Steerforth goes on to say that what he did he did for the good of the boys and everyone cheers him, including David .... Tommy cries for Mr. Mell and is punished for it.

Tommy grows up to be a lawyer and it is suggested, though it does not transpire within the covers of the book, that he will someday become a judge. We know that he will, even though Dickens does not tell us so. What greater judge could there be than a man who, even as a child, could see through the BS of an issue; a child who could see the truth unaffected by the upper class position of he that would lie and would, unfortunately, be believed by others simply on the basis of the position he holds in society?

So why did Tommy Traddles draw skeletons? By drawing skeletons he purged himself of the hate, the despondency, the anguish, and the pain he received by those who held power over him. With each skeleton he drew he looked horror in the face and this allowed him to let go of the bitterness he experienced in his youth. Tommy Traddles grew up to become one of the happiest and most beloved characters in the novel by all who knew him, Steerforth on the other hand was led ultimately to his destruction by his own sense of arrogance.

Part 3 : Climax

There are many subplots within David Copperfield's narrative. Each is a story within the main story we are reading. Each of these subplots centers primarily on one individual and their own personal internal crisis. Some of the subplot's main characters resolve the issues germane to their plight and some never do. When the resolution occurs it occurs at a specific moment of each plot. This moment is called 'climax'.

Aunt Betsy

Aunt Betsy is a man hater. She became a man hater as a result of abuse received at the hands of her husband when she was a young woman. Her husband was very handsome and she loved him but he was not worthy of her. In shades of Miss Havasham from 'Great Expectations' Miss Betsy has resolved to take Clara Copperfield's expected "daughter" under her protection. Aunt Betsy vows that she will see to it that her goddaughter does not share the fate that she has experienced. But when the child is born it is a boy and Aunt Betsy storms out of the house never to return. In writing those early scenes Dickens suggests that Betsy Trotwood is not as mean as she appears to be. David's mother believes that in her distress recalling her deceased husband, David's father, that Aunt Betsy might have touched her hair in sympathy but we are never really sure if this happened. It is strongly on the basis of this disclosure that David travels to Dover to seek his aunt's help for he feels that if this simple display of affection and sympathy actually did take place there might be hope of receiving kindness from his aunt.

As we eventually learn, Aunt Betsy does indeed take him in and provides for him as she has done for Mr. Dick. We begin to understand that her hatred of men has its limits and that she places a higher emphasis on charity and kindness than she does on her hatred. Many are led to believe that Miss Betsy's subplot climax occurs when Agnes gives birth to a girl who at long last fills the place desired by Miss Trotwood at David's birth .... but this is not so. The climax of Miss Betsy's subplot occurs when she cries for her estranged husband when he dies. Much like Traddles skeletons her tears purge the hate that has blinded her for so many years. Perhaps David's birth which led to his subsequent endearment in her heart was the catalyst for forgiveness.

Daniel Peggoty

Mr. Peggotty, unlike Miss Betsy, is a person we KNOW we like from the very minute we meet him. We learn of his kindness to Emily, Ham and Mrs. Gummage and his humility in not tolerating any thanks or other mention regarding his kindnesses. But we learn that there is one thing that seems out of character for him. Ham tells David that Mr. Peggotty did not consider Martha, a disgraced young woman and former friend of Emily, even worthy of walking in the shadow of l'il Emily. Mr. Peggotty considers Martha beneath contempt for what she has become though we are led to believe that her circumstances were not the result of her own free will. But it was Martha who eventually saved Emily who was Mr. Peggotty's reason for living. The climax of Mr. Peggotty's subplot is when, through the bravery and efforts of Martha he once again holds his beloved Emily in his arms. The effect this has upon his former prejudice is evidenced in the chapter entitled 'Emigrants' when he asks David if anything is left undone before he and Emily sail away to Australia. David replies "Martha". And then, in one of the most beautiful moments in the entire canon of English literature, Mr. Peggotty touches a woman standing behind him ... she turns ... and it is Martha.

Mr. Peggotty is taking Martha with him and Emily to Australia thus saving her from her current circumstances and giving her life new birth in another land. In so doing he has himself been redeemed from the pit of prejudice and restored to being the generous man we met at the beginning of the book.

Dora

Dora is David's "child-wife" and unfortunately for David she is, shall we say, a bubblehead. Dora is very immature and incompetent in all things of a practical nature and though we can find no evil in her we sometimes want to shake her and tell her to get with the program. She comes to realize that she and David are at odds sometimes but David resolutely determines to work on the marriage even though he has just about given up hope that Dora will ever being anything else but Dora. Despite her immaturity it is only on her death bed that she soars in our estimation when she has a secret discussion with Agnes and makes her promise that only she, Agnes, will ever take her place in David's life. In this final act she has achieved nobility in our eyes and the climax of her story is centered in this single act of incisive insight.

David Copperfield

Many people consider the climax of the book, for reasons I cannot fathom, to be found in the chapter entitled 'Tempest' and that it is centered in the death of Steerforth and Ham. Actually, the book is about David and the only possible climax would have to be centered in the root of David's own redemption or collapse. The climax of the main story takes place when Mr. Dick brings Annie Strong and Dr. Strong back together. In Annie Strong's supplications to Dr. Strong that he believe the truth of her honest love for him she mentions that age does not matter but rather the likeness of mind (compatibility). It is at this very moment, as David listens to her, that he realizes that Dora is wrong for him and, though they love each other, they will never be happy together because they are so different. David is naive his entire life. It is his naivete' that causes him to blunder constantly. A thief takes his money and his belongings when he is a child, another eats the dinner and drinks the ale he has paid for himself, and most seriously he believes in Steerforth despite the ill treatment of Mr. Mell at Steerforth's hands and the warnings of Agnes. When he hears Annie Strong's words he becomes enlightened to his propensity to err in ways detrimental to himself and others.

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Many times in the novels we read we find that there is some object, place, or behavior by a character that is intentionally inserted by the author to act as a metaphor i.e. something which represents something else. Charles Dickens was a master of this device. I've included a couple of examples from the novel to state my case.

Part 4 : Symbols

As stated in one of my other posts, when Dickens wants to make a point he takes you by the hand back to something he has previously stated time and time again. In so doing he is saying loud and clear "Wake up !!! I'm trying to tell you something."

Peggotty's Sewing tin

Do you remember how often Peggotty appears in the story? And can you remember how often her round tin container of sewing supplies is beside her? In it, besides what we can imagine as spools of thread and buttons ect, she has a bit of wax candle. The wax of the candle is stroked over the thread to stiffen the end of the thread so it will more easily go into the eye of a needle. The measuring tape. The tin box itself with a picture of a pink-shaded dome of St. Paul's cathedral on the lid.

Early in the novel when David is very young he mentions his father's grave and how sorry it made him feel that his father was lying outdoors in the wind and the rain and the darkness of the graveyard while he, his mother and Peggotty were snug inside the house with the candles lit. When l'il Emily leaves Mr. Peggotty puts a lighted candle in the window of the boat-house every night so that Emily might see it and be reminded of her home and those who love her within. Peggotty's bit of wax candle, Dickens is saying loud and clear, is a symbol of the home. The tape measure is the measure of time and the constancy of true love over time. The lid of the tin itself ... what does the picture of a pink dome seem to suggest to you? It is a woman's breast. Peggotty's tin is the symbol of her love and constancy to David. He will always have a home with her if he needs one (candle), her love will be constant in time (the cloth tape), and she will do her best to take the place of the mother who has died in his life if he ever needs her (the dome of St. Paul's - the breast - a universal symbol of motherhood).

Mr. Dick's Kite

Mr. Dick is crazy, but we adore him to distraction. We feel that Aunt Betsy is totally insane as well when she asks his opinion of anything, but we come to learn WHY she asks his opinion. Mr. Dick, in his simplicity, is capable of cutting to the root of a problem because his mind is uncluttered with the morass of superfluous nonsense that sane people carry around with them. When Mr. Dick gives an opinion is is usually the most logical thing to do. Mr. Dick becomes friends with Annie Strong and her husband, Dr. Strong. They both think the world of him and he likewise loves them. Mr. Dick is very unhappy with the fact that there seems to be some difficulty in their marriage and he asks David if David thinks he is crazy. David loves Mr. Dick too much to lie to him and tells him he does think so. To which Mr. Dick becomes hysterically happy because, as he so typically correctly "reasons", as a crazy person he can interfere in the marriage in an attempt to reconcile the couple, a thing a sane person could not do as it would be unacceptable as a matter of form and propriety. He is crazy and can be excused if he takes liberties. And Mr. Dick does interfere and does precisely the right thing to reconcile the pair.

Mr. Dick is forever making and flying kites. David tells us that when the kite is aloft and soaring Mr. Dick is in great joy but when it comes back down to earth he seems bewildered and confused and doesn't seem to know what to do with himself. The kite is representative of Mr. Dick himself. It is plastered with pages of his "memorial" (his autobiography). When his mind is up in the clouds he is in his element. In this state he can soar over the heads of all sane people unencumbered by the obstacles sane people must navigate around or through down on the ground. When he returns to earth, and the practicality of attempting to live in some structured manner not of his own choosing he has, in a manner of speaking, lost his wings.


Part 5: Foreshadowing

Foreshadowing is a device an author employs to drop a hint of something that will transpire later in the story. There are many examples of foreshadowing in this novel. Obviously it is impossible to recognize when an author is foreshadowing an event until later in the novel when the earlier suggestion dovetails with what we come to learn. Here are two examples.

The time of David’s birth - We are told that David was born on the stroke of midnight on a Friday. The superstition of those times held that a person born in the very early morning hours of a Friday was destined to have bad luck and also to be able to see ghosts. We later come to know the “bad luck” David experiences, and as for seeing ghosts ... in his narrative David reflects upon all of the people he has known. At various times David himself states in his narrative that as he writes his story these people appear as ghostly images taken from his memory.

The Rookery - We are told that the house that David, his mother and Peggotty live in was named “The Rookery” by David’s father when he purchased the property. (It was not uncommon for people to give a name to their estates back in those days.) The Rookery was so named because there were many rooks nests present though the family soon learned that they were abandoned. The operative word is “abandoned”. Later in the novel the Murdstones sell the property and David reflects upon it sadly as being empty of its furniture and he imagines the shadows of the trees falling upon the bare walls of the rooms. The description of the abandoned rook nests foreshadow the abandonment of the house itself.

[Tamispeare]

The book is very cute, I enjoyed reading it. The begining is pretty sad, but the continuation is brighter and a heart touching. ^^

I recommend it to everyone! =]

[lady_charlie]

In my student days I decided if I ever had a daughter I would name her Dora.
Heavy sigh...Dora, gone and forgotten. There is no romance left in my life.
David Copperfield is my favorite book by Dickens, well, or rather the one I have read over and over the most.

[gali]

Thank you for the interesting review. I have read this book and some other books of the author in my childhood. They are great books but a bit depressing.

[iMishraRavi]

Yesterday I completed David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. This is really a literary masterpiece. The story of David Copperfield seemed so attached to me that I financial this book the same day I started it. This book reflects the real life feelings,emotions , joys and sorrows as a mirror forms an image.I found many of my childhood experiences in school similar to that of David Copperfield. The account of childhood experiences of school, some harsh realities and overcoming them with continuing struggle filled tears in my eyes . It was so touching that I wept many times.

Although it is a literary masterpiece I found it a great book to draw inspiration and motivation from. It contains those life lessons which are necessary for a successful life . The story of David Copperfield teaches the value of not giving up and continuing struggle. It teaches how to build ourselves and how to rebuild if wreckage occurs to our life. We can learn the values of trust , mutual collaboration ,friendship and love. Above all this book is like a guide to the journey of our life. It is a great asset one can get containing some of the greatest gems in it.

I recommend the story of " David Copperfield" to everyone who is interested in reading books.