David Copperfield
(Charles Dickens)

Choice And Character As The Key To Fate

In David Copperfield, the fate of each person depends on choice as much as character, though character is obviously one of the sources of an individual’s choices. However, choices can also direct and define a person’s character, as David indicates when, as a young child in a difficult situation, he wonders how he will turn out under the present regime of poor treatment resulting from, in this case, his mother’s choices. David is the most complex of all the book’s characters, and his choices do not necessarily follow the path of wisdom, which gives us a chance to witness the connection between choice, character, and fate through David’s own development. The other aspect of this theme, made clearest by Aunt Betsey, is that an individual chooses his character, and therefore his fate, by choosing which qualities to develop. It’s with this thought in mind that most of the following themes are presented.

Love And Kindness Versus Severity And Cruelty

The theme of mercy versus severity is one that runs throughout the book. In David’s own life, his direct experience of cruelty mostly occurs early on, when he is exposed to the Murdstone’s cold, abusive tactics and Mr. Creakle’s whip at Salem House. Things improve when he runs away to his aunt, who, for all her bluntness and vehemence is kindhearted and rational. Most of the characters in the book are kindhearted, and the reader is led to see that patience, faith, and generosity go much further toward producing a positive result than any amount of severity or neglect.

The Power Of Pure Love And Trust

A related theme is the power of pure love and trust, not as opposed to the use of cruelty but in relation to its ability to accomplish an outcome. One of its characteristics is that it never forces a result. Rather, it trusts that all things will work out for the good of all and always allows others a choice. There are many examples of this kind of love: Agnes’s love for David and her devotion to her father; Mr. Peggotty’s faith that he would find and save Emily; Aunt Betsey’s faith in both David and Mr. Dick; the Doctor’s trust in Annie; Annie’s deep love of the Doctor; and Mr. Dick’s pure love that brought the Strongs back together. It was Mr. Peggotty and David’s trust in Martha that gave her a chance to rise above her misery and express her own love for Emily—and through that, to build her life anew. Such love is not momentary or dependent on outward appearances, but it runs so deep that it has the power to shape the future.

Simplicity And Goodness Versus Worldly Pride

This is another of the book’s main themes that come through to different degrees in the lives of various characters. It is not so much related to life station as it is to each character’s ability to be content with his or her lot. Those who do this—Peggotty, Traddles and Sophy, Agnes, Mr. Peggotty, Ham, and Aunt Betsey—lead fruitful, productive lives that are mostly happy. Even Ham, who has a certain sadness about him, expresses a joy that comes only from unselfishness. Those characters who allow even a small amount of worldly vanity to dominate at any point—David’s young mother, Emily, Steerforth and his relations, Littimer, and Uriah Heep—end up paying for it, often causing others unnecessary misery as well. Contentment and modesty do not imply apathy or a lack of effort. The characters who embody these virtues are inevitably hardworking and giving, but they accept life’s ups and down with relative equanimity and would never dream of harming or cheating another person for their own benefit.

The Value Of Faith, Hard Work, And Dedication

The best two instances of this theme are David and Traddles, who with persistence, faith, and diligence manage to pull themselves up by the bootstraps and achieve success and happiness despite various obstacles. The theme comes through in other characters, too. Agnes, Aunt Betsey, and Peggotty all keep immaculate homes and accomplish their chores through ongoing effort. Emily, Ham, and Mr. Peggotty are all known as competent and productive, and later, Mr. Peggotty is determined to travel the world till he finds Emily. Mr. Micawber, who ultimately rises to distinction in Australia, shows himself to be as hard a worker as anyone else, and even Mrs. Gummidge is praised for her hard work and cheerfulness. Traddles’s fiancée Sophy is another instance of someone who is extremely productive and cheerful. Even little Miss Mowcher manages to overcome the obstacle of size through ingenuity, faith in herself, and hard work. Conversely, those who try to attain their goals through fraud and manipulation mostly end up either dead, in jail, or miserable, like the Murdstones.

Generosity And Financial Responsibility

Dickens makes it clear that generosity must proceed from a wealthy state of mind and that no one can be truly wealthy without an honest desire to include others. Many of the characters who obtain wealth work hard for it and are always ready to share it with their families, friends, and those in need. Among the clearest examples in David Copperfield are Dr. Strong, who finds joy in giving, and Traddles and Sophy, who are always ready to serve others, no matter what obstacles it presents for them. Traddles and Sophy don’t start out with a lot of income, but they make the most of what they have and find ways to give regardless of their current means. Other similar characters include Agnes, Peggotty, Mr. Peggotty, Ham, Mr. Dick, Aunt Betsey, Annie, and even Mr. Wickfield, who all demonstrate in varying degree the power of generosity that is born of love. Steerforth, too, exhibits great generosity on many levels in his relationship with David, which accounts in part for David’s love of him. But in Steerforth’s case, there is no issue of financial responsibility, since his source of income is his mother, who gives him whatever he wants.

The best counterexample of financial responsibility is Mr. Micawber, whose enthusiasm for life often gets the better of his sense of financial discipline. But in the end, his selfless integrity wins out, and his life takes a different turn. The best counterexamples of wealth and generosity are the Murdstones and Uriah Heep, who end up struggling financially or, in Uriah’s case, in jail.

Honesty Versus Deception

Another key quality in David Copperfield is honesty, which is considered critical for happiness and success, while deception inevitably leads to a bad fate. Steerforth’s deception of Emily, David, and the boathouse residents resulted in misery for many people and a recklessness that eventually led to his own death at sea. Uriah’s ongoing fraud and forgery caused much consternation and pain, finally landing him in jail.

Honesty, coupled with humane motives, is also the power that sees through all types of disguises. The most obvious example is Miss Mowcher, who saw through Steerforth’s manipulations and, later, Littimer’s physical disguise as he tried to escape his fate as a thief. Aunt Betsey, too, with her blunt honesty, recognized the pattern of abuse in the Murdstones’ self-righteousness, and her directness ensured that they would never trouble her or David again.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

Dickens likes to equate outward appearances with inner states, and most of the time this holds. Uriah Heep is as slimy inwardly as he is outwardly; Agnes is pure; David is innocent in his younger days; his mother is softhearted; Mr. Murdstone is harsh; and so on—all in line with their outward appearance. However, there are exceptions to this. Aunt Betsey’s sharp, rough demeanor at first hides her good, kind nature from many who meet her. But the most notable example is Miss Mowcher, the dwarf hairdresser, who is obviously sharp but whose exaggerated mannerisms make you wonder at first how honest or serious she it. She proves herself, though, when she figures out what Steerforth was doing during his final stay in Yarmouth. Ashamed at her slowness of perception, she moves quickly to make amends and latches onto Littimer as he tries to make his escape, despite the danger and pain to herself. She is Dickens’s mouthpiece for the idea that character should never be judged on the basis of physical traits like size.

Happiness In Relation To Circumstances

There are two messages that run throughout the book in relation to this idea. The first, seen through the changing circumstances and moods in David’s life, is that an individual’s happiness can be greatly affected by circumstances. The most obvious change in relation to this occurs when David runs away from his factory job and is taken in by his aunt. Uriah Heep also acts as a negative factor in the Wickfields’ life, almost entirely destroying Mr. Wickfields’ health and peace of mind.

But there is another thread that the book teaches, which is that a person can achieve contentment and even joy without perfect circumstances. Traddles and Sophy in their early days are a perfect example of this. When money was still tight, they contented themselves with simple pleasures, such as window shopping, half-price theater tickets, or sitting by the fire together. The key was that they made the most of what they had and enjoyed it. The other great example is Mr. Omer, who found great joy and excitement even in a wheelchair, which had many advantages, though he had lost the use of his limbs. In fact, Mr. Omer gives the most obvious verbal expression of this idea.

The Environment As A Symbol And Premonition

“Environment” in this case refers not only to nature but to the different environments created by people. There is a strong connection between the inner and the outer in the novel, so David’s different descriptions of the places he encounters are his way of observing different states. From the bleakness of Salem House or the dismal environment near Millbank Prison to the serenity of Canterbury or the quaint, bustling seaside streets of Yarmouth, David’s detailed descriptions are the key to his experiences and feelings. Sometimes his perceptions presage future events, as when the mist rolls in like the sea at Steerforth’s Highgate home. And sometimes his experiences mirror David’s own changing states, as when he looks out onto the moonlit sea at a new and better life in Dover, or he senses new hope in the pure surroundings of a Swiss valley after a long, dark night of the soul.

The Role Of The Sea

One of the story’s most powerful and dramatic symbols is the sea, and not just the sea but its tributaries. Its character changes from place to place, and its power is unquestioned. Martha felt this most clearly in the river, which began pure and clear in the countryside and then changed as it entered the city, where it became increasingly polluted. She felt her miserable life deserved to become one with the river until it was swallowed up in the sea, and only a pure and noble aim could rescue her from an otherwise overpowering sense of dread.

At the outset of the story, the sea has already been responsible for the drownings of several people we never meet, such as Ham and Emily’s fathers. It is not surprising, therefore, that many who live on its coasts have a deep respect for it but also a deep dread. On the day of Steerforth’s death, the wind blew so hard and the waves towered so high that the townsfolk feared they would engulf the town. That day, the sea appeared as the agent of retribution, and nothing, not even the great goodness of one such as Ham, could stop it in its mission to destroy.

But the sea is also a bringer of good. It is the source of Mr. Peggotty and Ham’s living and the basis of transport by ship, making it the means not only of trade and adventure but the way to a new life beyond the home shores, when it takes the emigrants to Australia.