I think that one of the most memorable characters is Aunt Betsy. She takes on a fatherly figure for David. I found it humerous her dislike for donkeys in her yard as well as the fact that she changes David's name to Trot. Early in the book she wants nothing to do with David or his family, but really helps him down the line.
Mr. and Mrs. Murdstone are also memorable because of the way the novel was written. Dickens makes you want to hate the two like no other. The way they come in and completely control Clara until she dies kind of gives an eerie feeling to the story. Just the name sounds criminal like.
Ms. Peggoty was a vital character because she was David's bright spot in his dark times as a child and into adolescance. It was also ironic that both Ms. Peggoty and David's mom are both named Clara. Once Mrs. Copperfield dies, Ms. Peggoty assumes the motherly role, since the Murdstones are evil.
I do not mean to sound redundant but the Murdstones are very memorable. They are so mean to David. There may even be some symbolism to their names. First off Murd looks an awful lot like the work murder, while I would not go so far to say they are murderers but they are more killjoys who seek to destroy David’s spirit. Secondly stone, they are hard like stones. Pegotty is another good one. She was especially memorable because of the way Dickens has David describe her. She was so plump and had “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 that I wondered the birds didn't peck her in preference to apples.” This and the times when he mentions buttons flying off her dress when she hugs him really made me laugh. David himself is an interesting character. I enjoy the way he describes things. He goes into too much detail sometimes and observes some strange things but it is different than the dull excessive details in Jane Eyre. One scene I especially remember is in church in chapter two where he describes his thoughts. “I look from Mr. Chillip, in his Sunday neckcloth, to the pulpit; and think what a good place it would be to play in, and what a castle it would make, with another boy coming up the stairs to attack it, and having the velvet cushion with the tassels thrown down on his head.” I have been reading the book online so I do not really have page numbers to cite for the quotations.
Of all the characters I find Steerforth the most memorable. Above all he is self-centered. I found him memorable because of his internal psychological issues. Much of his self-centeredness stems from the way that his mother treats him. She babies him and does what ever he wants. For example, when Steerforth decides to leave Emily because he feels like it Mrs. Steerforth just takes care of it for him. “I was willing to do anything to relieve Mr. James from his difficulty and to restore harmony between himself and an affectionate parent, who has undergone so much on his account… The young woman’s violence when she came to, after I broke the fact of his departure, was beyond all expectations”(618). David, however seems to trust him. Steerforth takes advantage of people for his own whims. The very first thing he asks David is if he will give him all his money. “You had better give it to me to take care of” (78). He makes it seem like he is just trying to help people out which is how David perceives his actions. Another act of sell-centeredness is Steerforth’s infatuation with Emily(or Em’ly). Even though she is with Ham, Steerforth insists on continuing to peruse her by somewhat corny romantic means such as naming his boat after her(299). Later when David has prepared house for Steerforth’s arrival, Steerforth simply blows off all of David’s arrangements. David had anticipated this quite a bit so much so that he feels “after two days and night, I felt as if I had lived there for a year”(328). Then Steerforth shows up and says “I’m going to breakfast with one of these fellows who is at the Piazza Hotel, in Covet Garden”(329). Then he goes on to blow off David’s dinner invitation. This is entirely inconsiderate and we as readers couldn’t really expect anything else from him at this point. Steerforth’s lack of emotional attachment is apparent when Barkis dies. He takes a just press on with life attitude and seems to think that life is some sort of competition or race. “The sun sets everyday, people die every minute and we mustn’t be scared by the by the common lot” (392). This statement might actually be a good thing to say in this situation but how he continues is a bit insensitive and off base. “If we failed to hold our own, because that equal foot in all men’s doors was heard knocking somewhere, every object in this world would slip from us. No! Ride on! Rough shod if need be, smooth shod if that will do but ride on. Ride over all obstacles, and win the race”(392). He is basically telling David to suck it up and get over it which is probably not the best thing to say to someone who is dealing with their friend’s impending death. Steerforth seems to blame all of his character flaws on his lack of a father. He confides this in David. “David, I wish to God I had had a judicious father these last twenty years…I wish with all my soul I had been better guided…I wish with all my soul I could guide myself better” (296). It seems that this internal conflict floats below the surface. There is this battle between Steerfourt’s want to be a better person and his inclination to be selfish. His self-serving nature always wins out. It is interesting that he dies at sea because his life is sort of the same way. His mind was always tossing on tempest waves and the bad won out just as his life was cast into the waves and the bad, death, won out.
I think that there were a lot of memorable characters in the novel, but the two that stuck out most in my mind were Mr. Dick and Tommy Traddles.
♥Mr. Dick is one of my favorite characters, because he is genuine and loving to David. One of my favorite parts in the novel was when David showed up to his aunt’s house, and she asks what she should do with David, and he replies, “'Why, if I was you,' said Mr. Dick, considering, and looking vacantly at me, 'I should -'…'I should wash him!'” (Chapter 13). That remark shows that he has a genuine care for David. Another time that Mr. Dick shows he is a loving person, is when he brings peace into Dr. Strong and Annie’s lives at a tough time. An interesting characteristic about Mr. Dick is his obsession with King Charles I prevents him from getting anything done. He has a hard time trying to get his book Memorial done, because he keeps on making references to the king. David explains to “Traddles that there was a difficulty in keeping King Charles the First out of Mr. Dick's manuscripts”, but that Mr. Dick needs a job. It is very emotional for Mr. Dick and David when Mr. Dick successfully overcomes his obsession at his job and earns some money. ♥ Tommy Traddles was another warm, memorable character in the novel. It was heart wrenching that he is beat at school more than the other boys, because he was fat. He is one of David’s most sacred friends. His hard work to train as a lawyer is very admirable. He saves money for the bar exam by living in a small unfurnished house. Upon one of David’s visits to his place “[Traddle’s] table was covered with papers, and he was hard at work in an old coat” (370). Though he is one of the poorest characters in the novel, he finds his love, and lives as one of the happiest characters in the book. At the end of the novel we see that Tommy Traddles it is evident that Tommy is living his happily ever after in the scene where “Traddles, exactly the same simple, unaffected fellow as he ever was, sits at the foot of the large table like a Patriarch; and Sophy beams upon him, from the head, across a cheerful space that is certainly not glittering with Britannia metal” (814).
My favorite character in the novel is Mr. Dick. I think one of the big problems in the world today (and probably then too) is that people tend to think about things too much and sometimes go overboard in analyzing situations and making decisions. Mr. Dick reminds us that sometimes the answer really is that simple, and we should do the common sense thing. When the Murdstones meet with Aunt Betsey to discuss David’s future, I had the feeling for a while that David might in fact be forced to live with the Murdstones again, however because of Mr. Dick’s simple, logical, common sense thought process, David is saved from returning to a life of pain and rejection. Also, you have to love Dick for his persistence with writing his story, that really brings out the innocent, simple nature of the man. I’ll also remember David. He’s the character we spend the most time getting to know (obviously), and the way he matures is quite memorable. Maybe it’s just me, but I think Dickens does a good job of showing, through David, the challenges of growing up and the decisions and choices people are forced to make throughout their lives. David is a character that people can easily relate to because his story, that of growing up, is experienced by everyone. Specifically, I can relate to the way he learns to develop relationships. It takes David time to learn who his true friends (not Steerforth) are and who he really wants to be with. I think a lot of people go through that, especially high school students during their first year or two of high school, and Dickens does a good job of showing that part of growing up.
I really enjoy Peggotty, and see her as one of the most memorable characters of the novel. The way she is portrayed as a comforter and so sweet is very appealing. Also she seems to genuinely care about others and their affairs, I know someone like this and they are one of my favorite persons ever.
I also like Mr. Peggotty. He is a strong good natured fisherman who aims to please. He seems "good as gold and true as steel" (31) Takes in the orphaned Ham and Emily and the widowed Mrs. Gummidge and is a caring soul.
I find Steerforth to be not enjoyable, but highly interesting. He has an air of drawing people to him, even to the point where David seems subservient to him. His character flaws intrigue me. He is arrogant,but in a way that makes you more intrigued. Just the way he seems to use people and treat them as inferiors I find highly interesting, he never really quite grew up or has any moral guidance which I believe to be his most interesting character flaw.
My personal favorite character is Tommy Traddles. He is always sort of a secondary character, but he is completely loyal and faithful to David Copperfield. He is a pitiable character, "the merriest and most miserable of all the boys," but he is strong in his own sense. He seems like the most straightforward character in the book. He obviously does not have as much depth as David or even Steerforth, but his moral background sort of shines through to me.
The Peggotty family is another great group of minor protagonists. They have always been sort of parent figures to David, especially Ms. Peggotty. The name of Peggotty was there to comfort David through his Murdstone ordeal.
Finally, Steerforth is memorable simply because of his hedonistic view on life; he steers everything to please himself, and leaves nothing for anyone else. He is a very charismatic character, and it takes nearly David's entire lifetime (in the book) to realize he is nothing but a spoiled little brat who should not be trusted.
a. One of my favorite characters in the entire novel is Aunt Betsey. She is probably the person whom I laughed at the most. I found humor in her obsession with “bring(ing) action for trespass against the whole donkey proprietorship of Dover” (183). Her continued hatred for donkeys being on her lawn is one constant comic relief in the novel. Another of my favorite characters is Miss Mowcher who happens to be a “tiny” woman. Her conversation with David describing how she must be sarcastic to get noticed in the world is another humorous moment in David Copperfield. It also provides a good lesson in David’s life- "try not to associate bodily defects with mental, my good friend” (427), or to not base opinions off of appearances.
8 comments:
I think that one of the most memorable characters is Aunt Betsy. She takes on a fatherly figure for David. I found it humerous her dislike for donkeys in her yard as well as the fact that she changes David's name to Trot. Early in the book she wants nothing to do with David or his family, but really helps him down the line.
Mr. and Mrs. Murdstone are also memorable because of the way the novel was written. Dickens makes you want to hate the two like no other. The way they come in and completely control Clara until she dies kind of gives an eerie feeling to the story. Just the name sounds criminal like.
Ms. Peggoty was a vital character because she was David's bright spot in his dark times as a child and into adolescance. It was also ironic that both Ms. Peggoty and David's mom are both named Clara. Once Mrs. Copperfield dies, Ms. Peggoty assumes the motherly role, since the Murdstones are evil.
I do not mean to sound redundant but the Murdstones are very memorable. They are so mean to David. There may even be some symbolism to their names. First off Murd looks an awful lot like the work murder, while I would not go so far to say they are murderers but they are more killjoys who seek to destroy David’s spirit. Secondly stone, they are hard like stones.
Pegotty is another good one. She was especially memorable because of the way Dickens has David describe her. She was so plump and had “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 that I wondered the birds didn't peck her in preference to apples.” This and the times when he mentions buttons flying off her dress when she hugs him really made me laugh.
David himself is an interesting character. I enjoy the way he describes things. He goes into too much detail sometimes and observes some strange things but it is different than the dull excessive details in Jane Eyre. One scene I especially remember is in church in chapter two where he describes his thoughts. “I look from Mr. Chillip, in his Sunday neckcloth, to the pulpit; and think what a good place it would be to play in, and what a castle it would make, with another boy coming up the stairs to attack it, and having the velvet cushion with the tassels thrown down on his head.”
I have been reading the book online so I do not really have page numbers to cite for the quotations.
Of all the characters I find Steerforth the most memorable. Above all he is self-centered. I found him memorable because of his internal psychological issues. Much of his self-centeredness stems from the way that his mother treats him. She babies him and does what ever he wants. For example, when Steerforth decides to leave Emily because he feels like it Mrs. Steerforth just takes care of it for him. “I was willing to do anything to relieve Mr. James from his difficulty and to restore harmony between himself and an affectionate parent, who has undergone so much on his account… The young woman’s violence when she came to, after I broke the fact of his departure, was beyond all expectations”(618). David, however seems to trust him. Steerforth takes advantage of people for his own whims. The very first thing he asks David is if he will give him all his money. “You had better give it to me to take care of” (78). He makes it seem like he is just trying to help people out which is how David perceives his actions. Another act of sell-centeredness is Steerforth’s infatuation with Emily(or Em’ly). Even though she is with Ham, Steerforth insists on continuing to peruse her by somewhat corny romantic means such as naming his boat after her(299). Later when David has prepared house for Steerforth’s arrival, Steerforth simply blows off all of David’s arrangements. David had anticipated this quite a bit so much so that he feels “after two days and night, I felt as if I had lived there for a year”(328). Then Steerforth shows up and says “I’m going to breakfast with one of these fellows who is at the Piazza Hotel, in Covet Garden”(329). Then he goes on to blow off David’s dinner invitation. This is entirely inconsiderate and we as readers couldn’t really expect anything else from him at this point. Steerforth’s lack of emotional attachment is apparent when Barkis dies. He takes a just press on with life attitude and seems to think that life is some sort of competition or race. “The sun sets everyday, people die every minute and we mustn’t be scared by the by the common lot” (392). This statement might actually be a good thing to say in this situation but how he continues is a bit insensitive and off base. “If we failed to hold our own, because that equal foot in all men’s doors was heard knocking somewhere, every object in this world would slip from us. No! Ride on! Rough shod if need be, smooth shod if that will do but ride on. Ride over all obstacles, and win the race”(392). He is basically telling David to suck it up and get over it which is probably not the best thing to say to someone who is dealing with their friend’s impending death. Steerforth seems to blame all of his character flaws on his lack of a father. He confides this in David. “David, I wish to God I had had a judicious father these last twenty years…I wish with all my soul I had been better guided…I wish with all my soul I could guide myself better” (296). It seems that this internal conflict floats below the surface. There is this battle between Steerfourt’s want to be a better person and his inclination to be selfish. His self-serving nature always wins out. It is interesting that he dies at sea because his life is sort of the same way. His mind was always tossing on tempest waves and the bad won out just as his life was cast into the waves and the bad, death, won out.
I think that there were a lot of memorable characters in the novel, but the two that stuck out most in my mind were Mr. Dick and Tommy Traddles.
♥Mr. Dick is one of my favorite characters, because he is genuine and loving to David. One of my favorite parts in the novel was when David showed up to his aunt’s house, and she asks what she should do with David, and he replies, “'Why, if I was you,' said Mr. Dick, considering, and looking vacantly at me, 'I should -'…'I should wash him!'” (Chapter 13). That remark shows that he has a genuine care for David. Another time that Mr. Dick shows he is a loving person, is when he brings peace into Dr. Strong and Annie’s lives at a tough time. An interesting characteristic about Mr. Dick is his obsession with King Charles I prevents him from getting anything done. He has a hard time trying to get his book Memorial done, because he keeps on making references to the king. David explains to “Traddles that there was a difficulty in keeping King Charles the First out of Mr. Dick's manuscripts”, but that Mr. Dick needs a job. It is very emotional for Mr. Dick and David when Mr. Dick successfully overcomes his obsession at his job and earns some money.
♥ Tommy Traddles was another warm, memorable character in the novel. It was heart wrenching that he is beat at school more than the other boys, because he was fat. He is one of David’s most sacred friends. His hard work to train as a lawyer is very admirable. He saves money for the bar exam by living in a small unfurnished house. Upon one of David’s visits to his place “[Traddle’s] table was covered with papers, and he was hard at work in an old coat” (370). Though he is one of the poorest characters in the novel, he finds his love, and lives as one of the happiest characters in the book. At the end of the novel we see that Tommy Traddles it is evident that Tommy is living his happily ever after in the scene where “Traddles, exactly the same simple, unaffected fellow as he ever was, sits at the foot of the large table like a Patriarch; and Sophy beams upon him, from the head, across a cheerful space that is certainly not glittering with Britannia metal” (814).
My favorite character in the novel is Mr. Dick. I think one of the big problems in the world today (and probably then too) is that people tend to think about things too much and sometimes go overboard in analyzing situations and making decisions. Mr. Dick reminds us that sometimes the answer really is that simple, and we should do the common sense thing. When the Murdstones meet with Aunt Betsey to discuss David’s future, I had the feeling for a while that David might in fact be forced to live with the Murdstones again, however because of Mr. Dick’s simple, logical, common sense thought process, David is saved from returning to a life of pain and rejection. Also, you have to love Dick for his persistence with writing his story, that really brings out the innocent, simple nature of the man.
I’ll also remember David. He’s the character we spend the most time getting to know (obviously), and the way he matures is quite memorable. Maybe it’s just me, but I think Dickens does a good job of showing, through David, the challenges of growing up and the decisions and choices people are forced to make throughout their lives. David is a character that people can easily relate to because his story, that of growing up, is experienced by everyone. Specifically, I can relate to the way he learns to develop relationships. It takes David time to learn who his true friends (not Steerforth) are and who he really wants to be with. I think a lot of people go through that, especially high school students during their first year or two of high school, and Dickens does a good job of showing that part of growing up.
I really enjoy Peggotty, and see her as one of the most memorable characters of the novel. The way she is portrayed as a comforter and so sweet is very appealing. Also she seems to genuinely care about others and their affairs, I know someone like this and they are one of my favorite persons ever.
I also like Mr. Peggotty. He is a strong good natured fisherman who aims to please. He seems "good as gold and true as steel" (31) Takes in the orphaned Ham and Emily and the widowed Mrs. Gummidge and is a caring soul.
I find Steerforth to be not enjoyable, but highly interesting. He has an air of drawing people to him, even to the point where David seems subservient to him. His character flaws intrigue me. He is arrogant,but in a way that makes you more intrigued. Just the way he seems to use people and treat them as inferiors I find highly interesting, he never really quite grew up or has any moral guidance which I believe to be his most interesting character flaw.
My personal favorite character is Tommy Traddles. He is always sort of a secondary character, but he is completely loyal and faithful to David Copperfield. He is a pitiable character, "the merriest and most miserable of all the boys," but he is strong in his own sense. He seems like the most straightforward character in the book. He obviously does not have as much depth as David or even Steerforth, but his moral background sort of shines through to me.
The Peggotty family is another great group of minor protagonists. They have always been sort of parent figures to David, especially Ms. Peggotty. The name of Peggotty was there to comfort David through his Murdstone ordeal.
Finally, Steerforth is memorable simply because of his hedonistic view on life; he steers everything to please himself, and leaves nothing for anyone else. He is a very charismatic character, and it takes nearly David's entire lifetime (in the book) to realize he is nothing but a spoiled little brat who should not be trusted.
a. One of my favorite characters in the entire novel is Aunt Betsey. She is probably the person whom I laughed at the most. I found humor in her obsession with “bring(ing) action for trespass against the whole donkey proprietorship of Dover” (183). Her continued hatred for donkeys being on her lawn is one constant comic relief in the novel. Another of my favorite characters is Miss Mowcher who happens to be a “tiny” woman. Her conversation with David describing how she must be sarcastic to get noticed in the world is another humorous moment in David Copperfield. It also provides a good lesson in David’s life- "try not to associate bodily defects with mental, my good friend” (427), or to not base opinions off of appearances.
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