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David Copperfield

Important Events in The

Novel David Copperfield
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Symposium of Critics
Remark on David Copperfield

Poor Society in The

Novel David Copperfield

(1). David's Reaction to the Re-

Marriage of his Mother

      When David returns from his visit

to Mr. Peggotty's house at Yarmouth,
he found that his mother had been
married to Mr. Murdstone. Mr.
Murdstone had been visiting their
house quite often for some time
before. But David had conceived a
dislike of Mr. Murdstone from the
very Arst day he saw him. He felt
jealous of Mr. Murdstone and did not
like Mr. Murdstone to touch his
mother. There was something hard
and metallic in the nature of Mr.
Murdstone which frightened David.
His suspicions were justiAed by the
treatment which he received at the
hands of Mr. Murdstone. He treated
David cruelly and tried to crush all joy
and conAdence out of him. David
could never forgive Murdstone for his
almost inhuman treatment. The child
knew instinctively that he had to deal
with human monsters in the form of
Mr. and Miss Murdstone. They
tormented David in order to torture
his mother. It seems to be no doubt
that they were responsible for the
misery of David and the early death of
his mother.

(2). Circumstances Leading David

to the Boarding House

      Mr. Murdstone and David never

liked each other. They were
prejudiced against each other from
the very beginning. David found Mr.
Murdstone to be cruel, harsh and
utterly devoid of love and human
feelings. He believed in nothing but
the rod. David on the other hand was
hungry for love, which was sadly
denied to him. Mr. Murdstone's charge
against David was that he was willful
and spoiled. He was idle and would
not improve unless severely
punished. He might be correct about
David's willfulness. But he was
absolutely wrong about the method he
adopted to reform him.

      Soon after Mr. Murdstone's

marriage to David's mother, Miss
Murdstone the elder sister of Mr.
Murdstone, came to live with them
permanently and assumed full control
of the house. She thought that David's
mother was too young and too soft to
bring up David well. So, under the
joint supervision of Mr. and Miss
Murdstone, David's mother was
required to give lessons to David and
teach him. This turned out to be an
unfortunate arrangement.

      His mother used to teach David

with Mr. Murdstone and Miss
Murdstone sitting in the same room
and keeping a close eye on him. If
David omitted a single word or made a
single mistake, both of them would
look up ominously at David and his
mother. And David found all that he
had learned slipping out of his mind
and he blundered more and more. He
could not think of his lessons and his
mind wandered and he thought of
things which had nothing to do with
his lessons. He found his position still
more hopeless while doing sums. He
could never solve the difAcult sums
dictated by Murdstone and remained
in disgrace for the rest of the evening.

      One day David found Murdstone

tying a lash to a cane. David was told
to be careful about his lessons or he
would be whipped. His mother mildly
protested that the method of the rod
did never improve anybody. But Mr.
and Miss Murdstone were "all for
Armness". The sight of the lash was
enough to bewilder David. He did
worse than on any other day.
Murdstone gravely led him upstairs
and whipped him there. David
became mad with pain and bit
Murdstone's hand. Then Murdstone
beat him mercilessly. Then
Murdstone shut David in the room
where he remained in the state of
conAnement for four days. He was
allowed only half an hour's walk in
the garden and Miss Murdstone
brought him his food.

      On the Afth day, he was allowed to

come down for breakfast and was told
that he was going to the Salem House
School. The cart appeared at the gate
and moved away with David to
school. Murdstone wrote about this
incident to the headmaster of the
school, Mr. Creakle and asked him to
be cruel to David as he was in the
habit of biting. The wretched time
which David had at the school Alls the
mind of the reader with grief and
pain. It was under these very
depressing circumstances that David
was sent to Salem House School. He
was sent there more for a punishment
than for education.

(3). The Description of the Salem

House School and David's
Experiences

      (a) David was sent to Salem House

School as a punishment. It was the
worst school in the country. It was a
school where the teacher whipped
and caned the boys and broke their
ribs. It was ruled with an iron hand
and a rod.

      The Salem House School, was

enclosed by a high brick-wall and
looked very dull. It was a square brick
building with a bare and unfurnished
appearance. The place looked
specially grim to David on his Arst
visit to the place, as it was the time of
holidays and there were no boys to be
seen.

      The class rooms were almost

empty and depressing. There was a
long room with three rows of desks
and dotted all over with pegs for hats
and slats. Scraps of old copy books
and exercises were lying all over the
dirty Qoor. The rooms smelt bad.

      The playground was a bare

graveled yard, open to all the backs of
the houses and the ofAces. On the old
door of the playground almost all the
boys had scratched their names. The
playground was very dusty and
looked just like a desert.

      (b) David had the bitterest

experience in the place and spent
some of the unhappiest time of his life
there. When he went there for the Arst
time it was a holiday. But under
instructions from the headmaster
who was, enjoying his holiday, a
placard bearing the words: "Take care
of him. He bites."

      The school opened and the boys

came in. Traddles was the Arst to
come and read David's placard. He
laughed and introduced David to
every boy who came later on
mischievously pointing the placard to
him. The boy would look at David as if
he actually were a little dog and called
him "Towzer." This was naturally
humiliating among so many strangers
and caused him to shed some tears.

      David was produced before Creakle

as soon as the school opened. He was
a bald cruel man. He told David that
he knew his father and said that he
was a Tartar, a cruel barbarian and
would have his way. He knew his
duty and would do it. He punched the
ear of David so hard that he felt as if
his ear was blazing. However, David
had the courage to request Creakle to
be allowed to remove the dread
placard. But Creakle looked at David
so Aercely that he ran out of the room
shrieking.

      David was formally admitted into

the school after he had been received
by Steerforth, the head boy of the
school.

      David lived in the same room with

Steerforth and a few other students,
and the friendship of Steerforth saved
him from much trouble and pain in
that awful school.

      Soon David Ands that Creakle was

in fact a Tartar. He was the sternest
and the most severe of the masters.
They whipped the boys mercilessly.
He was a very ignorant person. He
knew nothing but whipping. Besides
him, there were two other teachers,
Mr. Sharp and Mr. Mell. Mr. Mell was
the only gentle person. He was always
kind to David.

      This was a school which was

administered by the rod. It believed
the boys to have no honor and faith
and suspected them of all sorts of
wickedness. In short, it was no school,
but a place where innocent 'criminals'
were to be lashed and punished. No
wonder that the boys did not learn
anything at the school. They were
much too troubled and knocked about
to learn. They remained trembling in
constant dread of the cane. David was,
however, more fortunate. He was
protected by Steerforth and was able
to pick up some crumbs of knowledge.

      There were two memorable

incidents during David's stay in this
cursed school. First was the quarrel
between Mr. Mell and Steerforth the
most disgraceful thing that could
happen in any school. The second
was a visit from Mr. Peggotty and Mr.
Ham; the most pleasant thing that
could happen to David there.

(4). Dr. Strong's School where

David was Sent by his Aunt Betsey
Or
Contrast the Di!erences between
the School of Mr. Creakle and Dr.
Strong

      (a) David’s aunt took care him very

kindly. She adopted him as her child
and sent him to the school of Dr.
Strong for education. It was a grave
building in a courtyard. It had a
learned air about it.

      The school room was pretty large

hall. It was on the quietest side of the
house. There were then about twenty-
Ave students studying with Dr. Strong.

      Dr. Strong was kind and scholarly.

He believed his students and appealed
to their sense of duty and honor. The
school was well ordered and the
students were well-behaved. They
also made good progress at their
studies.

      Some of the higher scholars

boarded at Dr. Strong's house. Dr.
Strong at that time was engaged in
compiling a monumental Greek
Dictionary which was not likely to be
completed in his lifetime.

      Dr. Strong's school was one of the

best schools of that time. The scholars
were happy. They acquired good
habits, self-respect and self-
conAdence there. David soon outgrew
the sordid inQuence of Murdstone and
Grinby's Warehouse. He was happy
and made rapid progress in games
and studies and everybody spoke well
of him to aunt Betsey whenever she
visited that school. Here David was
once again restored to his happy and
innocent childhood. Being sent to this
school was one of the luckiest things
that could happen to David.

      (b) David went Arst to the Salem

House School and afterward to Dr.
Strong's school. The two schools had
just the opposite atmosphere,
traditions and methods. Salem House
was governed by brutal force.
Tyranny and torture were its accepted
methods. Boys were regarded as
wicked and were distrusted in
everything. They were made to
believe that they had no noble
instincts. A close watch was kept and
the cane and the whip were used at
the slightest provocation, and quite
often without any provocation.

      The result of this barbaric rule was

that the boys acquired the undesirable
habit of obeying force only. There was
suppression but no discipline. The
incident connected with Mr. Mell
could only happen in a school like
Salem House. Just as Mr. Creakle was
obeyed because he was a Tartar, in the
same way Steerforth was dreaded and
patronized by Creakle because he was
a powerful bully. He was the favorite
of the headmaster and he could not
only tyrannize over the students but
could also insult a good and gentle
teacher like Mr. Mell. The atmosphere
of the place was altogether not
favorable to the growth of any healthy
spirit among the students.

      Dr. Strong's on the other hand, was

the right type of school. It was
governed by love and faith. The
teachers loved their pupils and the
pupils loved and respected their
teachers. The boys felt happy and
they gave their best to everything.
They were trusted and believed to be
good and they tried to earn and
deserve this trust. They made
wonderful progress at both games and
studied and zealously guarded the
prestige and honor of the institution.
The school was well-organized and
properly managed. It was run on very
sound lines. Every student felt that he
had a hand in the management of the
school and tried to sustain the
character and dignity of the school.

      The effect on the character and

education of the student was equally
different. Mr. Creakle's pupils were
undisciplined. They were too
disturbed to make any progress with
their studies. The pupils of Dr. Strong
were likely to grow up to be Ane
gentlemen, self-respecting and
digniAed.

      Doctor Strong's school was as

different from Mr. Creakle's as good is
from evil.

(5). David Copper"eld at

Murdstone and Grinby's Warehouse

      David received the news at Salem

House that his mother had died. He
went home in mourning. This was the
saddest thing that could happen to
him. He loved his mother tenderly and
he never suspected that she would die
so soon. His heart was heavy with
sorrow and he was stricken with
grief.

      David was now left quite alone.

Peggotty had also been turned out of
the house. He fell to a state of neglect.
He received no love or attention from
cruel Mr. and Miss Murdstone. They
disliked him and sullenly, sternly,
steadily over-looked him. Murdstone
thought of David as an unnecessary
burden and wanted to get rid of him.
He sent David with Mr. Quinion, his
friend and manager of Murdstone and
Grinby's warehouse. David was to
begin his life in the world on his own
account.

      Murdstone and Grinby's

warehouse was at the end of a narrow
dirty lane. It was literally overrun
with rats. They dealt in wine and sold
it to certain packet ships. David along
with some other boys was employed
to receive and wash empty bottles.
The bottles were to be carefully
examined at the time of receiving and
if Qawed, were to be rejected. He had
to paste labels on full bottles and put
seal or corks on them. These were to
be labeled and packed also.

      The work was very hard. The

worst part of it was that he had to
work with boys who were not the
right type of society for a boy like
David. There were Mick Walker and
Mealy Potato were his companions.
When he thought of his companions
at school and compared them with
his present companions his heart was
Alled with pain and grief.

      He was to stay with Mr. and Mrs.

Micawber in a small and unfurnished
room in a dirty lane. The Anancial
difAculties and crisis of the Micawber
family always made David's heart
heavy. Micawber was taken to prison
for debts and David had to leave that
house and seek another lodging.

      David's life was extremely

miserable. He got very low wages
which would hardly stretch over a
week. He had very little to eat and no
joy or pride in this base work. There
was nobody to look after him and to
guide him. There was every chance of
his growing into a vagabond and a
rogue. He writes pathetically, "From
Monday morning till Saturday night I
had no advice, no counsel, no
encouragement, no consolation, no
assistance, no support of any kind... I
know that, but for the grace of God, I
might easily have been, for any car
that was taken of me, a little robber or
a little vagabond."

      David felt extremely wretched and

had almost lost every hope of getting
rid of this wretched life. One day he
thought of his aunt Betsey Trotwood
and found out her address from
Peggotty and left for Dover on Sunday.
It was a desperate attempt to escape
from Murdstone and Grinbyzs
Warehouse.

(6). David's Love and His Marriage

with Dora

      David was in love with Dora, the

daughter of Mr. Spenlow to whom he
was articled. He had met her on a
week-end visit to Mr. Spenlow's
house. He had fallen in love with her
at the Arst sight. He felt happy when
he thought of her. He made up his
mind to meet her and declare his love
for her. He wanted to know his fate.
Dora was on a short visit to a friend of
hers named Miss Mills. He arrived at
her house. He found Dora sitting alone
in a room upstairs. He made his
proposal and said that he loved her
very much and that he would die
without her. Dora gave her approval.
Soon they were engaged. The time
after the engagement was indeed very
sweet. They had their meetings, their
quarrels and conciliations.

      Next day David wrote to Agnes. He

told her about his engagement with
Dora and his happiness. By return
post, he got a reply to his letter. When
he returned to his chambers, he was
surprised to And his aunt and Mr. Dick
waiting for him there. Her unexpected
visit gave him lot of pleasure. His aunt
sat on luggage which she had brought
with her.

      David could at once see that his

aunt was inwardly very much
agitated. He began to wonder if he had
offended her in any way. But she
removed all his doubts and told him
about the purpose of her visit. His
aunt explained to him that she was
utterly ruined. The luggage on which
she sat was the only thing she
possessed.

      David told his aunt that he was in

love with Dora. His aunt did not
oppose him, but she appeared to be
interested more in Agnes than in
Dora. David was deeply in love with
Dora. He wanted to make her his life
partner. His aunt thought that David
was not acting wisely in choosing
Dora in preference to Agnes.

      David doubted if he would get the

permission of Mr. Spenlow to marry
his daughter. But before David could
get Mr. Spenlow's permission he died.
Dora was very miserable. She cried for
her dead father. She had two aunts
with whom she went to live. David
felt sorry for her. There was one thing,
however, which gave him satisfaction.
Now that Dora was poor like him, she
could be his wife without the world
saying that he had married her for
money.

      David now sought Agnes's advice

on the subject of his courtship. Agnes
advised him to write to the aunts of
Dora for permission to carry on the
courtship. He did as Agnes had
advised him. This went on for a year.
At the end of this period David
married Dora. Traddles who was now
a lawyer, acted as his best man.

(7). Mr. Micawber Exposes the

Schemes of Uriah Heep

      Mr. Micawber was employed by

Uriah Heep as his conAdential clerk.
Uriah Heep knew that Mr. Micawber
was always in Anancial difAculties
and advanced him large sums of
money and had him under his full
control. He began to make use of
Micawber for furthering his wicked
plans against Mr. WickAeld.

      Mr. Micawber's nature revolted

against this villainy; He felt choked in
this dirty atmosphere of villainy,
deceit and wickedness. He wanted to
get away from there. But at the same
time, he would not like to triumph
wickedness over innocence. He made
up his mind to expose Uriah Heep and
blow him to pieces.

      Mr. Micawber passed on all the

information and secrets he knew to
Traddles. In consultation with
Traddles, he wrote a letter to David
and invited him, Agnes, Betsey
Trotwood and others at Canterbury.
They could see clearly that Micawber
had some issue and something
serious was weighing on his mind.

      David and all reached Canterbury

at the appointed time. Micawber
showed them to Uriah Heep’s room
and they all are gathered there. Uriah
Heep asked Mr. Micawber to leave the
room and go away but he refused to
do so.

      Most dramatically Mr. Micawber

drew out a long document from his
pocket and began to read it. He read
out an account of several villainous
activities perpetrated by Uriah Heep
one by one and asked Uriah to deny
them if he could. The charge-sheet
which Mr. Micawber had prepared
was a long one. It included forgery
and preparation of false accounts,
entries and documents by Uriah Heep.
He also exposed the bond which
Uriah Heep had forged under the false
signatures of Mr. WickAeld against
WickAeld and Agnes.

      Uriah Heep came out in his darkest

colors. Now exposed, he threw away
the garb of his false humility and
became deAant and charged David
and others of conspiracy. He
threatened David and Agnes of dire
consequences.

      But all the books and important

documents had been passed on by Mr.
Micawber to Trad dies. So the credit
goes to Mr. Micawber that the darkest
schemes of Uriah Heep were exposed
and shattered to pieces by him.

      The exposure of Heep is one of the

most melodramatic incidents in the
book.

(8). David's Marriage with Agnes

      Dora was dead. Her death left

David depressed and dejected. On
Agnes's advice he went on a foreign
tour. He wandered for sometimes in
Switzerland. In the beginning, he had
no interest either in the beautiful
scenes and sights of nature or the
human beings in whose midst he
lived. Gradually under the tender
inQuence of Agnes, David's interest
and charm in things revived. He
wrote a book while abroad which was
kindly received at home and he
became a famous author. He made up
his mind and returned to his country
earlier than he was expected.

      He spent sometime with his aunt

Betsey and his kind nurse Peggotty.
He then visited Traddles and was
delighted to And him happily married
to the girl of his heart. He then went to
meet Agnes.

      He sat with Agnes in the window

of her room and thanked her for the
great solace and support she had been
to him throughout his life, specially
the hour of his recent afQiction. He
felt that he could not live without her
any longer. He would like to have her
as his wife if she agreed. He proposed
her and she agreed. All his reserve
now was over and his love came
gushing out. He told her with love and
gratitude that all that he was, she had
made him. She had inspired him to do
nobler things. He would be ever led by
her till he died. He had loved her all
along.

      She tenderly told him in her turn

that she had also loved him all her
life. They were married within a
fortnight. David was happy to learn
later that his dear Dora had requested
Agnes at her death-bed to marry
David. They lived blissfully happy
afterward.

(9). Iraddles and his Part in the

Novel

      David Arst met Traddles at the

Salem House School run by Mr.
Creakle. Traddles was the Arst boy to
return from home to the school and he
laughed on seeing the placard. "Take
care of him, he bites" on the back of
David. He introduced David to the
boys who came to the school later by
pointing to the placard.

      It is likely that Traddles had been

an important Agure at the school and
a friend of Mr. David. After David left
the Salem House they did not meet
each other for several years. It was at
a party given by Mr. WickAeld that
David met Traddles again as a shy law
student at the university; They had
not much time to talk to each other
but exchanged addresses with each
other, visited each other more
frequently and became great friends.

      Traddles later became a fairly

successful barrister and married
Sophy Crewler after a long
engagement. The story leaves him
near the top of the tree, expecting his
appointment as a Judge.

      Traddles plays an important part

in the story as a faithful and trusted
friend of David. He goes with David, as
his conAdential friend to Putney to the
house of Dora's parents. It was mainly
through his forceful and clever
pleading that David gets the
permission of those ladies to see Dora
twice a week as she approved lover. It
was Traddles again to whom David
sent his book for publication from
abroad. Traddles got it published to
the great advantage of David. The
book brought David much fame.

      Still more important is the part

played by Traddles in getting Mr.
WickAeld out of the clutches of Uriah
Heep the subtle rascal. Traddles had
been collecting all the information
against Uriah supplied to him by
Micawber. He also took possession of
all the books of Mr. WickAeld's ofAce
and the burnt notebook in which
Uriah had been practicing the forging
of Mr. WickAeld's signatures. He had
collected overwhelming evidence
against Uriah. When Uriah showed
deAance and growled, it was Traddles
who threatened him with the legal
consequences of his actions. It was
mainly his skill that defeated the
villainy of Heep and made him restore
the fortunes of which he had cheated
Mr. WickAeld and Agnes and other
persons.

He remained a trusted friend, of David

till the end.

(10). The Story of the Micawbers

      The Micawbers also play a very

important part in the life of David
CopperAeld. When David was sent to
London to work at the warehouse of
Murdstone and Grinby, arrangements
were made with Mr. Micawber for his
acceptance as a lodger. Mr. Micawber
was a commission agent but he
earned practically nothing from his
occupation.

      It was half-past twelve when Mr.

Quinion asked David to come into the
counting house. David met him there
a stoutish middle-aged, bald headed
man with a broad face. His clothes
were shabby but he wanted to look
genteel with a Ane shirt collar, a stick
and a quizzing glass. As David was
introduced to him, he asked David
how he was in a patronizing manner.
He next informed David that,
according to instructions received
from Mr. Murdstone he would accept
David as a lodger. Mr. Quinion told
David that the visitor's name was
Micawber and that he occasionally
took orders from the Arm on
commission. Mr. Micawber gave his
address as Windsor Terrace, City
Road. But thinking that David did not
know his way about London, he
promised to call at 8 p.m. to
accompany him to Windsor Terrace.

      Mr. Micawber called him at 8 p.m.

The house was shabby and Mrs.
Micawber turned out to be a thin lady,
not at all young. She always had a
baby at her breast - one of the twins.
They were a boy of four and a girl of
three. David's room was at the top of
the house, with very little furniture.

      As Mrs. Micawber showed David

to his room, she explained how
Anancial difAculties made it
necessary for them to take a lodger.
Mr. Micawber, it seemed, was then in
a great trouble - a thing Mrs.
Micawber could not have understood
before her marriage. David somehow
got the impression that Mr. Micawber
was working for some business Arms
as an agent in London but made very
little amount out of it. Mrs. Micawber
hinted that just then, the creditors
were most troublesome but Mr.
Micawber could not possibly pay
them. Perhaps she thought that David
was older than he really was - that's
why she told him all these things or,
perhaps, she wanted to talk to anyone
she could And.

      Mrs. Micawber, poor woman, no

doubt tried to help him but the
creditors visited them all the time and
were very troublesome. One of them, a
boot-maker, would come very early in
the morning and would shout in the
most insulting manner. He would
even shout insults from the street. Mr.
Micawber would be much upset for a
while, but the next moment he would
go out humming a tune. Mrs.
Micawber was also like her husband.
Very much upset by something,
within an hour she would pawn the
spoons and eat a good meal. One
evening David found her in a swoon,
but that very night she was enjoying
her meal and telling stories of her
parents.

      David got quite close to the

Micawbers, sharing their thoughts
and worries. On Saturday nights and
Sunday mornings Mr. and Mrs.
Micawber would tell him about their
troubles. But they would soon get over
their depression and Mr. Micawber
would form plans "in case anything
turned up." David became a friend to
them although he was so much
younger. But he made it a point not to
eat and drink with them as he knew
that they were very badly off.

      One day Mrs. Micawber took David

completely into her conAdence and
told him that there was nothing in the
house to eat David offered the little
money he had as a loan but she would
not take it. She then asked David to do
her a service which was to dispose of
certain articles at the pawn-broker's
shop in order to raise some money
This had often been done in the past.
But neither she nor Mr. Micawber
could do it and the servant could not
be trusted. David willingly agreed.
Thenceforward he would often visit
these shops almost every day with
some article of property.

      At last Mr. Micawber was arrested

for debt and taken to the Kings Bench
prison. He was very depressed at Arst
but soon made himself cheerful when
David visited him in prison to have
dinner with him on the Arst Sunday.
He found it quite difAcult to reach the
room where Mr. Micawber was.

      At last Mr. Micawber got a room

for himself in the prison where the
family joined him. As David wanted to
be near them a room was found for
him near the prison.

      In due time, Mr. Micawber was

released from prison. He took
lodgings for a week in the same house
in which David lived. In the evening
Mrs. Micawber explained to David
their future plans. Her family had
offered to use their inQuence and
obtain employment for Mr. Micawber
in the Custom House. Her family was
at Plymouth. They would soon go to
that town. On David asking her
whether she would accompany her
husband, Mrs. Micawber was very
much moved. She expressed her Arm
resolve never to desert her husband.

      The day on which the Micawbers

were due to leave they breakfasted
with David. They were feeling
unhappy at the thought of their
separation. Here Mr. Micawber
advised David to learn to live within
his means. Before the Micawbers left
Mrs. Micawber kissed David for the
Arst time with motherly affection as
she would have done her own son.

      Mr. Micawber enters the story

again at the time when David was
taking tea with Uriah Heep and his
mother. The door of Uriah Heep's
house was open. Mr. Micawber came
down the street and while passing by
it saw CopperAeld seated inside. He
was surprised to see CopperAeld there.
He entered the room and began to talk
in a friendly way with Uriah Heep.
David felt very uncomfortable. He did
not like that anything of his past life
should be known to Uriah. On the
pretext that he was anxious to see
Mrs. Micawber, David led Micawber
out of the house. On Meeting Mrs.
Micawber he learned that Mr.
Micawber could not succeed in
getting a job in the Custom House.
Mrs. Micawber's family did not help
him as was expected. Mr. Micawber
had been advised to enter the coal
trade. But the coal trade needed
capital. Mr. Micawber had plenty of
talent but he had no capital. So the
plan of joining the coal trade must fall
through. Although David did not like
that Mr. Micawber should be friendly
with Uriah Heep he was surprised to
And the same evening Mr. Micawber
and Uriah Heep walking arm in arm.
The next day the Micawbers returned
to London.

      Mr. Micawber plays a very

important role in the later part of the
novel. The next time after this we
meet him living in the same house
with Traddles. Traddles whom David
had gone to see told him that he
boarded with Mr. and Mrs. Micawber
who lived downstairs. David was very
much pleased to meet them. Mr.
Micawber learned that Traddles was
their lodger. Mr. Micawber was
employed upon the sale of coms on
commission. But the business did not
pay.

      Next time we And Mr. Micawber

working as the conAdential clerk to
WickAeld and Heep. He was a clever
man, he found out a fraud which
Uriah Heep had committed to
managing the affairs of Mr. WickAeld.
Uriah Heep had taken advantage of
the weakness of Mr. WickAeld from
past many years. He had intentionally
misled him. He had made him to
believe that the Arm of WickAeld and
Heep was bankrupt. To pay the debts
of the Arm he had persuaded. Mr.
WickAeld to draw out the sum of
twelve thousand pounds entrusted to
him by Betsey Trotwood for
investment. In fact, the Arm never had
been bankrupt. There never had been
any debts. This sum had gone into the
pocket of Uriah Heep. With great
cunning, Heep had made it appear
that the money had been stolen as a
result of WickAeld's dishonest
intentions. He used this lie to torture
him and to keep him poor.

      Betsey Trotwood thanked Mr.

Micawber for rendering her that great
service. As a reward for it, she offered
to pay the expenses for his emigration
to Australia if he so desired. Mr.
Micawber took advantage of this
generous offer and went to Australia
where his talents helped him in
becoming a magistrate.

IMPORTANT QUESTIONS

Give a short description of David's life

at Salem House and compare it with
the school of Dr. Strong.
Compare and contrast Dr. Strong's
School with that of Mr. Creakle.
Describe the part played by Agnes in
David's life.
Give an account of Mr. Murdstone's
treatment of David and its effect on
him.
Write an account of David's childhood
till his Qight to his aunt Betsey at
Dover.
How did Mr. Micawber exposed Uriah
Heep?
What role does Uriah Heep play in the
Novel? Why does Dickens
characterize him in the way that he
does?

Tags: David Copperfield, Novel

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