Murdstone is a very controlling man who forces the principle of firmness on Clara with the help of his sister, Miss Murdstone.Īfter David bites Mr. Murdstone have been married, and their former life disappears forever. When David and Peggotty return, however, his mother and Mr. Peggotty, Peggotty's brother, Ham, and Little Em'ly. Peggotty and David visit Yarmouth, Peggotty's hometown, for a week, which is when David first meets Mr. Peggotty immediately takes a disliking to him and often fights with Clara about him, but Clara refuses to heed her advice. He frequently says that this is one of the happiest times in his life.Įverything changes once his mother meets the dark but handsome Mr.

He remembers his mother as carefree and recalls the relaxed atmosphere that the three of them had together. He is raised by his mother Clara and his nurse Peggotty, who give him a happy childhood. He was born six months after the death of his father and under circumstances which one of the nurses claimed would cause him to lead an unlucky life. The story starts with an account of the birth and childhood of David Copperfield at his home, Blunderstone Rookery. It is written from the point of view of the mature adult who recounts his own obstacles and the obstacles of those around him and how it all shaped his life and his beliefs. Some happy talent, and some fortunate opportunity, may form the two sides of the ladder on which some men mount, but the rounds of that ladder must be made of stuff to stand wear and tear and there is no substitute for thorough-going, ardent, and sincere earnestness.Charles Dickens' David Copperfield relates the story of a young boy's growth and development into maturity. I have been very fortunate in worldly matters many men have worked much harder, and not succeeded half so well but I never could have done what I have done, without the habits of punctuality, order, and diligence, without the determination to concentrate myself on one object at a time, no matter how quickly its successor should come upon its heels, which I then formed.

My meaning simply is, that whatever I have tried to do in life, I have tried with all my heart to do well that whatever I have devoted myself to, I have devoted myself to completely that in great aims and in small, I have always been thoroughly in earnest. To Kill A Mockingbird, Little Women, Jane Eyre and the Harry Potter novels are other examples of bildungsromans.ĭickens, through the voice of David Copperfield, shares with us some of the values that he believed lead to his success in life: That’s a type of novel that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the principal character during their formative years. The novel is an example of a bildungsroman.

David copperfield novel