David Copperfield

David receives a long-awaited response to his letter about visiting Dora. In the letter, Dora’s aunts welcome him to visit and court Dora with an appropriate chaperone. Accompanied by Traddles, David goes to visit. David is very nervous about his appearance, fidgeting with his outfit. He even attempts—and fails—to smooth down Traddles’ hair.

The aunts are generous hosts who cherish the idea that they are “authorities in affairs of the heart” (1,389). During their conversation, David explains his love for Dora, and Traddles avidly affirms this love. Charmed, the aunts tell David he may come by for dinner once a week and join them for tea as often as he likes.

David spends his weekends with Dora, who is often pouty and childlike. She insists on seeing David alone and nicknames him “Doady.” Dora’s aunts enable her childishness, spoiling and coddling her. David reflects that Dora’s family treats her just like her pet dog: Curling her hair, dressing her up, never giving her any responsibilities.

Narrator David muses that any success he has obtained in life came from hard work and earnest devotion. He furthermore reflects that Agnes served as his model with her devotion. 

David segues into his recollections of a visit from Agnes and Mr. Wickfield. David proudly observes that Dora and Agnes are friendly with one another (despite Dora’s initial fear of Agnes, whom she deems too clever). Dora is especially happy to have a new female friend because Julia Mills has gone abroad. While walking Agnes home, David thanks her for being his “guardian angel”; she protests that she is a “poor angel, but faithful” (1,431).

David sees a light on at Doctor Strong’s. When he goes to check on Doctor Strong, he finds him with Uriah Heep, weeping over the news that Annie is having an affair. Uriah has just told Doctor Strong that his friends suspect Jack Maldron is sleeping with Annie. David confesses that he shares these suspicions. Ever loyal to his wife, Doctor Strong denies these suspicions, blaming himself for marrying a beautiful, much younger woman.

After Doctor Strong has gone to bed, David lashes out at Uriah, slapping him across the face and crying out that he hates him. Uriah calmly responds that he has always liked David, and that he forgives his behavior. Uriah knows David will be sorry for his actions later. David feels disturbed that in this emotionally-charged moment, Uriah “knew [him] better than [he] knew [him]self” (1,451).

Doctor Strong’s mood grows worse over the ensuing weeks, though he tries to hide his mood from Annie. In these days of sadness, Mr. Dick’s childlike happiness and devotion is a source of comfort.

The chapter closes with a letter from Mrs. Micawber, who tells David that her husband’s behavior has changed while working under Uriah Heep. Mr. Micawber is often short-tempered, and he has begun to isolate himself. She asks David to advise her. Though David feels incapable of offering advice, he begins to worry greatly for Mr. Micawber’s family. 

David provides a summary retrospective of the days leading up to his wedding to Dora. He explains that during this time, he nervously began writing stories and sending them out for publication. “Now,” he writes, he is “regularly paid” for his stories and is “well-off” (1,464).

David describes his wedding to Dora in a joyful, exuberant summary that evokes the feeling of being swept away by emotion and time. It is worth noting, however, that even in the midst of this, David focuses intently on a farewell kiss from Agnes, esteeming this kiss “above all the others” (1,479).

After their wedding, David and Dora spend a few days blissfully making love. David quickly realizes, however, that Dora—who refuses any activity she deems unpleasant—has no understanding of housekeeping. Their home is filthy. They hire a series of housekeepers, but each one turns out to be a disappointment.

David begins his writing career in earnest, composing articles for newspapers and magazines. Though Dora seems to enjoy watching him write, she playfully distracts him and dislikes seeing him concentrate. Frustrated, David explains, “we must be serious sometimes” (1,484). Whenever David expresses his frustration, Dora retaliates that he must be sorry he married her. David becomes overwhelmed by the ease with which he injures Dora’s tender sensibilities. He does not want to hurt her feelings, but finds it is hard to avoid.

Miss Betsey befriends Dora, serving as a counselor between her and her husband. She endearingly refers to Dora as “Little Blossom” and tells David “the wind must be gentle with her” (1,489). Dora requests that David call her by the nickname “Child-wife.” She explains that by calling her this, David can lightheartedly minimize her mistakes in housekeeping and cooking.

Dora makes efforts toward improving her domestic abilities, sometimes to amusing effect (as when she miserably fails at preparing oysters for Traddles). Nevertheless, she and David love each other, and they gradually learn how to live together as a couple.

Though David’s employment with Doctor Strong has ended, he sometimes goes to dinner at his house. At one of these dinners, Annie’s mother speaks with Doctor Strong about the difference in age and interests between him and Annie.

Miss Betsey predicts that someday, Mr. Dick will find a way to demonstrate how intelligent he really is (despite Mr. Dick’s own protestations that he is not). Hoping to be of some help to his friends, Mr. Dick asks David about the marital problems between Annie and Doctor Strong. He resolves to help them in a way his more polite, reticent friends wouldn’t think of.

One evening at dinner, Mr. Dick leads Annie to her husband, where she falls to her knees in front of him. She earnestly tells him how much she loves him, despite the interferences of her mother and Jack Maldron. Though she loved Jack in her youth, Annie insists that she would have been miserable if she’d married him. She affirms, “There can be no disparity in marriage like unsuitability of mind and purpose” (1,542).

Thus, Annie and the Doctor are reconciled. Miss Betsey embraces Mr. Dick and praises him for helping bring them together. Meanwhile, Annie’s words haunt David.

One night after David has been married for a year, he walks through town thinking about the book he’s writing. As he passes the Steerforth home, a servant summons him to speak to Rosa Dartle. Once inside, David finds that Littimer has returned to the household. Rosa cruelly denounces Little Em’ly, wishing her dead. Rosa reveals, however, that she has some intelligence of Little Em’ly’s whereabouts.

Rosa explains that Steerforth put Little Em’ly up in a villa, but eventually grew bored with her. He proposed that Little Em’ly should marry, attempting to offer Littimer as an option. When Littimer proposed to Little Em’ly, however, she flew into a violent rage. To “protect” Em’ly, Littimer locked her up, but she managed to escape. Littimer and Rosa suggest that Em’ly might have drowned herself, because no one has heard from her since she fled. Furious with Littimer, David threatens to tell Mr. Peggotty about his mistreatment of Little Em’ly, and warns him to stay out of Yarmouth.

David tracks down Mr. Peggotty in London, where he is still searching for his niece. David tells Mr. Peggotty the information he heard from Rosa and Littimer. They decide to solicit Martha’s help in finding Little Em’ly.

David and Mr. Peggotty wander the streets searching for Martha, and see her crossing Blackfriar’s Bridge. They follow her in secret until they reach a place where they can speak privately.

David and Mr. Peggotty follow Martha along the river through Westminster, passing ditches, deserted buildings, and the looming prison. When they approach Martha, she wails, “Oh, the river! I know it’s like me! […] I know that I belong to it. […] It haunts me day and night. It’s the only thing in all the world that I am fit for, or that’s fit for me” (1,588).

Mr. Peggotty explains that they need her help to find his niece. Moved by their trust in her, Martha eagerly agrees to help them find Little Em’ly. She refuses David’s offer of payment for her assistance: “To give me money would be to take away your trust, […] to take away the only certain thing that saves me from the river” (1,599). David writes down their addresses and asks Martha to contact them if she learns anything about Little Em’ly.

When David passes Miss Betsey’s house, he finds her door open. She is with the man who has been demanding money from her. The man greedily drinks Miss Betsey’s wine and eats her food. She brings him all the money she can spare, and he angrily protests that it isn’t enough. David eavesdrops on the conversation between the man and Miss Betsey, who tells him, “You closed my heart against the whole world, years and years. You treated me falsely, ungratefully, and cruelly” (1,604).

David learns that the man is Miss Betsey’s estranged husband, who lives the life of a tramp while extorting money from her. Miss Betsey calmly dismisses David’s worry and asks him to keep this sad story to himself.

Dora continues to be a terrible housekeeper. She is not a good conversational partner, and distracts David from his writing. He worries that they have a “contagion” in their marriage and that they “infect” everyone around them. Dora protests that David despises her and they never should have married. As they argue, their dog Jip runs around them barking.

Believing that parenthood might cure their marriage, David and Dora try to have a child. Dora becomes pregnant, but the child dies. She grows ill and loses the ability to walk. As Dora lies in bed, she and Miss Betsey converse about Jip (though it is clear they are really discussing Dora’s mortality). Dora begs Jip not to die, suggesting that she herself is afraid of dying.

One evening, David overhears his aunt bidding Dora, “Good night, Little Blossom” (1,632). As he sits at his desk and attempts to write, he finds himself unable to concentrate, overwhelmed with the feeling that Dora is about to die. He reflects, “Oh what a fatal name it was, and how the blossom withered in its bloom upon the tree!” (1,633).