Lessons LearnedDavid Copperfield is often called a Bildungsroman, a German term for a novel of learning or development. The idea behind a Bildungsroman is that every (good) character has a goal to...

When Traddles first appears as one of David's school friends at Salem House, we think he's just going to be a random one-off, the kid who draws skeletons whenever he's beaten to remind himself that...

Steerforth is one of those effortlessly graceful people who turn everything they touch into gold. You know, every school has at least one: the popular kid who seems easily to get whatever he wants....

We. Love. Miss. Betsey. Like, if there is a fan club for Miss Betsey out there, then we want to (a) know about it, and (b) be its president. (Sadly, we just Googled "Betsey Trotwood fan club," and...

Mr. Dick is an older man living with Miss Betsey in her cottage at Dover. He is mentally disabled: he cannot look after himself. He is also about the kindest, most loyal guy out there – he th...

David falls in love with his boss's daughter, Dora Spenlow, at first sight. And, quite frankly, we're not quite sure why. David seems taken with Dora because she is lovely, paints flowers, and play...

Agnes Wickfield is an angel. We know it because David tells us so, like, a million times. But she also shows it through her appearance and behavior. We first encounter Agnes when David moves to Can...

Mr. Wickfield is a lawyer and businessman living in the town of Canterbury, where David goes to school after running away from London to his aunt's house in Dover. Mr. Wickfield is the business man...

Uriah Heep is not a person; he's an evil machine. He's like a really slow-acting version of the Terminator, bent on the destruction of anyone and everyone who has it better than him. And he will ne...

Peggotty is David's old nurse and his mother's housekeeper. Her primary characteristic, so far as we can see (besides the red, rough cheeks David keeps teasing her for) is her loyalty. Even though...

We think Miss Betsey Trotwood says it best when she describes Mrs. Copperfield as "a very Baby" (1.18). Miss Betsey is commenting on Mrs. Copperfield's appearance – her big blue eyes, her flo...

Let's just say this up front: Mr. Murdstone is one mean dude. He's a vicious tyrant who gets his jollies from tormenting weak, defenseless women under the guise of "improving" them or "disciplining...

Mr. Peggotty, the elder brother of David's old nurse, is a fisherman living in the coastal city of Yarmouth. Mr. Peggotty is also a good man. Mr. Peggotty is such a good man that we find it almost...

Emily is a lovely, graceful child, and David falls in love with her as soon as he sees her (when David is eight). Emily is the daughter of Peggotty's brother-in-law, Tom (so the Peggottys must have...

Ham is Peggotty's nephew, the son of her brother Joe Peggotty, who drowned when Ham was a child. So, Ham is an orphan who has been raised by Mr. Peggotty to follow in his footsteps as a fisherman....

If Mr. Chillip could be given another name, his name would be Plot Device. He's basically around at key moments in the story to give background information or to draw out the character of another,...

Miss Dartle is living proof to us (if we need more evidence) that Steerforth's fatal flaw is his uncompromising, stubborn temper. Miss Dartle is an orphaned cousin of Steerforth's late father. Mrs....

Martha Endell is barely a character at all. Even though she plays a pivotal role in the plot of David Copperfield, her character is a pretty generic representation of a lonely woman who falls into...

Mrs. Gummidge is the widow of Mr. Peggotty's business partner. Mr. Peggotty takes her into his house after her husband dies, and she does the cooking and cleaning for Mr. Peggotty, Ham, and Emily....

Joram the carpenter works with Mr. Omer. He's the one who builds the coffin that holds Mrs. Copperfield and her infant son. He also winds up marrying Minnie Omer. By the end of the novel, they have...

Master Micawber is Mr. Micawber's oldest son. He's a restless, smart kid who doesn't really appear much in the book. Mr. Micawber wants him to sing in choirs, but what he actually seems to enjoy do...

Mrs. Steerforth is like a walking, talking explanation for why Steerforth is such a bad person. Not that she's been abusive to him, oh no – just the opposite. She has channeled her entire emo...