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Dora Spenlow Character Analysis. Dora Spenlow is David's first wife and Mr. Spenlow ’s daughter. Mr. Spenlow is a proctor for whom David is working when he and Dora first meet. She and David develop a youthful infatuation with one another and eventually marry, though not until after Mr. Spenlow, who objects to the match, has died.
This article discusses characters and plot points in Charles Dickens's novel, 'David Copperfield'. It also analyzes themes found within the novel. Read the lesson, and take the quiz!
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David’s complex character allows for contradiction and development over the course of the novel. Though David is trusting and kind, he also has moments of cruelty, like the scene in which he intentionally distresses Mr. Dick by explaining Miss Betsey’s dire situation to him. David also displays great tenderness, as in the moment when he ...
Dora's father, Mr. Spenlow, is unaware of their courtship. David constructs these elaborate schemes with Dora's friend Miss Mills so that he can keep in touch with Dora. But Dora unfortunately has a resentful chaperone: Miss Murdstone (out of the blue!). Miss Murdstone discovers the letters David has sent Dora and brings them to Mr. Spenlow.
Mr. Dick is an important character because his backstory highlights one of the text’s central themes: the plight of the weak. Throughout David Copperfield, the powerful abuse the weak and helpless. Dickens focuses on orphans, women, and the mentally disabled to show that exploitation—not pity or compassion—is the rule in an industrial ...
Clara Copperfield. Wilkins Micawber is married to Mrs. Micawber, with whom he has several children. He is a "shabby" but "genteel" man who is perpetually in debt. He speaks in flowery language—a sign that he aspires to something beyond his lower-middle class life—and is prone to wild swings of emotion; visits from creditors tend to send him ...
