Abstract:The study aims to analyze women characters in David Copperfield. In the novel, Dickens portrayed different women characters--”childish wife” Dora and a “perfect wife” Agnes, loyal and kind Peggotty, eccentric but kind aunt Betsey and David’s mother Clara. At first, David falls in love with Dora but he later finds that Dora is not a perfect wife. After Dora dies, David remarries Agnes, who is an ideal woman at that time. Peggotty and Betsey play a perfect motherly role in David's life while David's natural mother Clara fails in her duty as a mother. The essay also tries to elaborate on stereotypes of these characters and reasons for Dickens’s creation of these characters. The paper concludes that Dickens’s portrayal of and attitude towards these women reflect the social standard for women in Victorian era.

Key words: David Copperfield,Dickens, Female Characters

CONTENTS

摘要

Abstract

1. Introduction.1

  1.1 Introduction to Charles Dickens

  1.2 Introduction to David Copperfield

2. The female characters in David Copperfield.2

2.1 Red Rose and White Rose in David’s Life

    2.1.1 Red Rose--Dora

    2.1.2 White Rose-- Agnes    

    2.1.3 Stereotypes for Dora and Agnes

2.2 David’s Perfect “Mothers”

    2.2.1 Peggoty 

    2.2.2 Betsey

    2.2.3 Stereotype for the Perfect “Mothers”

2.3 David’s Imperfect Mother and her Stereotype

3. Conclusion8

Bibliography.9

Acknowledgments..10