Abstract

This paper studies the influence of female characters on the male protagonist in Dickens’ David Copperfield. Dialectic theory is used as an underlying principle of this paper to elaborate the different roles female characters played in three stages of David’s growth. Based on spiritual analysis, Dickens’ characters don’t belong to E. M. Forster’s “flat character”. Female characters around David have complicated influence on David’s personality, view on marriage and view on life. Moreover, the influence is also not simple and unchangeable. The analysis of female images of mother, wife and friend in David Copperfield is an efficient way to find out Dickens’ inheritance and breakthrough of traditional view on female and to get access to overall status of Victorian women and the developmental trend of feminism in Britain. Women are not just symbols of innocent “ angel in the house”, but models of new women. Admittedly, their values don’t just lie on their abilities of taking care of household, but on their influence on man’s self-development as independent human being. Keeping some traditional features, Victorian women start to become new women with independence and dignity.

Keywords: female characters; view on female; David Copperfield; Victorian era; influence

Contents

Abstract

摘  要

1. Introduction-1

2. David’s growth and female characters around him-2

2.1 Main stages of David’s growth-2

2.2 Female characters around him-3

3. Impacts of female characters on David’s growth-4

3.1 Image of mother in David’s growth-4

3.1.1 David’s mother Clara-4

3.1.2 David’s servant Peggotty-5

3.1.3 David’s aunt Miss Betsey-6

3.2 Image of wife in David’s growth-6

3.2.1 First wife Dora P598-6

3.2.2 Perfect wife Agnes-7

3.2.3 Other image of wife: Mrs. Micawber and Mrs. Gummidge and Mrs. Strong-7

3.3 Image of friend in David’s growth-8

3.3.1 Emily’s experience-8

3.3.2 Agnes’ support-9

4. Dickens’ inheritance and breakthrough of view on female-10

4.1 Dickens’ inheritance-10

4.2 Dickens’ breakthrough-11

4.3 Overall status of woman and some changes in the Victorian era-11

5. Conclusion-12

6. References-14