Regardless of it being acknowledged or not, one has a favourite child, if you have borne children of course. Charles Dickens mentions in the introduction that of all the books and characters he’s written about, David Copperfield was the closest to his heart. And one can only fully comprehend why after having read this mammoth of a book and smiling with pleasure while reading the last few pages offering a final account of the multitude of characters that form David Copperfield and his eventful journey.
Our education system often introduces ‘Morals and Ethics’ as a subject, separately, with a few case studies thrown our way every now and then, to render an elaboration or explanation. I personally believe, our human culture would benefit more from a book like this were it to be a part of the curriculum, if not entirely it.
Most of Dickens’ stories are the rags to riches kind, and David Copperfield is no exception. It is in the sustenance of a humility, strongly clasped to, and the simplicity they hold on to with a giant’s unyielding embrace, no matter how puny their exteriors, that most characters in this story make believable the arduous journey and explorations of their lives, in turn stimulating the reader. The story is replete with patience, firmness, goodness, acceptance, afflictions, endurance and many more such attributes closely associated to life.
Oh, how I would have loved to have an eccentric aunt like Betsy Trotwood, a coconut in human form, benefitting equally from her austerity as much from her softness. And a friend like the less privileged Thomas Traddles, a paragon of simplicity, a connoisseur of the simple pleasures of life, a retainer and caretaker of mirth arising out of them. And what joy would it be to have an elderly companion like Mr. Pegotty, a rustic venerable creature who has a heart bigger than the ocean he rides on. And Agnes! To think of her as a goddess could be acknowledged as a rightful thought, but to treat her as one would only be imprecise; it would rob humanity of the embodiment of what is truly human. Many more, many more. These fine characters choose or desire to choose the right kind of privileges that life offers and they aren’t money, status, property or vanity; it’s more of finding permanence in the temporary. And the story isn’t lacking in unscrupulous figures and elements, in case you were wondering.
I say I would have loved to have the people in David Copperfield’s life, but then, do I deserve them? We all have had or come across our Betsy Trotwoods, Traddles, Agneses and Pegottys in one form or the other but did we recognize them, hang on to them, or let them vanish? That has defined our lives and will continue to do so. Though, I claim that this story has highly influenced me, what I do with it or am able to do with it is all that matters.
‘What you seek is seeking you’ said Rumi. David and Agnes’s story and relationship is a realization of this quote; things, feelings and people we yearn for lie right before our eyes and yet we travel far and further seeking them, inadvertently overlooking.
Every page of David Copperfield’s struggle to find himself and his destiny is worth it; I wouldn’t raise an alarm for it being superfluous if hundred more pages were added relevant to the sublimity of the story. Every word is a lyrical fit in the entertaining Dickenson language, if I may call it so, a defunct linguistic glory that twists and turns in its dialogue of words for the right meaning and effect. The era of respect and respectful language has diminished over the years and has changed form drastically and what we are left with now is a boorish platter of expressions in most current day literature. That’s why Charles Dickens and his contemporaries are important; the classics are essential; their task is to remind us of what we were and (being optimistic) of what we could be.
The only discontent I felt was in the neglect of Ham. Had David Copperfield or Charles Dickens been alive, I would have been tempted to ask a few questions about him. Marked by simplicity, loyalty and care, his character, even when wronged, receives nothing more than mere sympathy. Even in his death, Dickens through David’s account, writes little of him and more of the despicable flamboyant Steerforth, whose perished body lies beside Ham’s. I guess it is Dickens’ way of portraying an unfair life with even the virtuous of characters giving in to the formidable unfairness of it? We ultimately return to the chess box, but what we do before that defines us.
A must read for anyone who likes a good story, a tale well narrated. Highly engaging and influencing. Highly recommended.
My rating: 10/10
Image copyrights:
Book cover - © https://www.amazon.in/Copperfield-Vintage-Classics-Charles-Dickens/dp/0099511460
Charles Dickens - © https://www.britannica.com/biography/Charles-Dickens-British-novelist
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