Marriage as a Major Theme in David Copperfield
David Copperfield is written by Charles Dickens, one of the most celebrated writers in England. One theme of the novel observed traditionally is marriage. However, today, critics begin to recognize that the novel is about failed marriages and the problems that they create (Hager, 132). We look into the two marriages of David Copperfield with Dora and Agnes. David’s relationship with these two women portrays marriage and other complexities of romantic love.
The novel traditionally portrays that marriage offers a solution to problems like dispossession and solitude. However, like any other marriages shown in the novel, David’s marriage with Dora created more problems that it can solve. For one, marrying Dora is considered to be David’s one "blind” mistake. Some would say that he married Dora only because he is attracted to her physically. Dora is described to be very feminine, beautiful and innocent. However, after marriage, David realizes that she does not make a good wife. She is childish and could not survive childbearing. Ye, for others, David marry Dora because of true love—as depicted to David’s association between Dora and his own mother. Nevertheless, David himself identified his marriage with Dora as "the first mistaken impulse of an undisciplined heart.” He even gives up mending the relationship because Dora does not exert effort to adapt to David’s need for a wife. Interestingly, he is relieved from further sufferings because of unhappy marriage when Dora falls ill and dies (Marcus, 90).
The death of Dora paved the way for David’s second marriage. This time, he makes a "better” choice for a wife: Agnes. She is David’s childhood friend and has loved David ever since they were kids. Many people argue that David should have married Agnes in the first place, because they believe that what he feels for Agnes is true love and for Dora, infatuation only. Before David proposes to Agnes, he speaks of brotherly love and concern for her. He still refers to her as a sister and even sees Dora’s eyes through her eyes. When he finally finds a clue that Agnes is in love with him, he also bursts into a confession of his love (Hughes, 121). Hence, if we are to look closely, we can see Agnes as a "reward” for making a proper choice. In Agnes, David wins an ideal wife, who has loved him for a long time and can fulfill the responsibilities of a wife. The death wish of Dora for David and Agnes to be together further legitimizes the second marriage. The married life with Agnes gives David the kind of happiness that he expected with Dora.
As Jerome stated: "The woman David Copperfield wanted was Agnes and Dora rolled into one (149).” Indeed, during David’s confession of love with Agnes, he unconsciously wishes that Agnes is as pretty as Dora so that he could love her (Hughes, 121). Yet, during his marriage with Dora, he and Dora had wished that he should have married Agnes (Marcus, 89). Agnes is the ideal wife; yet, Dora is still at the back of David’s mind. The perfect wife is one who has the physical attractiveness of Dora and the practical skills and supportive characteristics of Agnes. In sum, the novel encourages separation and second marriages. It views marriage as a temporary solution to perceived problems. It portrays marriage in practical terms rather than romantic love. With Dora or Agnes alone, David could not be satisfied; but with both, he gets the kind of tranquility and happiness that he expected from marriage.
Works Cited:
Hager, Kelly. Dickens and the Rise of Divorce: The Failed Marriage Plot and the Novel.
England: Ashgate Publishing Limited.
Hughes, Holly. Charles Dickens’s David Copperfield. New York: Barron’s Educational
Series, Inc., 1985.
Jerome, Jerome. The Second Thoughts of an Idle Fellow. New York: The Floating Press, 1999.
Marcus, Sharon. Between Women: Friendship, Desire and Marriage in Victorian England.
New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2007.
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