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Why does Martha flee to London?
While it is never explicitly stated, Martha likely leaves home and moves to London because she was condemned as a fallen woman after having a premarital affair.
What is a caul and what is its significance in David Copperfield?
David is born with a caul, which is a portion of the amniotic sac that sometimes covers a child's head at birth. David’s mother auctions it off because superstitious people believe that a caul prevents a person from drowning. The caul and its connection to drowning is meant to prefigure the drowning of both Ham and Steerforth at the end of the novel.
What is the King's Bench Prison?
The King's Bench Prison is a real debtors’ prison—that is, a prison for people who are unable to pay their debts. It was a popular nineteenth-century method to combat unpaid debts in Western Europe. Mr. Micawber is incarcerated in the King's Bench Prison during the events of the novel.
Why does Agnes blush when David asks her about her love life?
Agnes blushes because she is in love with David and has been “all [her] life.” This moment foreshadows David and Agnes' eventual marriage.
Is David Copperfield autobiographical?
David Copperfield is partly autobiographical. Charles Dickens drew inspiration from events in his own life while writing it—for instance, David’s experience working at a wine bottling factory called Murdstone and Grinby’s mirrors Dickens’s experience at Warren’s Blacking Factory, and both character and author follow a similar career trajectory. Having put much of himself into the book, Dickens considered it his “favorite child.”
