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Mrs. Steerforth is introduced to David (and subsequently the reader) in Chapter 20. By this point in the novel, readers are aware that Steerforth is an egotistical and manipulative person, even as David remains blissfully unaware of his friend’s shortcomings. From the moment that we meet Mrs. Steerforth, it is instantly apparent that she is largely responsible for her son turning out the way he did. Mrs. Steerforth views her son as the “object of [her] life” and adores him to such a degree that she does not see, or refuses to see, his many faults. The way Mrs. Steerforth constantly dotes on her son has clearly reinforced his selfish and vain tendencies, making his self-centered nature understandable, if not justified.
Mrs. Steerforth’s unhealthy obsession with her son is so extreme that she does not even hold him accountable for seducing and ruining Little Em’ly. Instead, she blames Little Em’ly for corrupting her precious son. Mrs. Steerforth’s reaction to the news about Steerforth and Little Em’ly is particularly significant because it contributes to David Copperfield’s thematic emphasis on wealth and class. Throughout the novel, Dickens argues that wealth and power do not correlate with good character, and Mrs. Steerforth is the perfect example of this; she is a haughty, proud woman who does not see the poor as her equals. For instance, she cannot fathom that Mr. Peggotty loves his niece as much as she loves her son and tells him so when he goes to ask for her help in tracking down Little Em’ly. She also insists that she will never allow Steerforth to marry a member of the lower class even though marriage is the only way to restore Little Em’ly’s shattered reputation. Mrs. Steerforth is a stagnant character who does not develop over the course of the novel, a deeply intentional choice on Dickens’s part.
