CHAPTER 5.
MICAWBERS: THE MAIN COMPONENTS OF HAPPY MARRIAGE.
Gradually we are coming to the description of one of the happiest families in the novel. And that is the family of Micawbers. It wouId be useful to analyze relationships inside this family in order to figure out the main components of perfectly happy married from Dickens? point of view.
Mr.Micawber is a thoroughly good-natured man, and as active a creature about everything but his own affairs as ever existed. He is middle-aged, stoutish and completely bald but, though his clothes are shrubby, he sports an imposing shirt-collar, and carries a cane and quizzing-glass. We very soon learn that his weakness is an inability to get or to keep remunerative employment; and that he is constantly being dunned by creditors. But despite the squalor of the pawnshop and the debtors prison, Micawber retains his dignity, chiefly by means of his verbosity and magniloquence.
He is genuinely attached to Ms.Micawber and his children.
?In our children we live again and that, under the pressure of pecuniary difficulties, any accession to their number was doubly welcome?.(*1, p. 356.)
5.1. One of the essential needs of wife is the
assurance she is loved
Micawbers lived in perfect harmony despite of continual financial problems. He will never act contrary to her desires neither did she. Dickens shows to the reader that one of the essential women?s need is assurance that she is loved and Mr.Micawber did his best to let her know that all the time. They supported each other .
Looking at Mr.Micawber from aside someone might say that he was just the unlucky fellow but that would definitely be not his wife. She has indeed a profound admiration for his talent, and is convinced that any lack of success he may have in the business world ? is due to the failure of others to recognize his great qualities. She had the greatest confidence in his abilities and qualifications and was somewhat saddened by the fact that her family did not also appreciate them ? which she regarded as due to their blindness.
?They have never understood you, Micowber. They may be incapable of it. If so, that is their misfortune.?(*1,p.765).
5.2. One of the essential needs of husband is
the assurance that he is respected
Ms.Micawber had very wise approach to her husband’s personality. In her image we are shown by Dickens the essence of women?s wisdom. Any husband would appreciate hearing such words from his wife, for they mean acknowledgement and respect of his authority, which increase his personal significance and enriches understanding of his personal value which is one of the purposes in marriage.
5.3. It should really matter for you what others
might say about your spouse-don’t allow them to interfere.
Besides we observe that Ms. Micawber didn?t allow her relatives and other people influence the way she regards her husband and thus didn?t allow anybody to interfere into their family relationships. That was very wise approach which also propped spiritual unity with her husband.
Ms.Micawber would always find effective words in order to comfort and encourage her husband in times of despair. It was her who persuaded him "to throw down the gauntlet?, who realized his ?ulterior potentials? and so on.
Dickens was very realistic in portrayal of this family, for it is a common knowledge that there is no one marriage that wouldn?t experience difficulties. Micawbers had hard times in their marriage caused by Mr.Micawber?s preoccupation with his villainous employer Uriah Heep. The way which Ms.Micawber followed in order to overcome hardships in their relationships is worthy of admiration.
The behavior of Mr.Micawber at that time was very unusual and even terrifying. He became alienated from his family. ?Mystery and secrecy? became his principal characteristics.
??the slightest provocation, even being asked if there is anything he would prefer for dinner, causes him to express a wish for separation,?on being childishly solicited for two pence, to buy ?lemon-stunners? ? he presented an oyster-knife at the twins!?( *1,p.591).
The situation in the family was ?beyond the assuaging reach even of Mrs.Micawber?s influenced, though exercised in the tripartite character of women, wife, and mother?. That was Mr.Micawber?s own evaluation of his wife?s behavior in this situation. We may assume from it that she wasn?t irritated by her husband?s behavior, she would not make quarrels, would not shout at her husband but instead like a consoling mother she was trying to find the route, the true reason of such strange behavior and changes in her spouse. ?The quick eye of affection is not easily blinded?- that’s how Dicken’s emphasizes the importance of right attitude in critical for the marriage situations.
Having no success in settlement of this situation by herself Ms.Micawber didn?t gave way to despair. She was ready to do all that was possible in order to bring peace in the family. She decided to write a letter to good friends of their family and ?to implore? them to see her ?misguided husband, and to reason him?. That was very wise decision and it really worked. As a result Mr.Micawber had opportunity to speak out his heart and we all share their joy at the restoration of normal relationships as they both were returned ?to havens of domestic tranquillity and peace of mind?.
?A wife of noble character who can find?
She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband
has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.?
Proverbs 31:10-12
That’s the wisdom which coincides with Dickens’ moral delivered to the reader by illustration of Micawbers’ family.
CHAPTER 6.
MR.BARKIS&PEGGOTTY: THE IMPORTANCE OF WOMEN’S WISDOM IN MARRIAGE
The same moral we find in the description of Mr.Barkis and Peggotty marriage. Both of them were not young when they’ve got married. Each of them had a load of life experience and yet they managed to create marriage in which both of them were happy. Mr.Barkis made a proposal to Peggotty when David’s mother was still alive. But Pegotty was attached to her mistress and didn’t want to leave her "?Not for all the world and his wife.."(p.96) After the loss of her dear mistress she was very lonely and Mr.Barkis was lonely too. So she accepted his proposal and they’ve got married.
WE may observe that they were almost opposite in their character. Peggotty was lively, energetic, generous. Mr. Barksis – silent, slow and , tight-fisted. Yet they lived in harmony. And the greatest role in the creation of this harmony was played by Peggotty. We may assume that she is one of the most outstanding persons in this novel. Just like Ms. Micowber she showed a lot of wisdom in her relationships with her husband.
Mr. Barkis had one weakness .It was his greediness. To get even the half-guinea out of Mr.Barkis’s box was not very easy for Peggotty. Yet we see that it didn’t become a reason for the quarrels and separation in the family. Peggotty was showing her women’s wisdom and quick witness. One of the illustrations of that was given to us by Dickens when David visited them. Mr.Barkis was in his bed for a long time because of rheumatism. Yet he accepted David with absolute enthusiasm. "He was too rheumatic to be shaken hands with, but begged me to shake the tassel on the top of his nightcap, which I did cordially."(p. 260)"?.My dear, you’ll get a dinner today, for company; something good to eat and drink?", (*1.,p.261)- he said. And then he used the trick which he always used in order to get a money from the box underneath of his bed so that nobody even Peggotty knows about its content. Very noticeable of Peggotty’s behavior is that she being aware of this usual trick did not protested or resisted in any way.
" I’ve got a trifle money somewhere about me, my dear", said Mr.Barkis, "but I’m a little tired. If you and Mr. David will leave me for a nap, I’ll try and find it when I wake."?."When we got outside the door Peggotty informed me that Mr.Barkis, being now ‘a little nearer’ than he used to be, always resorted to this same device before producing a single coin from his store; and that he endured unheard-of agonies in crawling out of the bed alone, and taking it from that unlucky box."(*1, p.261).
Peggotty had loving, tender heart and a lot of wisdom. She was the perfect wife and house-keeper. Her husband even being bounded by rheumatic pain praises her: "She’s the usefullest and best women, Clara Peggotty Barkis. All the praise that any one can give to C.P. Barkis, she deserved, and more!?"(*1, p.261)
CONCLUSION
Summing up all observations that was made in the present paper we may come to the inference that Dickens? novel ?David Copperfield? is not only a life-story of the main hero but also a brilliant guide in questions of marriage and this particular feature makes his book invaluable.
When the first single edition of ?David Copperfield? was published in 1850 Dickens wrote of the novel, ?Of all my books I like this the best?. Likewise legion readers have come to agree with the author?s own conclusion.
In my paper I tried to trace Dicken’s messages and lessons he teaches the reader on the family issue. By masterly usage of the language the author manages to portray good and bad images in order for us to be able to chose which way to follow and which one to avoid. The principles and components of happy marriage that the author is trying to share with us are simple but at the same time ingenious.
I firmly believe that this book is highly useful for young people and should be included in the list of books compulsory for reading in the University.
BIBLIOGRATHY
*1. Dickens Charles.?David Copperfield?, Wordsworth Edition Ltd., Denmark, 1992, 737 pages.
WORKS CONSULTED:
*1. Lawrence Crabb. ?Marriage Builder?, Druckhaus Gummersbach,Germany, 1991, 160 pages
*2. http://library.utoronto.ca/www/dickens/crit/il.html
*3. http://www.glug.com/homework/copperfield.html
*4. http://www.nagoya.-u.ac.jp.dickens.html
*5. http://www.mitsuka.dickens.crit.html
*6 Jammy Broke "Notes on ‘David Copperfield’", Cambridge University Press, 1991, 50 pages.