David Copperfield · Chapter
A Last Retrospect explained
David Copperfield concludes his narrative by looking back on the lives of his loved ones.
What happens
David Copperfield concludes his narrative by looking back on the lives of his loved ones. He sees his aunt Betsey Trotwood and Peggotty in their old age, surrounded by his children. He glimpses Mrs. Steerforth and Rosa Dartle in their grief, Julia Mills married to a wealthy but disagreeable man, and Traddles happily surrounded by his large family. The chapter ends with David's vision of Agnes, whose serene presence has guided him throughout his life.
Themes in this chapter
Memory and Nostalgia
David looks back over his entire life, recalling the faces and fates of those who have shaped his journey.
Domesticity and the Ideal Home
The chapter contrasts the hollow society of Julia Mills with the warm, crowded home of Traddles and Sophy, and culminates in David's vision of Agnes as his guiding light.
Friendship and Loyalty
David's enduring bonds with Peggotty, his aunt, and Traddles are highlighted, as well as the loyalty of Agnes.
Characters to notice
- Betsey Trotwood
Now an old woman of fourscore years and more, but still upright and a steady walker of six miles at a stretch in winter weather.
- Clara Peggotty
David's old nurse, now in spectacles, with shrivelled cheeks and arms, but still carrying the crocodile book as a precious relic for the children.
- Tommy Traddles
Now a busy lawyer with a large family, still the same simple, unaffected fellow, sitting at the foot of the table like a patriarch.
- Mrs. Steerforth
A bent lady with traces of old pride and beauty, now querulous and wandering in mind, mourning her son.
- Rosa Dartle
A sharp, dark, withered woman with a white scar on her lip, alternately caressing and quarreling with Mrs. Steerforth.
- Miss Mills
Now Julia Mills, married to a growling old Scotch Croesus, steeped in money and quarreling eternally, no longer keeping a diary.
Key passages
“I see myself, with Agnes at my side, journeying along the road of life.”
David envisions his life as a journey with Agnes as his constant companion.
Final image of David and Agnes together.
“Here is my aunt, in stronger spectacles, an old woman of fourscore years and more, but upright yet, and a steady walker of six miles at a stretch in winter weather.”
Betsey Trotwood is now over eighty, still vigorous and independent.
Description of Aunt Betsey in old age.
“Traddles, exactly the same simple, unaffected fellow as he ever was, sits at the foot of the large table like a patriarch; and Sophy beams upon him, from the head, across a cheerful space that is certainly not glittering with Britannia metal.”
Traddles remains unchanged, presiding happily over his large family with Sophy at the other end of the table.
Traddles's domestic happiness.
“O Agnes, O my soul, so may thy face be by me when I close my life indeed; so may I, when realities are melting from me, like the shadows which I now dismiss, still find thee near me, pointing upward!”
David prays that Agnes will be with him at the moment of his death, guiding him heavenward.
Final, heartfelt address to Agnes.