David Copperfield · Chapter
I Am Sent Away from Home explained
David Copperfield is sent away from home to attend Salem House school.
What happens
David Copperfield is sent away from home to attend Salem House school. He travels by coach to London, enduring a miserable journey, and upon arrival is taken to the school by Mr. Mell. There, he is forced to wear a placard reading 'Take care of him. He bites.' as punishment for biting Mr. Murdstone. David suffers from loneliness and dread of the other boys returning, finding some solace in Mr. Mell's company but feeling deeply isolated.
Themes in this chapter
Cruelty and Abuse of Power
David is forced to wear a placard as a public shaming punishment, and the man with the wooden leg cruelly enforces its display, highlighting the abuse of authority.
Orphanhood and Self-Formation
David is sent away from home, feeling solitary and abandoned, and begins to shape his identity in a hostile environment.
Memory and Nostalgia
David vividly recalls his journey and the empty school, contrasting his present misery with fond memories of home and Peggotty.
Characters to notice
- David Copperfield
David is sent away to school, enduring a difficult journey and the humiliation of wearing a placard. He feels lonely and anxious about the other boys.
- Mr. Mell
Mr. Mell escorts David to Salem House and is his companion during the empty days before school starts. He is kind but peculiar, playing the flute and muttering to himself.
- James Steerforth
Steerforth is mentioned as a boy who carved his name deeply on the door; David fears he will read the placard in a strong voice and pull his hair.
- Tommy Traddles
Traddles is another boy David dreads, fearing he will make game of the placard and pretend to be frightened.
- Mr. Creakle
Mr. Creakle is the feared headmaster, whose arrival David dreads; the man with the wooden leg unlocks the gate for him.
Key passages
“I had plenty to think of, therefore, besides my mind running continually on the kind of place I was going to—which was an awful speculation.”
David's thoughts were consumed by anxiety about the unknown school he was heading to.
Reflects David's fear and uncertainty about his future at Salem House.
“What I suffered from that placard, nobody can imagine.”
The humiliation of wearing the sign was unbearable and beyond description.
Highlights the emotional torment David endures from the public shaming.
“I picture my small self in the dimly-lighted rooms, sitting with my head upon my hand, listening to the doleful performance of Mr. Mell, and conning tomorrow’s lessons.”
David imagines himself alone in the gloomy schoolroom, studying while Mr. Mell plays his sad flute.
Emphasizes David's loneliness and the melancholy atmosphere of the empty school.