David Copperfield · Chapter
A Dissolution of Partnership explained
Following Mr.
What happens
Following Mr. Spenlow's sudden death, David Copperfield learns that his beloved Dora is left orphaned and financially destitute, as no will is found and his affairs are in disarray. David's frantic attempts to communicate with Dora are mediated by Miss Mills, who records Dora's grief in a sentimental journal. Dora is taken in by her two aunts to live at Putney, while David haunts the neighborhood, desperate for any sign of her.
Themes in this chapter
Debt and Financial Instability
Mr. Spenlow's death reveals his affairs are in disarray, with debts exceeding assets, leaving Dora nearly destitute and dependent on her aunts.
Love and Marriage
David's desperate love for Dora is tested by her father's death and her grief, as he struggles to maintain their connection amidst social and financial upheaval.
Orphanhood and Self-Formation
Dora becomes an orphan after her father's sudden death, and David's own history of loss resonates as he tries to support her through this crisis.
Characters to notice
- David Copperfield
David is tormented by Dora's grief and his own helplessness, writing wild letters and seeking clandestine meetings with Miss Mills.
- Dora Spenlow
Dora is overcome with grief after her father's death, repeatedly crying 'Oh, dear papa! Oh, poor papa!' and is taken to live with her aunts at Putney.
- Miss Mills
Miss Mills serves as a go-between for David and Dora, keeping a sentimental journal of Dora's moods and facilitating a clandestine meeting in her back kitchen.
- Mr. Jorkins
Mr. Jorkins, Spenlow's partner, assists in searching for a will and reveals that Spenlow's affairs are in disarray with no testamentary document found.
- Mr. Tiffey
Old Tiffey participates in the search for Spenlow's will and later informs David of the poor state of Spenlow's finances.
- Jip
Jip goes missing during Dora's stay at Putney, causing great distress, but is eventually found.
Key passages
“a grasping, avaricious wish to shut out everybody from her but myself, and to be all in all to her, at that unseasonable time of all times.”
David admits his selfish desire to have Dora all to himself, even during her time of grief.
Reflects David's possessive love and his guilt over prioritizing his own feelings.
“All I had to do, I said, with gloomy sarcasm, was to forget Dora. That was all, and what was that!”
David bitterly mocks Mr. Spenlow's advice to simply forget Dora, emphasizing the impossibility of such a task.
Highlights David's emotional turmoil and his sense of helplessness.
“A deep gulf, she observed, had opened between Dora and me, and love could only span it with its rainbow.”
Miss Mills poetically describes the separation between David and Dora as a chasm that only love can bridge.
Illustrates Miss Mills's romantic and melodramatic nature.