David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, a semi-autobiographical novel first published in serial form between 1849 and 1850. Below is a detailed summary of Chapter 2- I Observe
David Copperfield – Chapter 2- I Observe
- David Copperfield, the narrator, recalls his earliest memories from infancy, focusing on his mother, Clara Copperfield, and their servant, Peggotty.
- Clara is described with pretty hair and a youthful shape, appearing beautiful and girlish.
- Peggotty is described as having no distinct shape, with dark eyes that seem to darken the surrounding area of her face, and hard, red cheeks and arms that David compares to apples, wondering why birds didn’t peck at her.
- David remembers Clara and Peggotty stooping or kneeling to his level, and he moved unsteadily between them.
- He recalls the rough touch of Peggotty’s forefinger, likened to a pocket nutmeg-grater due to her needlework.
- David reflects on his belief that young children, including himself, have a remarkable power of observation and memory, which he attributes to retaining a childhood faculty rather than acquiring it later. He notes that men who retain this ability often have a freshness, gentleness, and capacity to be pleased.
- David’s home, the Rookery, in Blunderstone, Suffolk, is familiar to him from his earliest memories.
- The ground floor includes Peggotty’s kitchen, which opens to a back yard containing:
- A pigeon-house on a pole with no pigeons.
- A dog-kennel in a corner with no dog.
- A number of fowls that appear tall and menacing to David, including a cock that crows from a post and seems to notice David, making him shiver.
- Geese outside the side-gate that waddle after David with outstretched necks, haunting his dreams like wild beasts.
- A long passage leads from the kitchen to the front door, with a dark store-room off it containing tubs, jars, old tea-chests, and smelling of soap, pickles, pepper, candles, and coffee. David fears this room at night due to its mouldy air and dimly-burning light.
- The house has two parlours:
- The everyday parlour, where David, Clara, and Peggotty sit in the evening when Peggotty’s work is done, described as a comfortable space.
- The best parlour, used on Sundays, which feels grand but doleful to David because Peggotty told him about his father’s funeral and the black cloaks worn by mourners, which occurred in this room.
- One Sunday night, Clara reads to David and Peggotty about Lazarus being raised from the dead, frightening David so much that they take him out of bed to show him the churchyard through the bedroom window, where the dead rest under the solemn moon.
- The churchyard is described as having green grass, shady trees, and quiet tombstones. David sees sheep feeding there in the early morning from his little bed in a closet within Clara’s room, and he notices the red light on the sun-dial, wondering if it is glad to tell the time.
- In church, David sits in a high-backed pew near a window from which the Rookery is visible. Peggotty frequently checks the house during the service to ensure it’s not being robbed or burning. She frowns if David’s eyes wander, though he struggles to focus on the clergyman, fearing he might notice David staring.
- David observes other elements in church:
- A boy in the aisle making faces at him.
- A stray sheep (mutton, not a sinner) near the porch, tempting David to speak out loud.
- Monumental tablets on the wall, including one for Mr. Bodgers, whose wife endured his long illness. David wonders if Mr. Chillip, the doctor, treated him and failed.
- The pulpit, which David imagines as a play castle, with a velvet cushion to throw at an attacker.
- David falls asleep during the service, hearing the clergyman like a drowsy song, and falls off the seat with a crash, after which Peggotty takes him out, more dead than alive.
- Outside the Rookery, the latticed bedroom windows are open, and ragged rooks’-nests hang in the elm-trees at the bottom of the front garden.
- The back garden has a high fence, a gate with a padlock, and is a preserve of butterflies. It contains fruit trees with ripe fruit, which Clara gathers in a basket while David eats gooseberries furtively.
- In winter twilight, David and Clara play in the parlour, dancing until Clara rests in an elbow-chair, winding her bright curls around her fingers and adjusting her waist, proud of her beauty.
- David senses that he and Clara are slightly afraid of Peggotty and submit to her direction in most matters.
- One evening, David and Peggotty sit alone by the parlour fire. David reads to her about crocodiles from a book, and Peggotty mistakenly thinks they are a type of vegetable.
- David is sleepy but stays up as a treat until Clara returns from a neighbour’s house. He props his eyelids open to watch Peggotty work, observing:
- A small wax-candle, wrinkled and old-looking.
- A yard-measure in a little house with a thatched roof.
- Peggotty’s work-box with a sliding lid and a painted St. Paul’s Cathedral (with a pink dome).
- A brass thimble on Peggotty’s finger.
- David asks Peggotty if she was ever married, complimenting her as handsome. He compares her to a red velvet footstool painted by Clara with a nosegay, noting Peggotty’s rough complexion versus the stool’s smoothness.
- Peggotty confirms she has never been married and does not expect to be, reacting with surprise to David’s question. She hugs him tightly, causing two buttons on her gown to burst off.
- They return to reading about crocodiles and alligators, with David imagining adventures like running from them, entering water, and putting sharp timber down their throats. Peggotty, distracted, sticks her needle into her face and arms.
- The garden-bell rings, and Clara returns with a gentleman with black hair and whiskers, who walked with them from church the previous Sunday.
- The gentleman calls David a privileged fellow, comparing him to a monarch, and pats his head, touching Clara’s hand, which David dislikes and pushes away.
- Clara chides David for rudeness, and the gentleman asks to shake hands. David offers his left hand (the wrong hand) intentionally, refusing his right, which Clara tries to correct.
- The gentleman leaves, giving a last look with his black eyes, which David finds ill-omened. Peggotty secures the door fastenings immediately.
- Clara stays at the other end of the parlour, singing, instead of sitting by the fire. Peggotty stands stiffly with a candlestick, commenting that a stranger makes an agreeable change, which Clara echoes.
- David falls into an uncomfortable doze, waking to find Clara and Peggotty crying and arguing. Peggotty says Clara’s late husband, Mr. Copperfield, would not have approved of the gentleman, insisting the situation won’t do.
- Clara feels ill-used, denying any serious involvement with the gentleman beyond common civilities, and accuses Peggotty of implying she lacks affection for David. She mentions not buying a new parasol due to its frayed, mangy state to prioritize David.
- All three cry, with David calling Peggotty a beast in his distress. Peggotty, buttonless from her gown, reconciles with both Clara and David, kneeling by the elbow-chair.
- David wakes sobbing, finding Clara sitting on his bed, and falls asleep in her arms.
- The gentleman, now known as Mr. Murdstone, reappears, possibly the following Sunday or later, as David is unclear on dates.
- He visits to see a famous geranium in the parlour-window, though he pays little attention to it. He asks for a blossom, refusing to choose it himself, so Clara picks it. He vows to never part with it, which David doubts, expecting it to fall apart soon.
- Peggotty spends less time with David and Clara in the evenings, and Clara defers to her more than usual. David senses tension, possibly over Clara’s pretty dresses or frequent visits to the neighbour’s house.
- David grows accustomed to Mr. Murdstone but retains an instinctive dislike and jealousy, though he lacks a clear reason beyond wanting to protect Clara with Peggotty’s help.
- One autumn morning, Mr. Murdstone rides by on horseback in the front garden, greeting Clara. He mentions going to Lowestoft to see friends with a yacht and offers to take David for a ride.
- David, excited by the clear, pleasant air and the horse’s enthusiasm, agrees. Peggotty dresses him, but turns cross, brushing his hair excessively hard, possibly due to observing Clara and Mr. Murdstone closely by the sweetbriar fence.
- David rides with Mr. Murdstone, who holds him with one arm. David finds his shallow black eyes unsettling, noting a cast in them, and observes his thick black hair and whiskers, square face, and shaved beard resembling a wax-work figure. Despite misgivings, David acknowledges Mr. Murdstone as handsome, believing Clara thinks so too.
- They arrive at a hotel by the sea, where two gentlemen, Mr. Quinion and Mr. Passnidge, are smoking cigars in a room, each occupying four chairs and wearing rough jackets. A heap of coats, boat-cloaks, and a flag is in a corner.
- The gentlemen greet Mr. Murdstone, joking that they thought he was dead. They call David “Davy Copperfield” and refer to Clara as the “pretty little widow” and “bewitching Mrs. Copperfield”.
- Mr. Quinion jokingly mentions Brooks of Sheffield, implying he is sharp and not favorable to a projected business. The group laughs, toasts “Confusion to Brooks of Sheffield” with sherry and a biscuit, which David joins, enjoying the humor.
- They walk on the cliff, sit on the grass, and use a telescope (David pretends to see through it). They have an early dinner at the hotel.
- The group visits a yacht, where Mr. Murdstone, Mr. Quinion, and Mr. Passnidge work on papers in the cabin. David is left with a red-haired man wearing a small shiny hat and a cross-barred shirt with “Skylark” written on it, which David mistakes for his name but learns is the vessel’s name.
- David observes Mr. Murdstone as graver and steadier than the gay, careless gentlemen, who avoid joking with him. Mr. Quinion and Mr. Passnidge seem cautious around him, with Mr. Quinion checking his reactions and Mr. Passnidge receiving a warning after treading on his foot.
- They return home early in the evening. Clara and Mr. Murdstone stroll by the sweetbriar, while David has tea. Clara asks about the day, laughing at the gentlemen’s comments about her but denying being “bewitching” or “pretty”, asking David not to tell Peggotty.
- About two months later, Peggotty proposes that David spend a fortnight with her brother in Yarmouth, describing the sea, boats, fishermen, beach, and her nephew Ham as attractions.
- David is enthusiastic but worried about Clara living alone. Peggotty reveals Clara will stay with Mrs. Grayper, who is expecting company.
- Clara agrees readily, and arrangements are made that night, with David’s board and lodging paid for during the visit.
- David is eager but feels a grateful fondness for Clara and the Rookery when leaving. Clara kisses him repeatedly, running out to stop the carrier’s cart for one more kiss. Mr. Murdstone appears, seemingly scolding Clara for her emotion, which Peggotty disapproves of.
