Abstract

Charles John Huffam Dickens, the chief representative of British realistic literature in the 19th century, usually describes the life of those mere ciphers living at the bottom of rung, and reflects the complex social reality of the time. David Copperfield, first published in 1850, is a semiautobiographical novel of Dickens, which has a reputation as “a favorite child” in his heart. This paper discusses how he gradually became an adamant and virtuous man from a timid and coward boy and finally achieved double bumper harvest of love and career.
This paper is divided into three parts: Chapter One introduces the author Charles Dickens and the novel. Chapter Two describes the development of David Copperfield’s personality, including cowardliness and innocence in his childhood, sincerity and juvenility in his youth, and self-support and maturity in his adulthood. The last chapter explains the reasons for the development of David’s character, including the effects brought about by three important women (David’s mother Clara Copperfield, his maid Peggotty and his great aunt Miss Betsey), different influences of two love sections.
This paper highlights the development of David’s character and the reasons for his changes. The analysis of David’s personality provides an opportunity to comprehend the features of the capitalist society, as well as the enlightenment of life.

Keywords: David Copperfield; Character; Development; Reason
 
摘  要

查尔斯•约翰•赫芬姆•狄更斯（Charles John Huffam Dickens）是19世纪英国现实主义文学的主要代表。他的小说主要以写实笔法描写生活在英国社会底层的“小人物”的生活遭遇，反映当时英国复杂的社会现实。创作于1850年的《大卫 科波菲尔》是狄更斯的一部半自传体作品，被称为他“心中最宠爱的孩子”。本文讨论了主人公大卫如何从胆小怯懦的小男孩成长为坚强善良的男子汉，并获得了爱情和事业的双丰收。
本文分为三个部分，第一部分简要介绍作者查尔斯狄更斯及这部作品；第二部分介绍大卫性格变化过程，包括童年时的软弱胆怯和天真善良，青年时期的真诚、狡猾和不成熟、不自信，成年时期的自立成熟、沉着宽容；第三部分则阐释其性格形成发展的原因，包括文中三位重要女性人物（大卫的母亲、仆人佩葛蒂和贝西姨婆）的影响和两段爱情的推动。
本文重点研究大卫科波菲尔的性格特征，以及造成这种性格发展的原因；对大卫科波菲尔性格的分析，为读者了解资本主义社会的特征提供了机会，同时也蕴含着关于人生的启迪。

关键词：大卫 科波菲尔；性格；发展；成因