David Copperfield

David Copperfield enjoys his early childhood with his mother and their kindly servant, Peggotty. But when his mother marries the cruel Mr. Murdstone, he is sent away to Salem House, a run-down London boarding school where the boys are beaten by Mr. Creakle. Here David befriends Tommy Traddles and the aristocratic James Steerforth. Shortly after she gives birth to a son by Mr. Murdstone, however, David's mother dies, and David is pulled out of the …

…a brilliant satirical look at Dickens' father, an infinitely likable man who simply cannot seem to scrape together the money he needs at the time he needs it. Though certain characters--such as Miss Trotwood and Mr. Dick--are entirely fictional, others--notably Mr. Murdstone and Miss Murdstone--are clearly related to Dickens' real response to actual figures from his life (in the Murdstones' case, his outrage at having been made by his parents to work as a child).