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Chapter 20
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in David Copperfield, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age and Personal Development
Ambition, Social Mobility, and Morality
Memory and Nostalgia
Womanhood and Gender Roles
Home and Family
Summary
Analysis
When David wakes up the next day, he meets a servant named Littimer, who is laying out David’s clothes for him. Littimer has an aura of extreme respectability, which unnerves David: he suspects Littimer considers him young and naive. Littimer, however, speaks respectfully to David, telling him the time, informing him when breakfast will be, and asking whether he can do anything else for David. This same exchange repeats itself every morning that David spends at the Steerforths'. Littimer is also on hand throughout the day to fetch things for David and Steerforth—horses for riding, foils for fencing, and so on. Since Steerforth is tutoring David in all these activities, David resents Littimer's presence.
David continues to worry about revealing his youth and inexperience, and is consequently embarrassed that Littimer sees Steerforth teaching David to ride and fence. In this case, however, David's anxiety about his age seems to intersect with insecurity about his class: the activities David is worried about are upper-middle or upper-class pastimes, and he's unnerved by the presence of Littimer, a servant. This overlap makes sense, given that part of growing up, for David, is settling into a comfortable middle-class life that's less extravagant (and at least theoretically more "moral") than that of the upper-class Steerforths.
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Meanwhile, David becomes more and more attached to Steerforth; he does not feel he can be Steerforth's equal, but in spite (or, he suggests, because) of this, he enjoys being treated as a "plaything" or protégé. Steerforth eventually decides to come with David to see the Peggottys, and the two leave together. Once in Yarmouth, David takes great pleasure in revisiting familiar places with Steerforth, who is enthusiastic about everything from the town to the boatmen he meets on a morning walk along the beach.
David's relationship with Steerforth is one of the main obstacles to his growth in the novel. As his remark about being a "plaything" implies, David not only tolerates but enjoys the fact that Steerforth is completely in charge of the relationship, and this kind of passivity isn't compatible with life as an adult Victorian man.
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The day after David and Steerforth arrive in Yarmouth, Steerforth asks when they will go to see Mr. Peggotty, and David suggests surprising the family with a visit that evening. Steerforth approves of this plan, saying he wants to see the Peggottys in their "aboriginal condition," and jokes with David about Rosa's previous words on that topic.
David leaves to visit Peggotty, with plans for Steerforth to meet him at Mr. Barkis's in a couple of hours. He is in a good mood, although he is surprised to see how small the town seems, now that he has grown. While passing by Mr. Omer's shop, he sees Minnie and two children, and decides to stop in. Minnie accordingly sends one of the children (her son Joe) for Omer, who doesn't recognize David at first. David, however, reminds him of the time they rode to Blunderstone together for Clara Copperfield's funeral, and Mr. Omer then greets him, reminiscing about the day. He has more difficulty breathing than he used to but is still as cheerful as even, noting that Minnie and Joram became engaged in the very same cart David rode in all those years ago.
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Mr. Omer asks after Peggotty, whom he remembers had some connection to David. He then explains that little Em'ly is apprenticed in the dress shop, where she is performing very well. He also says Emily is so pretty, though, that many women are jealous of her—to which Minnie retorts that Emily should have "kept to her own station in life." Omer disagrees, but acknowledges that people find it suspicious that little Em'ly has not made many friends in town, and that there are rumors that she wants to be a lady. The fact that Emily has a slightly spoiled and fickle demeanor doesn't improve matters, or that she left a previous position as a lady's companion. Mr. Omer insists, however, that Emily has been a model employee for the two years she has worked for him.
David glances next door, where Emily is currently working, and is impressed by her beauty, as well as by the tenderness with which she is watching Minnie's child. He admits that Emily has a "willful" look, but nevertheless feels that she is basically good and innocent at heart. Mr. Omer urges David to go and say hello to her, but he is too shy to do so.
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David continues on to see Peggotty, and they pretend to be very formal with one another: David asks whether Mr. Barkis (who now suffers from rheumatics) ever goes to Blunderstone, and whether Peggotty happens to know anything about a house called the Rookery. They both then start crying and hugging one another, and David even stops worrying about whether he is acting maturely or not.
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Peggotty goes to tell Barkis that David is there, which she says will do him good. David finds that Barkis is bedridden and unable to move much, but he reminisces happily about the conversations they used to have about Peggotty while riding in Barkis's cart. He continues on to say that everything David told him about Peggotty's cooking was as "true as taxes." This reminds Barkis that he is, in his words, a "very poor man." He repeats this several times and gestures toward a box, which he says is full of clothes. Finally, he praises Peggotty and urges her to provide David with a good dinner. While they're gone, he says, he will try to find some more money—something Peggotty tells David that Barkis says before pulling a coin or two from the box in secret.
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Peggotty gets along well with Steerforth when he arrives—partly because she is grateful for his kindness to David, and partly because of Steerforth's own charisma. Steerforth also charms Mr. Barkis, and makes no objection to the inconvenience of having to stay at an inn while David remains at Peggotty's. David and Steerforth leave for Mr. Peggotty's that evening, and looking back, David says he still can hardly believe that Steerforth's charm and kindness were a "brilliant game."
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The sea is loud as David and Steerforth approach Mr. Peggotty's, and there is also a lot of noise coming from inside the house. When they enter, they find Mrs. Gummidge clapping, Ham and little Em'ly shyly holding hands, and Mr. Peggotty warmly greeting his niece. The scene breaks apart when David and Steerforth arrive, but Mr. Peggotty greets them joyfully, while embracing Emily with pride and happiness.
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Little Em'ly runs away in embarrassment, but Mr. Peggotty continues to speak warmly of the joy she has brought into the household; although he is "rough as a Sea Porkypine," he says, he loves Emily as if she were his daughter. He then explains that a "certain person"—Ham—has known little Em'ly since she was a baby and has watched her grow up, ultimately falling in love with her. Mr. Peggotty was pleased when he learned this, because he wants to make sure Emily is provided for. He therefore spoke to Emily himself on Ham's behalf, but she resisted at first on the grounds that Ham is too good. To Mr. Peggotty's surprise, however, Ham and Emily arrived home from work that day engaged: Emily said she was "steadier" now and ready to marry. It was at this moment that David and Steerforth arrived.
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Awkwardly but earnestly, Ham professes his love for little Em’ly, saying that no other man could love her more, even if he could express himself more eloquently. David is intensely moved by this, and his childhood memories of little Em'ly add poignancy to his happiness. Steerforth spares David the necessity of speaking by congratulating Mr. Peggotty and Ham on their much-deserved happiness.
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Mr. Peggotty and Ham manage to persuade little Em'ly to return to the main room, and her awkwardness quickly fades away thanks to Steerforth's charming and tactful conversation. In fact, she seems enthralled by a story Steerforth recounts about a shipwreck. Steerforth also wins the rest of the family over by singing sea shanties and talking about "boats, and ships, and tides." Even Mrs. Gummidge is less gloomy than usual. Eventually, Emily and David begin to talk of their shared childhood memories, Steerforth listening on intently.
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David and Steerforth finally leave around midnight, the latter praising little Em'ly's beauty and the "quaintness" of the house and family. However, when David comments happily on Ham and Emily's engagement, Steerforth says it is a shame that she is marrying such a "chuckle-headed fellow." This shocks David, but he quickly decides Steerforth is joking and insists (aloud) that he knows Steerforth is deeply sympathetic even to the poorest members of society. Steerforth replies that he wishes everyone were as "earnest" and "good" as David, and then begins singing shanties again.
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