David Copperfield Study Guide

David is born six months after his father dies. His mother and their servant, Peggotty, are alone in "The Rookery," awaiting the birth. Miss Betsey Trotwood, David's great aunt, arrives unexpectedly on the day David is born. Miss Trotwood predicts that David will be born a girl and proposes to be this female infant's godmother. When David is born a boy, Miss Trotwood takes his gender as a personal insult and leaves. Several superstitious elements are introduced regarding David's birth. One is the hour of his birth, late on Friday night, which implies that he will be able to see ghosts or have some other connection to the spirit world. The other is that he is born with a caul, a good luck charm against drowning. (read more)