What happens in Chapter 5 of David Copperfield?
Chapter 5 begins with David receiving the shocking news that he is being sent away to school at Salem House, near London. This decision, driven by his stepfather Mr. Murdstone, is more of a punishment than a favor, stemming from the incident where David bit him during a time of confinement. Peggotty delivers the news with tears in her eyes, and the morning of his departure feels cold and impersonal—Mr. Murdstone shows no affection, while David's mother, clearly intimidated, gives him a muted goodbye. David is handed over to the carrier Barkis, whose dry demeanor provides a memorable comic moment in the chapter. On the journey, David enjoys Peggotty's packed lunch and, in a rare moment of boyish honesty, mentions Peggotty's single status to Barkis—leading to the carrier's now-famous courtship proposal. Upon arriving in London, David spends his first night at an inn, where he feels the sting of urban loneliness and the apathy of strangers. He is then picked up and taken to Salem House, arriving during the school holidays to find it empty, under the watch of the cruel Mr. Creakle's assistant Tungay. A sign reading "Take care of him. He bites." is fastened around David's neck—a humiliation that will mark his initial weeks at the school.
Analysis
Dickens crafts this chapter to explore the cruelty of institutions disguised as civility. The Murdstones maintain a calm demeanor; they simply manipulate. This subtle form of administrative violence—David sent away like a package, literally labeled with a warning—proves more harmful than any loud outburst, and Dickens is fully aware of this. The sign around David's neck serves as the chapter's most striking image: it turns a child's natural instinct to protect himself into a lasting, public humiliation, flipping guilt and innocence with chilling bureaucratic precision.
In contrast to this bleakness, Dickens introduces Barkis as a lighter presence. The carrier’s dry, repetitive claim of "Barkis is willin'" offers a comedic simplicity—desire reduced to its most basic form—but it also lends a quiet dignity to working-class romance when set against the Murdstones' icy sophistication. David’s naive position as an unintentional matchmaker highlights his inherent goodness; he shares his food, speaks openly, and trusts others.
This chapter also serves as a brilliant example of free indirect discourse. David narrates as an adult reflecting on his past, yet the writing captures the child's confused present: the inn feels vast, the night endless, and the strangers unknowable. Dickens employs physical scale—sprawling coaching yards and empty school buildings—to reflect David's psychological insignificance. The theme of journeys representing transformations, introduced here, will echo throughout the novel: each path David takes signifies an irreversible shift in his life and self-awareness.
Key quotes from Chapter 5
“Barkis is willin'.”
The carrier Barkis, learning that Peggotty is unmarried and an excellent cook, delivers his entire romantic proposition in three words, asking David to pass the message along.
“I am a lone lorn creetur and everythink goes contrary with me.”
Though this line belongs more properly to Mrs. Gummidge in later chapters, the edition note here; the chapter's most cited passage is the placard scene: 'He wore a placard on his back, on which was written, "Take care of him. He bites."'—the headmaster's instruction that greets David on arrival at Salem House.
“What a blank space it seemed, what a wilderness it was, to receive such a tiny speck of a boy!”
David reflects on his first sight of the deserted Salem House grounds, Dickens using the child's perspective to render institutional emptiness as something close to existential dread.
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Create an accountSign inVocabulary in Chapter 5
- lone lorn creetur
- A dialect phrase meaning 'lonely, forsaken creature.' Mrs. Gummidge uses it as a habitual self-pitying complaint that everything goes wrong for her alone.
- wilderness
- Here used figuratively to mean a vast, empty, and unwelcoming place that makes a small child feel utterly lost and insignificant.