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Edward Murdstone

Edward Murdstone secretly marries David Copperfield's mother while David is away. When David returns, Murdstone is a strict disciplinarian who physically punishes David. He sends David away to a harsh boarding school. After David's mother dies giving birth to Murdstone's son, Murdstone sends David to work in his factory. David eventually runs away. Murdstone goes to confront David's aunt, who becomes David's guardian. Later it is learned Murdstone has reverted to his old ways of manipulating vulnerable women.

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430 views1 page

Edward Murdstone

Edward Murdstone secretly marries David Copperfield's mother while David is away. When David returns, Murdstone is a strict disciplinarian who physically punishes David. He sends David away to a harsh boarding school. After David's mother dies giving birth to Murdstone's son, Murdstone sends David to work in his factory. David eventually runs away. Murdstone goes to confront David's aunt, who becomes David's guardian. Later it is learned Murdstone has reverted to his old ways of manipulating vulnerable women.

Uploaded by

Ankit Kt
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Edward Murdstone (commonly known as Mr.

Murdstone) is a character in the Charles


Dickens novel David Copperfield.

Near the beginning of the novel, Murdstone marries Clara Copperfield when David is about eight
years old (his father died three months before he was born). This arrangement is done secretly
(much to Peggotty's disapproval), while David is away at the Yarmouth seashore. Soon after the
marriage and David's return home, Murdstone's sister Jane moves into the house at Blunderstone
with them.

Mr. Murdstone is a strict disciplinarian who thrashes David for falling behind in his studies, only
for David to bite his fingers. As a result of what Murdstone views as "sullen behaviour", he
sends David away to Salem House, a boarding school owned by his friend Mr Creakle.

While David is at Salem House, Clara gives birth to her and Edward's son. Three months later,
Clara and her baby die, it being implied that this is due to the stress caused by Murdstone's
tyrannical nature. David is summoned home from Salem House and sent to work at Mr
Murdstone's wine bottling factory, Murdstone and Grinby's, in London. Mr Murdstone also
arranges for David to live with a friend called Wilkins Micawber, who takes good care of David.
After being released from a debtor's prison, Mr Micawber moves to Plymouth and David flees
the factory to find his aunt Betsey Trotwood at Dover.

Mr. Murdstone later receives a letter from Miss Trotwood, informing her of David's arrival. He
travels down to Dover to discuss David's future with Miss Trotwood, who eventually agrees to
take over as David's legal guardian, and then blasts Mr Murdstone for his appalling treatment of
Clara and David.

Murdstone and his sister appear a few times later in the novel, associated in business with
David's employer Mr. Spenlow. Near the end of the novel, the adult David learns from an old
acquaintance that Murdstone, despite Aunt Betsey's thrashing, has reverted to his old ways of
seducing silly women with great fortunes.

 Edward Murdstone – Young David's cruel stepfather, who canes him for falling behind in his studies.
David reacts by biting Mr Murdstone, who then sends him to Salem House, the private school owned by
his friend Mr. Creakle. After David's mother dies, Mr Murdstone sends him to work in a factory, where
he has to clean wine bottles. He appears at Betsey Trotwood's house after David runs away. Mr
Murdstone appears to show signs of repentance when confronted with Copperfield's aunt, but later in
the book we hear he has married another young woman and applied his old principles of "firmness."

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