David Copperfield · Character

Mr. Creakle

A headmaster who governs Salem House by ear-pinching and terror, calling himself a Tartar and meaning every syllable of it.

supporting

Also known as Creakle, Old Creakle

First appearance: My "First Half" at Salem House

As a supporting figure in David Copperfield, Mr. Creakle is not background color—the story leans on what they do once the chapter opens.

See Mr. Creakle in My "First Half" at Salem House Book page

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Creakle rules his school through fear, whispering threats and pinching ears with what he calls ferocious playfulness, while a wooden-legged assistant echoes his every word like a human megaphone. His cruelty extends even to his own household, where his thin, quiet wife and daughter sit wiping their eyes as he declares that flesh and blood rising against him is no flesh and blood at all. For the young David, newly arrived and already branded with a placard, Creakle is the first lesson that authority can be arbitrary, theatrical, and genuinely frightening.

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See Mr. Creakle in My "First Half" at Salem House

Character Web

17 connections

A slice of how Mr. Creakle sits in the book — open the reader for the full interactive map.

Relationship types

Other

Character groups

Central characters and antagonists
Salem House school staff

+12 more in the full Character Web

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Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.

Setup
Escalation
Breaking point
Aftermath
Closing

This is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional peak of David's concealed grief and the…

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In the story

Mr. Creakle appears across 4 companion beats. Open any chapter in the free preview to see the notes beside the text.

I Am Sent Away from Home
Mr. Creakle is the feared headmaster, whose arrival David dreads; the man with the wooden leg unlocks the gate for him.
VI: I Enlarge My Circle of Acquaintance
The tyrannical headmaster of Salem House, known for his whispery voice and harsh discipline.
My "First Half" at Salem House
The brutal headmaster who takes sadistic pleasure in caning the boys.
XIII: The Sequel of My Resolution
David mentions Mr. Creakle's boys as he creeps away from Salem House.

Chapter companion notes

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See Mr. Creakle in My "First Half" at Salem House