# Mrs. Micawber — David Copperfield character guide

> Mrs. Micawber in David Copperfield by Charles Dickens.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Poor Mrs. Micawber, the Micawber, poor Mrs. Micawber

**First appearance:** 0014-xi-i-begin-life-on-my-own-account-and-don-t-like-it

## Snapshot

Mr. Micawber's fiercely loyal wife, who endures endless insolvency with grand declarations and never once deserts her husband.

## Who they are

Mrs. Micawber presides over a household perpetually on the brink of ruin, greeting each new creditor and each new scheme with the same resolute cheerfulness. Her devotion to her improvident husband is absolute and slightly absurd, yet it is also genuinely heroic, and she will not hear a word against him. She matters because the Micawbers embody the novel's comic endurance of poverty, and her steadfastness becomes crucial when the family's fortunes finally turn.

## In the story

### [XI: I Begin Life on My Own Account, and Don’t Like It](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se/chapters/xi-i-begin-life-on-my-own-account-and-don-t-like-it)

Lives in the prison with her husband; makes egg-hot for David and discusses family affairs.

### [Liking Life on My Own Account No Better, I Form a Great Resolution](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se/chapters/xii-liking-life-on-my-own-account-no-better-i-form-a-great-resolution)

Mrs. Micawber tearfully declares she will never desert her husband, and expresses gratitude to David for his friendship.

### [Somebody Turns Up](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se/chapters/xvii-somebody-turns-up)

Mrs. Micawber recounts the family's failed attempts to secure employment in Plymouth and the coal trade, and expresses her unwavering support for her husband.

### [Tommy Traddles](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se/chapters/xxvii-tommy-traddles)

Mrs. Micawber is mentioned as part of the household downstairs, though she does not appear directly in the scene.

### [Mr. Micawber's Gauntlet](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se/chapters/xxviii-mr-micawber-s-gauntlet)

Advocates for Mr. Micawber to advertise for employment; retires early but joins for tea and inquires about Dora.

### [Enthusiasm](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se/chapters/xxxvi-enthusiasm)

Expresses unwavering loyalty to her husband and discusses his future prospects.

### [LVII: The Emigrants](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se/chapters/lvii-the-emigrants)

Mrs. Micawber delivers a lengthy speech about Mr. Micawber's future eminence and the importance of feeling his position as an emigrant.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se/characters/mr_micawber
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/david_copperfield_se/characters