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SEBASTIAN LEHNER
David Copperfield as an example of the Victorian socio-critical novel

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As it turns out, she is very talkative and eloquent and furthermore a professional hairdresser, manicurist and pedicurist. She is described as having lots of “self-possession”[35], which shows that she is, despite her outer appearance, very self-confident and not shy. In addition is learned that the “Russian Prince is a client”[36]of hers, and so she is honoured even by the highest classes, because she is judged from her capabilities, not her looks, and therefore estimated higher than many “normal” looking people are. The strange thing is that she shows the fingernails of the Prince around, whenever she introduces herself to somebody new, and as she states herself: “The whole social system (…) is a system of the Prince’s nails”[37]. And here one can detect a sharp criticism of society, because at a first glance, people who do not know Miss Mowcher don’t think that she is able to be a good hairdresser or manicurist, in fact they need the reassurance that sombody like the Russian Prince takes advantage of her services until they finally realize that she is very good at her profession. And this shows again very clearly the general attitude of society towards those “misfits”, they are pushed around, picked on and excluded, because nobody takes the time to look beyond the surface. Finally Miss Mowcher is described the following: “Some people trifled with her as a mere oddity (…)but she was as shrewdly and sharply observant as anyone he knew and as long-headed as she was short-armed.”[38] And by drawing this contrast, Dickens clearly show his opinion that the society is ways too superficial and that behind an ugly looking outside can be a beautiful and sharp-minded spirit. In this case it is the internal values that count most, not the superficial outside.

[35] Dickens, Charles, David Copperfield, p.308     [36] Dickens, Charles, David Copperfield, p.308
[37] Dickens, Charles, David Copperfield, p.309     [38] Dickens, Charles, David Copperfield, p.314f

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