Characters C-DDickens' Characters C-D
C
Carker, Harriet ( Dombey and Son ) Sister to James and John. Harriet lives with John and the two inherit James' fortune and donate it, anonymously, to Mr Dombey. Harriet later marries Mr Morfin. (top)
Carker, James ( Dombey and Son ) Opportunistic manager at Dombey and Son. Brother of John and Harriet Carker, he elopes with Dombey's wife and is later killed when struck by a train. Dickens describes Carker as "a gentleman thirty-eight or forty years old, of a florid complexion, and with two unbroken rows of glistening teeth, whose regularity and whiteness were quite distressing. It was impossible to escape the observation of them, for he showed them whenever he spoke; and bore so wide a smile upon his countenance (a smile, however, very rarely, indeed, extending beyond his mouth), that there was something in it like the snarl of a cat". (top)
Carker, John ( Dombey and Son ) Older brother of James although called "the Junior" because of his low position at the firm of Dombey and Son. He is looked upon with scorn by his younger brother because he embezzled money from the firm when a young man. Harriet Carker is his sister. (top)
Carstone, Richard ( Bleak House )
Ward of Mr. Jarndyce and a party to the case of Jarndyce and Jarndyce. He marries Ada Clare and later dies when his health declines as the estate he hopes to acquire is consumed in court costs. (top)Carton, Sydney ( A Tale of Two Cities )
Lawyer who is able to get a charge of treason reversed for Charles Darnay due to a strong physical resemblance. He later takes Darnay's place at the guillotine. Quote: It is a far, far better thing I do than I have ever done, it is a far, far better rest I go to than I have ever known. (top)Casby, Christopher ( Little Dorrit ) Father of Flora Finching and landlord who gouges the residents of Bleeding Heart Yard through his collector, Pancks. Pancks later exposes Casby by cutting his long gray hair in front of the residents of Bleeding Heart Yard. (top)
Cavalletto, John Baptist ( Little Dorrit ) Small time Italian smuggler and fellow prisoner with Rigaud as the novel opens. Later employed by Arthur Clennam in Bleeding Heart Yard after being injured in a mail coach accident. Aids in the search for Rigaud. (top)
Rev Chadband ( Bleak House ) Typical Dickensian hypocritical reverend, admonishing Jo in the spirit while he starves. Marries the former Mrs Rachael. (top)
Cheeryble Brothers ( Nicholas Nickleby )
Charles and Edwin (Ned). Benevolent businessmen who employ and befriend Nicholas Nickleby and his family. Frank Cheeryble, who marries Kate Nickleby, is their nephew. (top)Cheeryble, Frank ( Nicholas Nickleby ) Nephew of the Cheeryble brothers who marries Kate Nickleby. (top)
Chester, Edward ( Barnaby Rudge ) Son of John, eventually overcomes the opposition of his father and her uncle and marries Emma Haredale. The couple relocate to the West Indies. (top)
Chester, John ( Barnaby Rudge ) Father of Edward, tries to prevent Edward's marriage to Emma Haredale. Becomes a member of Parliament. Killed in a duel by Emma's uncle Geoffrey. (top)
Chick, Louisa ( Dombey and Son ) Sister of Paul Dombey Sr. and friend to Mrs. Tox. Quote: Make an effort. (top)
Chickenstalker, Anne ( The Chimes ) A stout lady who keeps a shop in the general line to whom Trotty owes some small debts. In Trotty's dream she marries Tugby and is Meg's landlady. (top)
Mr. Chillip ( David Copperfield ) Doctor who delivers David Copperfield. (top)
Chivery, John, Young John, Mrs Chivery ( Little Dorrit ) Turnkeys (jailors) at the Marshalsea. Young John loves Amy Dorrit and assists in finding her father's fortune. Mrs Chivery runs a tobacco shop around the corner from the Marshalsea on Horsemonger Lane. (top)
Choke, General Cyrus ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Member of the Eden Land Corporation who introduces Martin to Scadder. Like many others Martin Meets in America the General is considered "one of the most remarkable men in the country". (top)
Chollop, Hannibal ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Another of "the most remarkable men in the country" Martin meets in Eden. Chollop enforces the propagation of liberty with a brace of revolving-pistols. (top)
Chuffey ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Devoted old clerk of Anthony Chuzzlewit. "He looked as if he had been put away and forgotten half a century before, and somebody had just found him in a lumber-closet." (top)
Chuzzlewit, Anthony ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Brother of old Martin Chuzzlewit and father of Jonas Chuzzlewit. Greedy and tight-fisted business man who breeds these same qualities into his son, Jonas, who tries to poison him for his trouble. (top)
Chuzzlewit, Jonas ( Martin Chuzzlewit )
Son of Anthony Chuzzlewit, he attempts to kill his father to gain his inheritance. Marries Mercy Pecksniff and, through his cruelty, breaks her spirit. He murders Tigg, the murder is discovered, and on the way to prison poisons himself. (top)Chuzzlewit, Martin ( Martin Chuzzlewit )
Grandson of Martin Sr. He has a falling out with his grandfather over his love for Mary Graham. Becomes a pupil of Pecksniff who, because of pressure from the grandfather, throws young Martin out. After a trip to America with Mark Tapley, he comes back to England and, after the undoing of Pecksniff, reconciles with his grandfather and marries Mary Graham. (top)Chuzzlewit, Old Martin ( Martin Chuzzlewit )
Grandfather of Martin, cousin of Pecksniff, brother of Anthony, uncle of Jonas. Martin is suspicious of his hypocritical relatives, chiefly Pecksniff, whose hypocrisy Martin exposes and is reconciled with his grandson, young Martin. (top)Clare, Ada ( Bleak House )
Ward of John Jarndyce, friend of Esther Summerson, cousin of Richard Carstone, who she marries and is soon widowed as Richard's health fails in the wake of the unhappy conclusion of the Chancery suit. (top)Clarriker ( Great Expectations ) Shipping merchant from whom Pip secretly buys a partnership for Herbert. After Pip loses his fortune he is also employed in the firm. (top)
Claypole, Noah ( Oliver Twist ) Assistant at Sowerberry's with whom Oliver fights. Noah later joins Fagin's band and spies on Nancy. After Fagin's capture he testifies against him and becomes an informer for the police. (top)
Clennam, Arthur ( Little Dorrit )
Returns to England from abroad where he has spent years with his father in the family business. On his father's death he falls out with his mother and gives up his share of the family business. He befriends Amy Dorrit at the Marshalsea and becomes business partner to Daniel Doyce. After losing everything in a banking scam by Merdle he is himself imprisoned in the Marshalsea. His health fails and Amy cares for him in the prison. The novel ends with Arthur and Amy's marriage. (top)Clennam, Mrs. ( Little Dorrit )
Invalid mother of Arthur with whom she has a falling out over the family business. She avoids a blackmail scheme by Rigaud/Blandois when her tumble-down house tumbles down on him. (top)Clickett (The Orfling) ( David Copperfield ) Maid to the Micawbers. "A dark-complexioned young woman, with a habit of snorting". Clickett is an orphan from St. Luke's Workhouse. (top)
Cly, Roger ( A Tale of Two Cities ) Former servant of Charles Darnay who testifies against his former master at Darnay's trial for treason. He fakes his death and is buried in a mock funeral in London. Cly surfaces later as a spy and informer in Paris and ends up on the guillotine. (top)
Cobb, Tom ( Barnaby Rudge ) Friend of John Willet at the Maypole Inn. (top)
Codlin and Short ( The Old Curiosity Shop ) Proprietors of a traveling Punch and Judy show that Nell and her grandfather meet on their travels through the English countryside. (top)
Compeyson ( Great Expectations ) Con man who deceives Miss Havisham, with the help of Miss Havisham's brother Arthur, to get her money with a promise of marriage, and then leaves her at the altar. He is an accomplice of Magwitch in the original prison break. He later exposes Magwitch and accidentally drowns when Magwitch is recaptured. (top)
Copperfield, David ( David Copperfield )
Narrator of the story modeled after Dickens life. Begins life with his widowed mother and their maid, Peggotty. When his mother marries Mr. Murdstone his life becomes miserable. He is sent to Creakle's school where he meets Steerforth and Traddles. After the death of his mother he goes to work at Murdstone and Grinby and is lodged with the Micawbers. David runs away to live with his aunt Betsy Trotwood in Dover. He later marries his employer Spenlow's daughter, Dora. Dora dies and David marries longtime friend, Agnes Wickfield. David, like Dickens, becomes a successful author. (top)Copperfield, Clara ( David Copperfield ) Mother of David Copperfield. A widow when David is born, she later is lured into marriage by Edward Murdstone, who destroys her spirit and she dies along with her newborn son while David is away at school. (top)
Corney, Mrs. ( Oliver Twist ) Matron of the workhouse where Oliver is born. She marries Bumble making him miserable. The Bumbles are disgraced and end up as paupers in the workhouse they once ruled over. (top)
Cratchit, Bob ( A Christmas Carol )
Longsuffering clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge. Bob endures Scrooge's mistreatment until Scrooge, reformed by the visit of the three spirits, raises Bob's salary and vows to help his struggling family. The Cratchit family consists of Bob's wife, eldest daughter Martha, daughter Belinda, son Peter, two younger children: boy and girl, and Tiny Tim. (top)Cratchit, Tiny Tim ( A Christmas Carol )
Crippled son of Bob Cratchit. The forecast of Tim's death by the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Future is instrumental in Scrooge's reformation after which Tim is afforded proper medical attention and is cured. Dickens based Tiny Tim (and also Paul Dombey Jr) on his sister Fanny's crippled son Henry Burnett Jr. (top)Creakle ( David Copperfield ) Severe headmaster of Salem House Academy where David first goes to school. He was based on William Jones, headmaster of Wellington Academy which Dickens attended from 1825-1827. (top)
Crewler, Sophy ( David Copperfield ) Fiance of Traddles and "the dearest girl in the world". Traddles has trouble gaining permission to marry Sophy because she is indispensible to her large family. (top)
Crimple, David (Crimp) ( Martin Chuzzlewit ) Pawnbroker (Crimp) and later partner with Tigg Montigue in the Anglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan and Life Assurance Company. After Montigue is murdered he flees the country with the company's money. (top)
Cripples, Mr ( Little Dorrit ) Operates Cripples Evening Academy in the same lodging house where Frederick Dorrit lives. Amy Dorrit attended classes there. (top)
Crisparkle, Canon ( The Mystery of Edwin Drood ) Minor canon of Cloisterham Cathedral. "Mr. Crisparkle, Minor Canon, early riser, musical, classical, cheerful, kind, good-natured, social, contented, and boy-like". He takes Neville Landless as a pupil and helps Neville flee to London when suspicion is cast on him for the disappearance of Edwin Drood. (top)
Crummles, Vincent ( Nicholas Nickleby )
Manager of a touring stage company who employs and befriends Nicholas Nickleby and Smike. Described as having "a very full under-
lip, a hoarse voice, as though he were in the habit of shouting very
much, and very short black hair, shaved off nearly to the crown of
his head--to admit (as he afterwards learnt) of his more easily
wearing character wigs of any shape or pattern."
(top)Crummles, Mrs ( Nicholas Nickleby ) Wife of Vincent Crummles and actress in his traveling stage troupe. Described as "a stout, portly female, apparently between forty and fifty, in a tarnished silk cloak, with her bonnet dangling by the strings in her hand, and her hair (of which she had a great quantity) braided in a large festoon over each temple." (top)
Crummles, Ninetta ( Nicholas Nickleby ) Daughter of Vincent Crummles and actress in his traveling stage troupe. Billed as the Infant Phenomenon, her acting capability is greatly over-rated by her father. She is listed as 10 years old but is apparently much older: "though of short stature, had a comparatively aged countenance, and had moreover been precisely the same age -- not perhaps to the full extent of the memory of the oldest inhabitant, but certainly for five good years. But she had been kept up late every night, and put upon an unlimited allowance of gin-and-water from infancy, to prevent her growing tall, and perhaps this system of training had produced in the infant phenomenon these additional phenomena." (top)
Cruncher, Jerry ( A Tale of Two Cities ) Messenger for Tellson's Bank who moonlights as a grave robber. (top)
Crupp, Mrs ( David Copperfield )
David Copperfield's brandy-loving landlady at the Adelphi. (top)Cute, Alderman ( The Chimes ) City magistrate who is blind to the plight of the poor. Vows to "put down" any nonsense claimed by the poor, such as starvation, illness, and suicide. (top)
Cuttle, Captain ( Dombey and Son )
Seafaring friend of Sol Gills, whose shop he cares for when Sol goes in search of his lost nephew, Walter Gay. Quote: When found, make a note of. Dickens describes Captain Cuttle as "a gentleman in a wide suit of blue, with a hook instead of a
hand attached to his right wrist; very bushy black eyebrows; and a
thick stick in his left hand, covered all over (like his nose) with
knobs. He wore a loose black silk handkerchief round his neck, and
such a very large coarse shirt collar, that it looked like a small
sail".
(top)D
Daisy, Soloman ( Barnaby Rudge ) Clerk and bell-ringer at the parish church in Chigwell. Friend of John Willet at the Maypole Inn. Daisy tells the story of Reuben Haredale's murder. (top)
Darnay, Charles ( A Tale of Two Cities ) Son of Marquis de St. Evremonde. He is tried for treason in London and is acquitted due to his resemblance to Sydney Carton. He marries Lucie Manette, daughter of Dr. Manette. He returns to Paris to help a friend imprisoned there and is arrested by the revolutionaries. His life is saved when look-alike Carton takes his place on the guillotine. (top)
Dartle, Rosa ( David Copperfield ) Companion to Mrs. Steerforth, jealously in love with Steerforth, who has marked her face when a child by throwing a hammer in a fit of temper. Rosa hates Emily for running away with Steerforth. Narrator David Copperfield describes Rosa as "A slight short figure, dark, and not agreeable to look at, but with some appearance of good looks too... I concluded in my own mind that she was about thirty years of age, and that she wished to be married. She was a little dilapidated, like a house, with having been so long to let; yet had, as I have said, an appearance of good looks. Her thinness seemed to be the effect of some wasting fire within her, which found a vent in her gaunt eyes". (top)
Datchery, Dick ( The Mystery of Edwin Drood ) Mysterious visitor to Cloisterham whose "white head was unusually large, and his shock of white hair was unusually thick and ample". Datchery keeps an eye on John Jasper after the disappearance of Edwin Drood. The true identity of Datchery is one of the most contested points of the uncompleted mystery. It is widely believed that Datchery is one of the characters in the book in disguise, most likely candidates include Neville, Bazzard, Tartar, Helena, or even Edwin Drood himself. (top)
Dawkins, Jack ( Oliver Twist )
Also known as the Artful Dodger, he is the most successful and interesting of Fagin's thieves. He shows Oliver the ropes of the pickpocket game and is later captured and sentenced to transportation. (top)Dedlock, Lady ( Bleak House )
Wife of Sir Leicester Dedlock and, unknown to her husband, mother of Esther Summerson. When Tulkinghorn, the family lawyer, learns the secret she runs away and is found dead by Esther at the gates of the cemetery in which Esther's father, Captain Hawdon, lies buried. (top)Dedlock, Sir Leicester ( Bleak House ) Husband of Lady Dedlock, owner of Chesney Wold, and guardian of the status quo. (top)
Volumnia Dedlock ( Bleak House ) Poor relation of Sir Leicester Dedlock. 'Rouged and necklaced' hanger-on at Chesney Wold. (top)
Defarge, Ernest ( A Tale of Two Cities )
Husband of Madame Defarge and keeper of a wine shop in Paris. He is a leader among the revolutionaries. (top)Defarge, Madame ( A Tale of Two Cities )
Wife of wine shop keeper, Ernest Defarge, and a leader among the revolutionaries. She harbors an intense hatred of Charles Darnay for atrocities committed against her family by the Evremonde family. Madame Defarge is killed in a struggle with Miss Pross in Paris. (top)Dennis, Ned ( Barnaby Rudge ) Executioner at Tyburn, becomes involved in the Gordon Riots and is executed. (top)
Deputy (Winks) ( The Mystery of Edwin Drood ) Boy hired by Durdles to throw stones at him when he is wandering drunk at night. "Sometimes the stones hit him, and sometimes they miss him, but Durdles seems indifferent to either fortune. The hideous small boy, on the contrary, whenever he hits Durdles, blows a whistle of triumph through a jagged gap, convenient for the purpose, in the front of his mouth, where half his teeth are wanting; and whenever he misses him, yelps out 'Mulled agin!' and tries to atone for the failure by taking a more correct and vicious aim". Deputy resides at the Traveler's Twopenny. (top)
Dick, Mr ( David Copperfield )
An eccentric lodger at Betsy Trotwood's and friend of David Copperfield. Real name: Richard Babley. (top)Dilber, Mrs ( A Christmas Carol ) Scrooge's charwoman who sells his bed linen and curtains to Old Joe when Scrooge is shown shadows of the future by the Ghost of Christmas Future. (top)
Diver, Colonel ( Martin Chuzzlewit )
Editor of the New York Rowdy Journal. Diver meets Mark and Martin onboard the Screw and directs them to Pawkins boarding house. (top)Dodson and Fogg ( Pickwick Papers ) Sharp dealing lawyers who dupe Mrs. Bardell into bringing a breach of promise to marry suit against Samuel Pickwick. (top)
Dolls, Mr ( Our Mutual Friend ) Drunken father of Jenny Wren whom she refers to as her 'bad child'. (top)
Dombey, Fanny ( Dombey and Son ) First wife of Paul Dombey and mother of Florence and Paul Jr. at who's birth she dies. (top)
Dombey, Florence ( Dombey and Son )
Neglected daughter of Paul Dombey and sister of little Paul whom she nurses in his illness. She marries Walter Gay and is eventually reconciled with her father. (top)Dombey, Paul ( Dombey and Son ) Powerful head of the House of Dombey. He wants a son, and when a daughter (Florence) is born he despises her. His second child, a son (Paul), is weak and sickly and dies a child. Paul's first wife dies with the birth of Paul Jr and he remarries. His second wife, Edith Granger, does not love him and eventually runs away with Carker, a manager at the firm. With Carker gone, Paul is incapable of managing the business and it fails. Paul ends his days reconciled with his daughter and doting on his grandchildren, little Paul, but especially little Florence. (top)
Dombey, Paul Jr. ( Dombey and Son )
The long hoped-for heir to the house of Dombey and Son. His mother dies at his birth leaving him a frail and sickly child. His father sends him to Brighton in the care of Mrs. Pipchin hoping the sea air will bolster his failing health. He then attends Dr. Blimber's school and his health continues to decline. Paul returns home to London and dies in the care of his sister, Florence, leaving the firm of Dombey and Son without an heir. Dickens modeled Paul (and also Tiny Tim) on his sister Fanny's crippled son Henry Burnett Jr. (top)Dorrit, Amy ( Little Dorrit )
Daughter of William Dorrit, born in the Marshalsea debtor's prison. She works for Mrs Clennam and befriends Arthur. Her father inherits a fortune and they leave the prison and travel abroad. After her father's death she discovers that the fortune has been lost in a banking scam. She nurses Arthur in the Marshalsea when his fortune is lost in the same banking scam. The novel ends with the marriage of Arthur and Amy at St. Georges Church, next to the prison, the same church where she was christened. (top)Dorrit, Edward (Tip) ( Little Dorrit ) Ne'er do well brother of Amy Dorrit. (top)
Dorrit, Fanny ( Little Dorrit ) Sister of Amy. A dancer with social aspirations, Fanny marries Edmund Sparkler, Step-son of Mr. Merdle. Fanny and Sparkler lose everything in the Merdle banking scam. (top)
Dorrit, Frederick ( Little Dorrit ) Brother of William, Uncle of Fanny, Edward, and Amy. He plays clarionet in a small-time theatre. He is due an inheritance but the knowledge is kept from him by the intrigues of Mrs. Clennam. (top)
Dorrit, William ( Little Dorrit )
Father of Amy (title character), Fanny, and Edward, and long-time inmate of the Marshalsea debtor's prison. He inherits an estate and leaves the prison, traveling in style with his daughters. After his death Amy learns that his fortune has been lost in the Merdle banking scam. (top)Doyce, Daniel ( Little Dorrit ) Inventor of an unspecified mechanical wonder which he is unable to get a patent for in the Circumlocution Office. He partners with Arthur Clennam who loses the firm's money in the Merdle scandal. Doyce later sells the invention abroad and returns to liberate Arthur from the Marshalsea. (top)
Drood, Edwin ( The Mystery of Edwin Drood )
An orphan, Edwin has been promised to Rosa Bud since early childhood. Later Edwin and Rosa rebel against the arrangement. Rosa is also wooed by Edwin's uncle John Jasper. Edwin turns up missing and his watch is found in the river. Jasper hints suspicion of Neville Landless in the disappearance when the novel ends abruptly with the death of Dickens in 1870. (top)Drummle, Bentley ( Great Expectations ) Pip's fellow student at Matthew Pocket's. He marries Estella for her money and abuses her. He is killed when kicked by a horse that he has mistreated. (top)
Duff ( Oliver Twist ) Bow Street Runner (London Policemen) who, along with Blathers, investigates the attempted robbery of the Maylie home. (top)
Durdles ( The Mystery of Edwin Drood ) Drunken stonemason who engraves tombstones for Cloisterham Cathedral. John Jasper is interested in Durdles ability to tap on the tombs and discover their contents. Durdles hires Deputy to throw stones at him when he catches him wandering about drunk at night. "No man is better known in Cloisterham. He is the chartered libertine of the place. Fame trumpets him a wonderful workman - which, for aught that anybody knows, he may be (as he never works); and a wonderful sot - which everybody knows he is". (top)
