James Steerforth

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James Steerforth is a character in the novel David Copperfield by Charles Dickens. He is a handsome young man noted for his wit and romantic charm. Though he is well-liked by those with whom he make acquaintance, he proves himself to be lacking in wisdom and consideration for others.

[edit] Role in novel

David Copperfield first meets James Steerforth as a boy attending Salem House boarding school. David quickly comes to admire and respect him, as the other boys at the school do, and a friendship begins to develop between the two. As Steerforth is several years older than him, David looks up to him as a sort of protector. Steerforth is said to be the only boy at the school bold enough to stand up to Mr. Creakle, the school's austere master, and also the only one whom Mr. Creakle is intimidated by. Some years later, after moving to London, David encounters Steerforth, and the two resume their friendship as of old. Steerforth takes David to his home in Highgate and introduces him to his mother, Mrs. Steerforth, and Miss Rosa Dartle an eccentric young woman who resides with his mother at her home. Miss Dartle was Steerforth's caretaker while he was a boy, and as is seen from the scar on her lower lip which she received from Steerforth throwing a hammer at her, the two have had a troubled relationship. David afterwards invites Steerforth to Yarmouth to meet Daniel Peggotty, a fisherman and the brother of his nurse Clara Peggotty whom he visited as a boy, and his family. During this vacation, Steerforth catches sight of Mr. Peggotty's niece Emily (known by her family as "Little Em'ly"), and becomes attracted to her. Some time later, shortly after visiting Steerforth at his home again, David makes another trip to Yarmouth and learns to his great surprise and dismay that Emily has run off with a gentleman who happens to be Steerforth to live a life of luxury in Europe. This news greatly distresses both the families of Steerforth and Emily. Emily is regarded as a seductress by Miss Dartle, while Mr. Peggotty and his nephew Ham, to whom Emily was to be married, consider Steerforth to have stolen Emily from them. Mr. Peggotty leaves home on a quest to find his niece, searching all throughout Europe for her. Eventually, Emily returns to England and finds her uncle, telling him that Steerforth had grown bored of her company and left her to become a sailor, after which she decided to return, promising never to leave him again. After some further time has passed, David, while making another trip to Yarmouth, is caught in the midst of a great storm. When he reaches Yarmouth, this storm has reached the peak of its ferocity. The storm causes a ship to be wrecked near the coast, with sailors stranded aboard. Eventually all but a lone sailor have been washed away. Ham sees this, and determined to rescue him, attempts to get on board the ship. After reaching the ship, he and the sailor are crushed and killed by a strong wave. Their bodies are afterwards dragged ashore, and David then realizes that the sailor's body is that of Steerforth (it is unclear, however, whether or not Ham knew that the man whom he attempted to rescue was the same man who had stolen his fiancée). The death of Steerforth brings grief and shock to both his mother and Miss Dartle. It is here that Miss Dartle confesses that she had always loved him and had desired to be his wife, and angrily blames Steerforth's associates (including his mother) for having corrupted him and led him to his demise.