Portal:Charles Dickens/Selected article/5

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Uriah Heep is a fictional character created by Charles Dickens in his novel David Copperfield.

The character is notable for his cloying humility, obsequiousness, and general insincerity. His references to David as "Master Copperfield" are repeated so often that they quickly seem insincere. He is the central antagonist of the later part of the book. David first meets him when he is living with Mr. Wickfield and his daughter Agnes. Uriah explains in another part of the book that his ambition and greed are fueled by his lack of ability to express it during his childhood because of his father who constantly encouraged him to be "humble". This lack of correct psychological and social development perpetuated by his father led Uriah to become the scheming and greedy person he is as an adult. Uriah works as Mr. Wickfield's clerk, and by blackmailing Mr. Wickfield he gains control over most of his life and business. He eventually succeeds in having himself made a full partner in the business. His eventual ambition is to marry Agnes and gain control of the Wickfield fortune. Like most of Dickens' villains, greed is his main motivation. (more...)