he post in Portsworth to one in London. Three years later the family moved to Chatham to be closer to their father who was working steadily at the post. Charles Dickens's mother taught him to read when he was barely five and for the next few years Dickens lived wonderfully, reading every book he could get his hands on. He quickly read through his father's collection of Shakespeare, Cervantes, Defoe, Smollett, Fielding, and Goldsmith. Every one of these authors left a mark on the young mind of Charles Dickens which is easy to see in his style and attitude throughout writings (Carey 6). During this time Dickens started attending school where he excelled and pleased his father greatly. Although he was a solitary child, Dickens was observant and good natured and often participated in different comical routines for the class. Looking back on this period of his life, Dickens thought of it as the golden age (Carey 6). In the first novel that he wrote, The Pickwick Papers, Dickens tries to bring back the good old times as he remembers them with their picturesque nature. Gary Carey believes that this novel displays the happiness of innocence and the playful spirit of the youth during the time of Dickens's youthful days (7). Overtaken by financial difficulties, the Dickens family was forced to move into a shabby suburb of Camden Town. This move must have shown the family how good they had it back in Chatham. There Dickens was removed from school and forced to work degrading menial jobs in an effort to help his struggling father put food on the table. Dickens was put to work in a blackening factory among many rough and cruel employees, probably the worst job in town. Shortly after Dickens started working in the factory his father was thrown into jail for failure to pay his debts, only to be released three months later. This period of time affected Dickens greatly as he went into a period of depression. He felt abandoned and destroyed by this evil roller-coaster ride of life he was on. From this time period come many of the major themes of his more popular novels. Perhaps the most popular of these novels is David Copperfield. In this novel Dickens depicts a young man who grows up in a very similar way to that of his own (Al len 28). Dickens' sympathy for the victimized, his fascination with prisons and money, the desire to vindicate his heroes' status as gentlemen, and the idea of London as an awesome, lively, and rather threatening environment all reflect the experiences he had during his time on his own. On his own at the age of twelve, Dickens learned many necessary life skills which also developed in him a driving ambition and a boundless energy that transferred into every thing that he did (28). It would be a mistake to think of Charles Dickens as an uneducated man just because he had little formal schooling. Dickens did what everyone should do, learn from life. His entire writing career was a continuing process of development and experimentation. Many of his themes keep repeating themselves throughout his pieces and those themes most certainly stem from his early life. From his early Pickwick Papers to his one of his last pieces The Mystery of Edwin Drood Dickens never ceased to develop his writin

Some common words found in the essay are:
Charles Dickens, David Copperfield, Boys Dickens, House Blunderstone, French Revolution, Tradition Dickens, Dr Manette, Dickens's Copperfield, Shortly Dickens, Tale Cities, charles dickens, david copperfield, theme novel, life david, french revolution, tale cities, lost past, life david copperfield, believes novel, carey 12, copperfield describes journey, blackening factory, david's longing lost, own story life, longing lost past,
Approximate Word count = 2167
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)