Peggotty married Barkis

Clara Peggotty and Mr. Barkis marry in a deliberately private ceremony during a country excursion with David Copperfield and Emily Peggotty. The event grows out of a decision Peggotty has considered carefully: she wants a home and greater independence, but will not proceed if David objects. His wholehearted support clears the way for the marriage, which changes her circumstances without weakening her affection for him.

The Decision and David’s Consent

The marriage first enters the scene as a question Peggotty puts to David. Mr. Barkis has already conveyed that matters are settled, but his indirect manner leaves David uncertain; Peggotty then asks what he would think if she were to marry. David’s first concern is whether she would still love him as much as before. Her embrace and assurances make the emotional stake plain: she is not asking him to choose between her happiness and their bond, but fears that marriage might compromise that bond for him.

Peggotty explains that she hopes marriage will make her more independent and allow her to work with a better heart in her own home. She also speaks of remaining near the resting place of her beloved child. These are practical and personal considerations, not a sudden change of feeling. She says she has weighed the choice repeatedly, and describes Mr. Barkis as a good, plain man with whom she hopes to be comfortable.

Even after explaining her reasons, Peggotty insists that she would give up the match if David were against it. Her concern is characteristic of their relationship: she makes his welfare part of her own decision, rather than treating his consent as a formality. David asks her to look at him and see that he is genuinely glad and wishes her to marry. His approval is sincere, and the two agree for the moment to keep the matter between themselves.

A Quiet Church Ceremony

The marriage takes place during a holiday excursion. At a church, Mr. Barkis ties up the horse and goes inside with Peggotty, leaving David and Emily together in the chaise. The children remain outside while the adults conduct the business that brought them to the church. When they rejoin the party, Mr. Barkis makes the union known with playful satisfaction, giving Peggotty the married name Clara Peggotty Barkis.

The ceremony had been arranged to be quiet. Peggotty wanted no public celebration, and the clerk gave her away; no other witnesses attended. The couple’s approach fits the modest, private character of the decision as it has unfolded: the marriage is important, but it does not require display or a large gathering. Its announcement comes after the fact, in the course of an ordinary outing, rather than as a public declaration in advance.

The Day Afterward

The newlyweds and their companions continue to a small inn on a by-road, where they have a comfortable dinner and spend the day pleasantly. Peggotty is at ease after the ceremony and behaves as she did before it. She takes a stroll with David and Emily before tea, while Mr. Barkis smokes and enjoys the meal. The account’s domestic details make the marriage feel less like a rupture than a settled addition to an existing circle of affection.

After dark, they ride back together beneath the stars. David talks about what he knows of them, and Mr. Barkis listens with the respect he has for the boy’s abilities. The journey home closes the event on an intimate, unceremonious note: Peggotty is now married, but she remains close to David, and the day has included him rather than excluding him from her new life.

Significance and Later Reception

For David, Peggotty’s marriage does not cancel the care and loyalty she has given him and his mother. Later, when Betsey Trotwood speaks disparagingly of Peggotty’s decision to marry, David breaks down while defending her as faithful and devoted. He recalls that Peggotty loved his mother, stayed with her at the end of her life, and had offered him a home of her own. His defense shows why her consent to this marriage matters: she has made room for a new household without ceasing to be one of the central sources of security in David’s life.

The event therefore turns on continuity as much as change. Peggotty gains the prospect of independence and a home with Mr. Barkis, while David’s approval affirms that their attachment will endure. The private wedding and the ordinary day that follows give concrete form to that balance: marriage alters Peggotty’s name and household, but her kindness to David remains undiminished.