Charles Dickens: David Copperfield

“A social institution is a complex, integrated set of social norms organized around the preservation of a basic societal value. Obviously, the sociologist does not define institutions in the same way, as does the person on the street. Lay persons are likely to use the term "institution" very loosely, for churches, hospitals, jails, and many other things as institutions.” (Social Guide website) Furthermore, Institutions are Family, education and religion important in Charles Dickens’ novel. There are some reason Who are the persons that represent these values and norms and in what terms, Which are the values and norms attached to these institutions, with respect to Important Characters, concrete events related to the values and norms attached to family and education institutions, Analysis of all characters that either institutions conflicts with values and norms.

Important Characters, concrete events related to the values and norms attached to family and education institutions

The novel generally shows that those days’ values, norms of those days are, the dilemma of the weak; equality notions in class differences, richness, and marriage among people. However, my scope is only education and family institution. First of all, I need to emphasize major conflict that are David is born fatherless, and when he is seven years old his mother marries Edward Murdstone, who is unkind and offensive to David and his mother, first event that I realized in the novel. It is a confliction between norms and values because any of societies do not accept being cruel individual behaviors. As it seen, it is unfair and unacceptable because those behaviors harm integrity of family’s values. Anyhow, David protects himself in one of his stepfather’s de...

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... value. Lay people are likely to use the term institution, for hospitals, clinics, prisons, and many other objects as institutions. For this reason, institutions are Family, education and religion important and also it is important in Charles Dickens’ novel. Moreover, many events and characters like David, Mr. Edward, and Mrs. Gummidge etc. are the people that represent different types of behaviors, attitudes and have different values and different stages in the same norms society. As usual, society is consisting of different type, age, race, and gender people and these people belong to different values and cultures. To keep them together, there are some unwritten prescriptive and proscriptive norms. Sometimes, because of individuals’ culture, norms and values are conflicting. Avoiding from conflicting generally is insensible for society’s future and developments.