While many of Dickens' works draw on his personal experiences, David Copperfield is considered the most autobiographical. The protagonist, David Copperfield, shares many similarities with Dickens' own childhood, including:
* Early hardship: Both David and Charles experienced poverty and the loss of a parent (David's mother dies, Charles' father was imprisoned for debt).
* Working in a factory: Both worked in a factory as children, a grueling experience that Dickens later condemned in his writing.
* Education and writing aspirations: Both David and Charles received a limited education but were passionate about writing.
* Finding success through writing: Both achieved literary success through their writing.
While not a direct mirror of Dickens' life, David Copperfield captures the spirit of his early experiences and his struggles to overcome adversity.