List of Dickensian Characters - C

C

• Carker, Harriet Sister to James and John. Harriet lives with John and the two inherit James' fortune and donate it, anonymously, to Mr Dombey. Harriet later marries Mr Morfin in Dombey and Son.
• Carker, James Opportunistic manager at Dombey and Son. Brother of John and Harriet Carker, he elopes with Dombey's wife and is later killed when struck by a train. Dickens describes Carker as "a gentleman thirty-eight or forty years old, of a florid complexion, and with two unbroken rows of glistening teeth, whose regularity and whiteness were quite distressing. It was impossible to escape the observation of them, for he showed them whenever he spoke; and bore so wide a smile upon his countenance (a smile, however, very rarely, indeed, extending beyond his mouth), that there was something in it like the snarl of a cat."
• Carker, John Older brother of James although called 'the Junior' because of his low position at the firm of Dombey and Son. He is looked upon with scorn by his younger brother because he embezzled money from the firm when a young man. Harriet Carker is his sister in Dombey and Son.
• Carstone, Richard is a ward of Chancery in Bleak House. He tries to make his own way in the world - in medicine, law and soldiering - but the Jarndyce case becomes his obsession and eventually his ruin. He becomes engaged to, and later secretly marries, Ada Clare, the other ward.
• Carton, Sydney is a lawyer in A Tale of Two Cities.
• Cavalletto, John Baptist Small time Italian smuggler and Rigaud's fellow prisoner at the start of Little Dorrit. Later employed by Arthur Clennam in Bleeding Heart Yard after being injured in a mail coach accident, and helps in the search for Rigaud.

• Chadband, Reverend Typical Dickensian hypocritical reverend, admonishing Jo in the spirit while Jo starves. Marries the former Mrs Rachael in Bleak House.
• Cheeryble Brothers Charles and Edwin (Ned). Benevolent businessmen who employ and befriend Nicholas Nickleby and his family. Frank Cheeryble, who marries Kate Nickleby, is their nephew in Nicholas Nickleby.
• Cheeryble, Frank Nephew of the Cheeryble brothers who marries Kate Nickleby in Nicholas Nickleby.
• Chester, Edward Son of John, eventually overcomes the opposition of his father and her uncle and marries Emma Haredale. The couple relocate to the West Indies in Barnaby Rudge.
• Chester, John Father of Edward, tries to prevent Edward's marriage to Emma Haredale. Becomes a member of Parliament. Killed in a duel by Emma's uncle Geoffrey in Barnaby Rudge.
• Chick, Louisa Sister of Paul Dombey Sr and friend to Mrs Tox in Dombey and Son. Quote: "Make an effort".
• Chickenstalker, Anne A stout lady who keeps a shop in the general line to whom Trotty owes some small debts. In Trotty's dream she marries Tugby and is Meg's landlady in The Chimes.
• M'Choakumchild, Mr, grinding schoolteacher in Hard Times
• Chuzzlewit, Anthony Brother of old Martin Chuzzlewit and father of Jonas Chuzzlewit. Greedy and tight-fisted business man who breeds these same qualities into his son, Jonas, who tries to poison him for his trouble in Martin Chuzzlewit.
• Chuzzlewit, Jonas Son of Anthony Chuzzlewit, he attempts to kill his father to gain his inheritance. Marries Mercy Pecksniff and, through his cruelty, breaks her spirit. He murders Tigg, the murder is discovered, and on the way to prison poisons himself in Martin Chuzzlewit.
• Chuzzlewit, Martin Grandson of Martin Sr. He has a falling out with his grandfather over his love for Mary Graham. Becomes a pupil of Pecksniff who, because of pressure from the grandfather, throws young Martin out. After a trip to America with Mark Tapley, he comes back to England and, after the undoing of Pecksniff, reconciles with his grandfather and marries Mary Graham in Martin Chuzzlewit.
• Chuzzlewit, Old Martin Grandfather of Martin, cousin of Pecksniff, brother of Anthony, uncle of Jonas. Martin is suspicious of his hypocritical relatives, chiefly Pecksniff, whose hypocrisy Martin exposes and is reconciled with his grandson, young Martin in Martin Chuzzlewit.
• Clare, Ada A ward of Chancery in Jarndyce and Jarndyce, in Bleak House. She falls in love with Richard Carstone, another ward, who is a distant cousin. She does not share his fervent hopes for a quick settlement in the Jarndyce case. They later marry in secret.
• Claypole, Noah appears in Oliver Twist as an assistant at Sowerberry's with whom Oliver fights. He later joins Fagin's gang.
• Col. Chowser appears in Nicholas Nickleby. A gambling, villanous sycophant of Sir Mulbury Hawk.
• Compeyson, fought with Magwitch in the marshes, also later discovered in the novel to be Miss Havisham's lover that turned her cold Great Expectations.
• Copperfield, David Narrator of the story modeled after Dickens life. Begins life with his widowed mother and their maid, Peggotty. When his mother marries Mr Murdstone his life becomes miserable. He is sent to Creakle's school where he meets Steerforth and Traddles. After the death of his mother he goes to work at Murdstone and Grinby and is lodged with the Micawbers. David runs away to live with his aunt Betsy Trotwood in Dover. He later marries his employer Spenlow's daughter, Dora. Dora dies and David marries longtime friend, Agnes Wickfield. David, like Dickens, becomes a successful author in David Copperfield.
• Copperfield, Clara Mother of David Copperfield. A widow when David is born, she later is lured into marriage by Edward Murdstone, who destroys her spirit and she dies along with her newborn son while David is away at school in David Copperfield.
• Corney, Mrs Matron of the workhouse where Oliver is born. She marries Bumble making him miserable. The Bumbles are disgraced and end up as paupers in the workhouse they once ruled over in Oliver Twist.
• Cratchit, Bob Longsuffering clerk of Ebenezer Scrooge. Bob endures Scrooge's mistreatment until Scrooge, reformed by the visit of the three spirits, raises Bob's salary and vows to help his struggling family. The Cratchit family consists of Bob's wife, eldest daughter Martha, daughter Belinda, son Peter, two younger children: boy and girl, and Tiny Tim in A Christmas Carol.
• Cratchit, Tiny Tim Crippled son of Bob Cratchit. The forecast of Tim's death by the Ghosts of Christmas Present and Future is instrumental in Scrooge's reformation after which Tim is afforded proper medical attention and is cured in A Christmas Carol. Dickens based Tiny Tim (and also Paul Dombey Jr) on his sister Fanny's crippled son Henry Burnett Jr.
• Creakle Severe headmaster of Salem House Academy where David first goes to school. He was based on William Jones, headmaster of Wellington Academy which Dickens attended from 1825-1827 in David Copperfield.
• Crewler, Sophy ( David Copperfield ) Fiance of Traddles and "the dearest girl in the world". Traddles has trouble gaining permission to marry Sophy because she is indispensable to her large family in David Copperfield.
• Crimple, David (Crimp) Pawnbroker (Crimp) and later partner with Tigg Montigue in the Anglo-Bengalee Disinterested Loan and Life Assurance Company. After Montigue is murdered he flees the country with the company's money in Martin Chuzzlewit.
• Cripples, Mr Operates Cripples Evening Academy in the same lodging house where Frederick Dorrit lives. Amy Dorrit attended classes there in Little Dorrit.
• Crisparkle, Canon Minor canon of Cloisterham Cathedral. "Mr Crisparkle, Minor Canon, early riser, musical, classical, cheerful, kind, good-natured, social, contented, and boy-like." He takes Neville Landless as a pupil and helps Neville flee to London when suspicion is cast on him for the disappearance of Edwin Drood in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
• Crummles, Vincent is Head of the Crummles theatre troupe in Nicholas Nickleby.
• Crummles, Mrs is the wife of Mr Crummles and a gracious lady of the theatre in Nicholas Nickleby.
• Cruncher, Jerry is the porter at Tellson's Bank in A Tale of Two Cities.
• Cruncher, Mrs, the wife of Jerry Cruncher, whom he beats for 'flopping' (praying) in A Tale of Two Cities.
• Cuttle, Captain a Seafaring friend of Sol Gills, whose shop he cares for when Sol goes in search of his lost nephew, Walter Gay. Quote: When found, make a note of. Dickens describes Captain Cuttle as "a gentleman in a wide suit of blue, with a hook instead of a hand attached to his right wrist; very bushy black eyebrows; and a thick stick in his left hand, covered all over (like his nose) with knobs. He wore a loose black silk handkerchief round his neck, and such a very large coarse shirt collar, that it looked like a small sail in Dombey and Son.