Legend of David Copperfield: When a father must correct a boy that bites

I don’t suppose the younger generation have heard of young David Copperfield. He was the prime character in Charles Dicken’s classic, David Copperfield. Have they? I highly doubt; but to that later.
Let’s first go nearer in time, to June 5, 1967. By virtue of geographical location, most of America was fast asleep when, at 0745 hours, Cairo time, Israel attacked Egypt, subsequently decimating the entire Egyptian air force of nearly 500 jets, as the Egyptian soldiers at different air force bases, none the wiser as to the disaster about to befall them, happily munched on their breakfast. When American intelligence confirmed the attack, Walt Rostow, the United States national security advisor, ran to the White House to break the news. Suitably shocked, president Lyndon Johnson blurted out, “but why?”

“Well sir,” Rostow said, “Boys will be boys.” The president shook his head and said nothing for a while, as he pondered the immediate geo-political implications. For Rostow, it was imperative to appreciate that juveniles are inclined to act a certain way; for the energy and enthusiasm of the young often clouds their higher judgment and makes them do irrational stuff that makes people’s ears tingle. It is for the minders of the boys to step in and guide.

Back to young David Copperfield. Life was bad enough, growing up an orphan; but things got to heights of sheer hell when his mother, Clara, in a fit of foolishness, remarried, very badly. That is how Mr Murdstone, who was Lucifer himself, I should add, came into David’s life; treating him worse than a dog. On one occasion, as Mr Murdstone punished David, the little boy, fed up, grabbed his hand and sunk his teeth deep into it so nicely, the step-father, ambushed, yelped in sheer horror. Mr Murdstone enhanced the punishment by sending him to boarding school.

But there was one caveat: David would have to, at all material times, wear a huge placard on his back proclaiming, in capital letters, “BE CAREFUL OF HIM – HE BITES!” And that is how Copperfield began life in boarding school; with the whole world firmly put on notice that they were dealing with a boy who was deadly. Students learnt to give Copperfield a wide berth, for their continued good health. The short-sighted may argue that Mr Murdstone was being oppressive: how do you make a sweet little boy wear such a thing?

But more discerning folks will agree that Mr Murdstone, in terms of parenting, scored full marks. Raising kids, generally, to make something or someone out of them, is the hardest job in the world. But it is imperative that people raise their kids properly, so that they get the best out of them; in King Solomon’s wisdom, to make their fathers proud. When that happens, everyone is happy and they enjoy the collective benefit of having a good, law-abiding citizen. This is, therefore, so important that in Africa, it is generally agreed, it takes a whole village – in fact, a whole nation sometimes – to raise a child. Everyone participates, first, because they know the glorious benefits that flow all over the place when the child turns out well – everyone benefits, not just the parents. But secondly, they are also wary of the unpleasant consequences when the project fails – everyone cries; not just the parents. 

And that is why, the more I ponder this, the more I am convinced that Mr Murdstone was right to involve the community in raising Copperfield. I wonder why he didn’t also add an address that the community could use in case Copperfield stepped out of line and victims needed redress: after all, whoever owns an unruly child, ultimately bears responsibility of righting every wrong.

A fit and proper father, properly aware of and alive to the danger that his boy presents to the general public must, by all means and at all times, protect the public from undue harm. Aware that over time people’s patience wears thin; mindful that it is impossible for an individual to be right and the entire society wrong, and cognisant that ultimately, no man can live as an island, a good father will seek to appease the community every time his boy…er…bites someone.

Mr Tegulle is an advocate of the High Court of Uganda     [email protected]