Uriah Heep is one of Charles Dickens’ ultimate villains, appearing in the book David Copperfield where he acts as antagonist, and suitable obstacle to most of David’s plans. He’s memorable for Dickens’ keen descriptions of him: tall and lanky, pale white with pale red hair, and a propensity to constant movement or wiggling. In fact, in modern times, this last feature has suggested to physicians and literary critics alike that Dickens was describing Heep as having a physical disorder, which some suggest was dystonia, a neurological disorder that causes repetitive motion, odd postures and twisting uncontrolled motions.

It should not be assumed that Dickens was attempting to defame people with illnesses by giving Uriah Heep a medical disorder. People should recall the book also contains the admirable Miss Mowcher, who has dwarfism and ultimately displays a true heart and good purpose. Other characters in Dickens’ novels with physical disorders are excellent folk rather than being as villainous as Uriah Heep.

Instead, these wriggling motions of Uriah Heep are something of an extended metaphor. When young David first shakes his hand, he describes it as cold and fishy. Heep is compared to an eel, and a fish, and it’s his coldness of heart and scheming ways that suggest dystonia may have been only used to enhance these metaphors.

What most distinguishes Uriah Heep is not his supposed medical condition, but his constant claim of being “umble” (humble). As any reader would no doubt guess, a truly humble person, such as David, or ever more so Tommy Traddles does not proclaim his humility, since that is the opposite of being humble. However, Uriah uses this claim to refuse favors and work behind the scenes to corrupt the law practice of his employer Mr. Wickfield, and to deliberately steal money from David’s great aunt, and numerous other clients of Wickfield’s practice.

As Uriah Heep grows in stature, ultimately becoming the upper hand partner in Wickfield’s law practice, he begins to express hopes of ultimately marrying Wickfield’s daughter, Agnes, who David ultimately discovers he’s in love with. Too, Uriah’s character begins to more and more display his resentment and jealousy of David, suspecting that Agnes has feelings for David, and merely because David appears to him a son of fortune who in no way deserves to be loved or appreciated. Late in the book, Heep finally claims how he has always hated David, and specifically done everything in his power to ruin him financially.

As suiting a Dickens’ novel, Uriah ultimately gets his comeuppance, in a particularly wonderful scene where he is blasted by David’s friend Mr. Micawber as a “Heep of Infamy!” His schemes are uncovered, and he is jailed ultimately. When David visits him in jail he has returned to his former posture of humility, which is much admired by the jailors, as showing true repentance.

Since much of David Copperfield endorses the Victorian theme of earnestness, Heep is a suitable contrast to David, who gradually becomes successful by working hard and earnestly. Uriah shortcuts earnest means, and is a master of deception, who wants success in life only through crooked and evil methods. For the novel to work, Uriah must be outed for the villain he is, and virtuous hard work extolled, instead.

Nevertheless, Uriah Heep, in his evil, scheming ways is one of Dickens' most memorable characters. The extended metaphor of his “fishiness” and coldness works well, and creates a character that may truly cause the reader a few chills up the spine. The British band, Uriah Heep which was begun in 1969, references the character’s staying power, and specifically refers to Heep in their first released album, Very ‘Eavy… Very ‘Umble.