Wilkins Micawber is a fictional character from Charles Dickens 's 1850 novel, David Copperfield. He was modelled on Dickens' father, John Dickens, who like Micawber was incarcerated in debtors' prison (the King's Bench Prison) after failing to meet his creditors' demands.ilkins Micawber is a fictional character from Charles Dickens 's 1850 novel, David Copperfield. He was modelled on Dickens' father, John Dickens, who like Micawber was incarcerated in debtors' prison (the King's Bench Prison) after failing to meet his creditors' demands.