Oliver Twist Essay Example For Students

Oliver Twist Essay Charles Dickens classic novel Oliver Twist was written in the 19th century it provides a valuable insight towards the life of the British during the Victorian times. Through the character of Nancy, Dickens is able to advance the plot and send out a social message. She is a useful contrast against the other character because there is no one like her. Her character is important because in the Victorian times there was a huge divide between men and women. Women did not have as much say as men. They were just expected to serve the men. In the novel Nancy does not serve the men she does what she has to do to survive. We are first introduced to Nancy in chapter 9 but our view of her is coloured by the innocence of Oliver; he believes them to be very nice girls. Nancy and her friends demeanour are described with a great deal of ambiguous adjectives such as free and agreeable which could mean two things, free spirited or free sexually. We are later introduced to the irony of her not being free. She is controlled by Bill. She is also described as stout and hearty, not very pretty and having colour in their faces, Oliver twist art. This is a contrast to the devilish character of Fagin. By seeing the difference ion physical description we can tell that Nancy and Fagin are going to be two very different characters. The readers get the impression that Nancy is a prostitute when Oliver asks if she has gone work and Fagin replies Yes they do, my dear, depend on it. At the time that the book was written prostitutes were considered the lowest people in society. However the reader becomes aware that she is what she is for necessity rather than choice. Even though she is part of the underworld she is also a victim of it. By chapter 13 Nancy is contrasted with the dominating Bill. She is controlled by him and this evokes strong feelings of sympathy. Bill is an aggressive, powerful and demanding character. He uses force to get what he wants. Nancy is in love with him but she does not want to stay with him because he is ruining her life. She is similar to Oliver in highlighting how evil Fagin and Bill really are by contrasting with her good natured spirit. Furthermore, we learn the importance from a plot-development perspective; she is the one that collects Oliver from the court. Nancys connection with Oliver and her similar history to him helps the reader understand Olivers plight. This is very significant as Oliver is the main character and the book revolves around him. The reader is encouraged to hope that Olivers future is not like Nancys although they had a similar up bringing, as well as allowing the reader to see Nancy as someone who once shared the innocence of a child like Oliver. Importantly in chapter 16 the reader learns that Nancy knows that her work is wrong and she does not enjoy it. This sets her aside from Bill and Fagin because she a strong moral conscience whereas the others dont. Chapter 16 is important in the book because in the chapter the reader learns that Nancy is mental and physical victim of Bill. Her unhappiness with her situation is shown when she says to Fagin I thieved for you when I was a child not half his age, and Ive thieved for you ever since, dont you know it It is my living. And youre the wretch that drove me to them long ago, and thatll keep me there, day and night, day and night, DAY AND NIGHT The reader feels sympathy for such women of the Victorian times because such a brutal atmosphere was part of everyday life. Joyce and John Cheever were two influential writers of the late 1800's and early 1900's EssayWhen the audience are first introduced to Fagin, Dickens uses very harsh adjectives to describe him: very old shrivelled Jew, whose villainous-looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair. Dickens illustrates a sinister character within the first line of description about Fagin. This shows that Dickens is criticizing this character obviously, and I interpretated this, as Fagin must have some corruption within him.  Dickens does not depict the evil aspects of human nature of Fagin in the introduction. But he uses very harsh adjectives to describe him, which suggests he his evil. As the novel progresses the reader discovers how cunning and manipulative Fagin is but when the reader is introduced to this character he appears loveable. In the famous musical Oliver by Lionel Bart, Fagin is introduced, as a loving and generous man, who is not under the influence of Monks, as the character does not exists. However in Alan Bleasdales adaptation the audience have clear understanding that Fagin is under the influence of Monks, which is why he appears kind and generous, to influence Oliver to be a thief. These two adaptations are very different, Alan Bleasdales interpretation has captured Fagin as a more realistic character and Lionel Barts version has captured him as a loveable rogue. Dickens has depicted Bumble as an evil character in the introduction; however, Fagin appears to be kind and generous in the introduction. As the story progresses it concentrates more on Fagin, and Bumble is introduced later in the book.  The reader discovers that Fagin has a strong desire for materialism: His eyes glistened as he raised the lid and looked in. Dickens has carefully chosen the use of language, he has used a powerful adjective: glistened, which illustrates that Fagin has a desire for whats in the box: Jewellery. Dickens has depicted the evil aspect of human nature through Fagin as Dickens has clearly expressed Fagins attachment to materialism.