Fagin is portrayed as being a manipulative and deceitful throughout the novel. This is shown through Fagin’s actions and by what other people say about him.
When Oliver first met Fagin, he appeared to be polite and kind. It can be seen that Fagin is being manipulative and deceitful through his actions towards Oliver in chapter 8.
“The Jew grinned, and, making a low obeisance to Oliver, took him by the hand, and hoped he should have the honour of his intimate acquaintance.”
He is being kind and acting like a “’spectable old gentleman”. Fagin is being manipulative by first being kind so he can gain Oliver’s trust, and then corrupt him to steal with the other boys.
In chapter 47, Fagin also says to Bill Sikes, a close partner in crime,
“You won’t be – too – violent, Bill?” whined the Jew.
Fagin says this to Sikes, just after having Noah, one of Fagin’s boys, tell him about Nancy’s confession. Fagin had provoked Sikes, knowing that he would go home and kill Nancy. Fagin does not like Nancy and is manipulating Sikes to get rid of her. As Fagin found out that Nancy had ‘willingly’ and ‘wholeheartedly peached’ on them.
When Fagin is repeating all of what Nancy has done, he repeats ‘which she did’. This emphasises what Nancy has done, making Sikes even angrier.
Fagin is also constantly being described to be physically unattractive. He is described by Dickens as having a “shrivelled body”. He also describes him in chapter 19 as,
“…the hideous old man seemed like some loathsome reptile, engendered in the slime and darkness through which he moved, crawling forth by night in search of some rich offal for a meal.”
This portrays Fagin as being reptile-like and greedy and is found through an animal association with the use of the ‘reptiles’ simile. Dickens obviously wanted to describe him as physically unattractive to give him a bad reputation to the readers.
Fagin is persistently being portrayed as an inhuman character and is often described as though he is a devil. This is shown through what Sikes says to the dog in chapter 19.
”Don’t you know the Devil when he’s got his greatcoat on?”
Said Sikes to the dog that was growling and barking at Fagin. He is portrayed as to have a demonic air about him, and that the dog can sense it.
In chapter 8 Fagin is again portrayed as having devil-like features. This is found through a description of Fagin.
“…whose villainous-looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair.”
Fagin also says that,
“…with this boy properly managed, my dears, I could do what I couldn’t do with twenty of them…”
It seemed as though Fagin only wanted Oliver to make a bigger profit. He did not really care about the boys unless they helped him gain income. He was a greedy and heartless old man who cared about nothing but himself and money.
Fagin was untrusting of others in many cases and in chapter 19; he would not have a drink with Sikes. He would not risk being taken advantage of.
“What! You’re afraid of our getting the better of you, are you?” inquired Sikes, fixing his eyes on the Jew. “Ugh!”
In chapter 9, he does not trust Oliver watching him with his jewels and so looses his temper.
“What do you watch me for? Why are you awake? What have you seen? Speak out, boy! - Quick - quick! for your life!”
We know that Fagin is untrusting, through his actions and what he says to others. He is wary and paranoid about his jewels and money and would not let anything come between him and them.
Fagin does not trust others, as they do not trust him. He is untrustworthy and Sikes knows this. In chapter 19, Sikes says that Fagin should not be trusted.
“You can’t do this without me, I know; but it’s best to be on the safe side when one deals with you.”
If Fagin knew how to break into the ‘crib at Cherstey’ he would no longer need Sikes, and so could take all the riches for himself. As Sikes knew this, he was being cautious about whether or not to tell Fagin how to break into the building.
Fagin is familiar with unpleasant settings and characters, and dwells ‘where drunken men and women were positively wallowing in the filth.’ This implies that Fagin lives in a rough area and another example can be found in chapter 19.
“The mud lay thick upon the stones, and a black mist hung over the streets; the rain fell sluggishly down; and everything felt cold and clammy to the touch.”
Here, Dickens uses pathetic fallacy when he describes the mist as black and the rain fell sluggishly. He uses this to help not only describe the weather, but to use the weather to describe the area in which Fagin roams.
Fagin lives in utter foulness and this suggests that he is not a gentleman and his character is not as it was presented to Oliver.
The character of Fagin is very evil, devilish, manipulative, untrusting and untrustworthy, inhuman, is physically unattractive and is associated with unpleasant areas and people. He manipulates people into doing what he wants and only cares if he gets the money. Fagin would rather someone be hanged than share the riches.
I think that Fagin may be an essential part of the story, but he is an evil and vile creature who does not deserve to live.
Dickens presented his characters through what they or another says or does and by what the author says about the characters. I think he has used a variety to different ways to show the way the characters live and react to different situations.
Fagin is the enforcer of the poverty, selfishness, capitalism, social welfare and child labour in Oliver Twist. He is a vital character, who without, there would be no story. He is a twisted old man consumed by the hunger of greed and cares for nothing else. His greed and selfishness creates him, and without him there would be no ‘bad’ person to commit felonies and create a tension. The book would be dull and boring without a challenge to overcome.
