For my English Coursework, I will be focusing on the character of Nancy in Oliver Twist.
This is the story of a young orphan named Oliver, who was born in a workhouse, his father was dead before his birth and his mother died straight after giving birth to Oliver. I will not be writing about what happened at the start of Oliver Twist instead I will begin from when Oliver was born. Where living conditions were very bad children were given one bowl of gruel One day Oliver went to the chef and asked for more gruel and unfortunately got quite a bad response from the chef a couple of days later, Oliver was sold off, reason being because he asked for more which was very strictly forbidden from someone who worked in a workhouse. After getting treated badly by his new owner Oliver decided to run away, and was found by two thugs named Jack Dawkins the artful Dodger and Charlie. They took Oliver to a large house owned by two criminals, Fagin and Bill Sikes. Oliver twist was introduced into the criminal world where he met quite a few people including Nancy who was actually a prostitute but she was still very caring and came forward as good character. Nancy liked Oliver because he was very polite and had good manners compared to most of the other people in that house. She was a paradoxical character and he was
"The victim of a systematic course of treachery and deception"
A few days later Oliver went out with the Artful Dodger and Charlie to the market, where they saw a rich man named Mr. Brownlow, the artful dodger had removed a wallet from Mr. Brownlow's pocket without him even noticing and he put the wallet into Oliver hand, and began to shout thief, For that Oliver was taken to court but luckily Oliver was freed he didn't have anywhere to go to. Then Mr. Brownlow Offered Oliver to live with him, Oliver was kidnapped by Bill Sikes who brought him back to Fagin, Oliver was put into a quite room, this was all because of
Mrs. Leeford and her son Edward Leeford otherwise known as Monks, he was Oliver half brother and all this was his plan to defame Oliver so he could get to all his fortune, Bill Sikes on the other hand wanted to use Oliver for his own good so they went on a little burglary mission that went wrong and Oliver got shot Bill decided to leave Oliver there because if he didn't they all would have got caught.
Oliver's mother Agnes's sister young Rose found Oliver outside in the gardens she decided to take him in until ...
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Mrs. Leeford and her son Edward Leeford otherwise known as Monks, he was Oliver half brother and all this was his plan to defame Oliver so he could get to all his fortune, Bill Sikes on the other hand wanted to use Oliver for his own good so they went on a little burglary mission that went wrong and Oliver got shot Bill decided to leave Oliver there because if he didn't they all would have got caught.
Oliver's mother Agnes's sister young Rose found Oliver outside in the gardens she decided to take him in until he was better; Mr.Brownlow was to visit Rose that day so she decided to hide Oliver eventually he found out that Oliver was at Miss. Roses house. Mr. Brownlow and Oliver both seemed very happy to see each other again. Oliver and rose decided that they should move in with Mr. Brownlow after they had seen Fagin and bill hovering around. When they had moved in Nancy
Went to Mr. Brownlow and told him about everything that had happened and what was going on, even though Nancy was quite suspicious that she might be getting followed she still went ahead and told Brownlow and so she head home unaware that the artful dodger was following her, jack the artful dodger went and told bill everything who goes mad as soon as he finds out the Nancy the woman he loved had snitched on her. Nancy get home and acts as if she is sleeping but when Bill Sikes get there he has none of it and starts to hit Nancy very hard, when he has hit her about ten twelve times till she was dead. Just after the murder he tried to flee from the scene, when Charlie found the body he began to shout and everybody on the street began to chase bill, Bill who was trying to get to Fagin's so they could both get away where not in luck today as Bill died as he unsuccessfully tried to cross a bridge and died and Fagin was eventually caught, Later Oliver find out who is father and mother are and that Rose was his aunt. Oliver decides to forgive monks, who move to America to begin a new life, Fagin was hanged for all his bad doings, Rose also gets married to the man she loved the most Doctor Losbourne, Oliver lives a very peaceful and crime free life.
Life in those days was pretty much impossible for the poor but there were endless luxuries for the rich. And some laws that had been passed had made it even harder for poor people as they had been forced to work in a workhouse. The fact that the rich acted as if the poor people didn't even exist made it even harder as the poor had to make their own ways of making money for the men it was the criminal world and for the women it was prostitution, rich people wouldn't even walk on the same side of the road as prostitutes let alone look at them or talk to them. The writer of the book Charles Dickens had gone through this stage of his life after his father got into debt he began to learn how the poor were treated badly eventually his father repaid his debts.
Victorians would have looked down at Nancy because of many reasons, maybe because she was poor or maybe because she was a prostitute but however it was the Victorian people wouldn't have had and good thought about Nancy. On the other hand there was Oliver who had a completely different image of Nancy, he thought she was a warm hearted very caring lady; best word to describe Nancy in this situation is that she was a paradoxical character.
"They wore a good deal of hair, not vey neatly turned up behind, and were rather untidy about the shoes and stockings. They were not exactly pretty, perhaps; but they had a great deal of colour in their faces, and looked quite short and hearty. Being remarkably free and agreeable in their manners, Oliver thought them very nice girls indeed"
Nancy had done many things to help Oliver when he was with Fagin. Nancy tried to make sure that Oliver didn't get onto the wrong track and that he was getting the best for himself, Nancy had helped Oliver Many times even though she was a prostitute she was prepared to risk her life for a young boy who she had only known for a very little while, these events change what the reader thinks about Nancy.
Nancy was a very little girl when Fagin and Sikes first brought her to their house and introduced her to the criminal world, she seemed to fit in and enjoy it there as time went by Sikes and Nancy both began to love each other, but the only way Nancy could earn anything was to take the path of prostitution, This path was also shown by Fagin and Bill Sikes. Now Nancy didn't want Oliver to join Fagin and his lot like Nancy had ended up doing.
When Nancy met Mr. Brownlow and Rose for the first time she began to cry because she was never treated this well by any rich person before, or maybe because she was shocked after she saw how they were treating, she probably wished that all the rich people had treated her this was instead of treating her like dirt. I believe this sort of treatment of the poor is the reason why they end up entering the criminal world.
"The kind of this answer, the sweet voice, the gentle manner, the absence of any accent of haughtiness or displeasure, took the girl completely by surprise and she burst into tears"
Nancy decides to go and meet Brownlow and Rose I would say that she shows a lot of courage and proves that she really is a good human being even though she is suspicious that someone might be following her she still decides to do the right thing by going to Brownlow and Rose. She proves that she really cares for Oliver and that she is even ready to give her life for him she feels fear and mentions it.
"But I have such a fear and dread upon me to-night that I can hardly stand. I wish I did. Horrible thoughts of death, and shrouds with blood upon them, and a fear that has made me burn as if I was on fire, have been upon me all day.
Bill finds out that Nancy has snitched because Nancy's suspicion was correct she was being followed by Jack the artful dodger, who goes straight to Bill Sikes and tells him that Nancy has snitched on them all. So bill decides to go after Nancy and kill her, when he gets there she acts as if she was sleeping the whole time but Bill has none of it and starts to beat her with a bat, even after she raises her white handkerchief he remains hitting her until finally he kills her, the room was full of blood
I think even though Nancy was a good character, she was made to suffer for all her good doings I think that was a little unfair, I thought she had helped Oliver at the time he needed help the most, so the fact that at the end she is killed feels a little unfair, Charles Dickens has done very well explaining how the rich thought they were superior over the poor and didn't believe they deserved anything, an how they thought poor people were all criminals and did bad for a living, Charles Dickens proved that theory wring through this book. He has also created a paradoxical character for which the readers have felt very sympathetic, although she was a prostitute and should be shunned, She should her caring side and thus earned the sympathy of the readers.
The End.
Abdullah Malik