The Character of Fagin in Oliver Twist

The Character of Fagin in Oliver Twist

Fagin is the ringleader of a small group of thieves and pickpockets,

and is introduced in the novel when the Artful Dodger aids Oliver,

when he escapes to the city, and introduces him to Fagin.

Fagin seems to have quite a responsible attitude towards his band,

being the leader. He possesses a very charismatic manner and uses

terms of endearment (e.g. "my dear") towards everyone. However, he is

not a person to anger, as he is also shown to have an intense rage

when he is betrayed by Nancy.

The reader's first impression come from chapter 7, where Oliver

accompanies the Artful Dodger into a murky and run-down house, where

the Dodger presents Oliver to Fagin. The way Dickens describes Fagin,

gives the reader the impression that Fagin is evil, and possibly the

focal villain of the story. The portrayal of Fagin is an almost exact

replica of the devil himself. He is described as having "matted red

hair", which is associated with the devil's red fur; he also was

cooking sausages, but Dickens depicted him doing so with a toasting

fork, subtly connoting it with the devil's pitchfork.

In chapter 16, Dickens illustrates the scene and weather, and

describes the Jew as "shrivelled", which was one of the adjectives he

used to label his villains in his books. Dickens uses language very

effectively to clarify the shadiness of Fagin's character. When Fagin

left his hideout, he "obscures" his face, as if he has something to

hide, and Dickens describes his hideout as a "den", which indicated

that Fagin is a predatory character.

Dickens also uses the environment and the weather to create an

atmosphere...

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...s hung. For one, such

as Fagin, in contemporary London, with the many crimes he has

committed, would be executed, almost definitely by hanging.

Dickens portrayal of Fagin as a Jew, tells me that contemporary

prejudices were against Jews. In the eyes of Dickens and the

contemporary readers and audiences, Jews were the quintessence of evil

and avariciousness. The persistent reference to Fagin as "the Jew" can

be seen as his negative qualities are linked to his ethnicity.

Oliver Twist is a book where there is good and evil. Oliver encounters

many confrontations with evil, but none so large an evil as Fagin.

Dickens has made sure, through the use of language, Fagin's

mannerisms, irony and contemporary prejudices, to create a character

so grotesque, manipulative and immoral, that Fagin has become the

epitome of sin.