The Analysis on Nancy's Character雾都孤儿南希性格分析

雾都孤儿南希性格分析

Analysis on Nancy’s Contradictary Character

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Introduction of Charles Dickens

Charles John Huffam Dickens is regarded as one of the greatest representatives of English critical realism. Nancy is likely to be considered as the most successful character that Dickens describes in Oliver Twist. Although Oliver is the hero of the story, Nancy, this character, has a great significance of reality.

Introduction on Nancy’s Miserable Fate

Nancy is a complex young woman. She grows up in a gang of thieves but is treats badly, and nobody knows her lot. Nancy appeared in the latter part of the story.

Nancy’s Contradictory character

In this novel, Nancy’s character is complex and ambiguous. Sometimes she is so kind, and sometimes she perfoms as a bad woman. This complex nature well reflects the reality at that time.

The scene that Nancy met Miss Maylie shows her internal dignity. Facing the criticism from other women, Nancy turns a deaf ear. But when meeting such a cultivated woman, who has a warm family, Nancy

雾都孤儿南希性格分析

admires so much and feel ashamed at the same time. She doen’t go forward to meet Miss Maylie at first, because she cares about her humble origins. When Miss Maylie wants to offer her a safe house to keep away from the gang, she refused. Nancy can risk her life to send a message to Miss Maylie, but she thinks she cannot leave Sikes and betray him, which shows her complex and contradictary character.

Nancy’s good nature mainly appears in her brave behaviors to protect the little Oliver. In chapter 16, when Oliver is caught by Bill and nearly bite by the dog, Nancy come forward and shows her good nature. “Keep back the dog, Bill!”cried Nancy, springing before the door, and closing it, as the Jew and his two pupils darted out in pursuit; “keep back the dog; he’ll tear the boy to pieces,” struggling violently with the man: “ the child shan’t be torn down by the dog, unless you kill me first.”screamed the girl. ①This really shocks the readers, because she is a member of Fagin’s gang, she did many bad things with them, but, unexpectedly, she chooses to risk her life to save a child at that time.

Although Nancy has good nature, because she was brought up by thieves, she inevitably has to be a thief. Moreover, some thoughts are rooted in her mind. For example, in the later part of the story, when

雾都孤儿南希性格分析

Oliver had been trapped by Monk and Nancy decided to help him to get out, she still expressed that she would protect the gang and wouldn’t betray her companions, but more and more people will suffer from theft if the gang does not get punished.②

Conclusion

The contradictory characterof Nancy, to an extent, are related with her growth background that lacks parents and the warmth of family, so she was mostly affected by the gang of thieves. However, she is still different from those cruel people, she has the good nature. Maybe she can be a good person if she is put into a different circumstance.

① Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist Chapter 4, Tsinghua university press,

晋中师范专科学校学2008 ② 宋静，On the Character Nancy “Oliver Twist”,

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