An Analysis of Nancy in Oliver Twist 英语专业毕业论文_精品.doc

An Analysis of Nancy in Oliver Twist Abstract: Though Nancy is a minor character in Dickens’ famous novel Oliver Twist, she is the most typical character. Unlike other characters throughout Oliver Twist, she is not entirely good or entirely bad. She has conflicts between her inner conscience and her devotion to Sikes. As a result of this, this character is more accessible to common daily life than any other characters in this novel. Thus her complex nature is worth us to explore. This article mainly focuses on exploring the relationship between Nancy’s choice and her destiny from the milestones in her life. Keywords: choice； character； destiny；love Charles Dickens was a prominent critical realist in the mid 19th century. He had a world of sympathy for the miseries and a strong feeling for the poor laboring masses. He cried flout loud against social injustice but he had never thought of overthrowing the existing social order. Oliver Twist was one of his masterpieces which marked the beginning of his literary life. This novel was famous for exposing the dark sides of people lived out that time. In this novel Nancy is a typical character who lived in the bottom of the society. She had the same suffering with Oliver Twist, but she didn’t have a happy end like Oliver Twist. This thesis is provided to help readers appreciate this critical novel by analyzing Nancy’s character and causes of her tragedy. ⅠNancy’s Complex Character There are many different opinions on whether people are born good or bad. Chinese Confucianism says that all human are born with good nature. While the Bible says that people all sinned to Adam. In this novel, Nancy’s character is complex and ambiguous. Sometimes she is good, sometimes she performs bad behaviors. It is just this complex nature that well reflects the reality at that time. First, Nancy’s Good Nature In this novel, Nancy first appears in chapter 19. Dickens describes her from Oliver’s point of view. “She is n