M-R Charles Dickens Characters
Great Expectations, Oliver Twist, Pickwick Papers, Nicholas Nickleby
Charles Dickens (1812-1870) created numerous memorable characters. Some characters were socially significant, others simply amusing, but each emerges larger than life from the pages of Dickens’ fictional volumes.
His characters often reveal something about the author, his literary style, the society of his era, or human nature in general. Many of the character names are often mentioned, but which of these names sound familiar?
Continuing from G-L Charles Dickens Characters, have these characters from the “Dickens Dictionary” of character names from M-R populated your imagination? Do you know from which novels each originated or the literary or historical importance some acquired?
Miss Havisham
The most infamous character of Great Expectations, Miss Havisham is a ghostly elderly woman. Having been jilted on her wedding day, she has remained unmarried, never disassembling the decorations and buffet table from her cancelled matrimonial celebrations, she still wears her wedding dress and has raised her adopted daughter Estella to obtain revenge on the male sex.
Nancy
Of questionable values by Victorian standards, Nancy was adopted into Fagin’s gang of thieves when she was a young starving child. By the time of her appearance in the novel Oliver Twist, Nancy is the lover of the menacing criminal Bill Sikes, and she works as a prostitute.
Her inner conscience causes her to be a conflicted character, who is neither entirely good or entirely bad. Her selfless assistance of the orphaned Oliver leads to her being murdered by the crazed Bill, but the sympathy the character gained from Victorian readers marked a turning point in the social understanding of the desperation of poverty.
Oliver Twist
An orphaned illegitimate child, Oliver Twist is the title character of the novel by the same name. The story of the novel was used by Dickens to draw attention to the social evils of the poor laws, child labor, and various other contemporary problems. Oliver himself is unusual because not only is he the first fictional protagonist of the English language to remain a child throughout the novel, but he is also depicted as naturally good despite the nature of his birth.
Pickwick
Samuel Pickwick is the protagonist of Charles Dickens’ first novel, The Pickwick Papers. Pickwick founds the Pickwick Club. He is described as a portly, bespectacled, older gentlemen. Wealthy and good-natured, he and his friends of exaggerated personality travel around the countryside of England, recording their adventures.
Quilp
Daniel Quilp is the prime villain of The Old Curiosity Shop. Having lent money to the irresponsible gambler grandfather of naïve Little Nell, Quilp takes possession of the shop during the grandfather’s illness, eventually causing Nell and her grandfather to travel like criminals.
Like Bill Sikes, Quilp is a thoroughly unpleasant man. He harms his wife and manipulates many other characters.
Ralph Nickleby
The miserly and powerful antagonist of The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby, Ralph Nickleby is the uncle of the title character. Due his nephew’s idealistic and kindly ways, he believes that his nephew will not amount to anything.
S-W Charles Dickens Characters
Continuing with S-W Charles Dickens Characters, just as Nancy paid with her life to purchase freedom for Oliver, Sydney Carton makes the ultimate sacrifice to salvage the happiness of the woman who showed him kindness, and while Miss Havisham sought revenge on the opposite sex, Madame Defarge seeks vengeance on all aristocratic descendents. The cloyingly false Uriah Heep makes his first appearance, and jolly characters such as Mr. Micawber are introduced.
Victorian Lady
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