Great Expectations

Oliver Twist In Oliver Twist, Dickens shows that only Oliver remains untainted by evil despite the ill-treatment he receives, and the darkness and corruption that surround him chiefly as a result of his goodness and "sturdy spirit" (Oliver Twist, Harmondsworth: Penguin books, 1974: 49, hereafter referred to as OT). Fagin fails to instill "into his soul the poison" which he hopes will "blacken it forever" (OT: 185). By contrast, the blackening" process seems to have affected most of …

…himself is sentenced to execution, allowing him plenty of time for possible repentance. Instead he is filled with despair at the prospect of death. Although aware of his guilt, he feels no repentance, only fear at having to pay the price for his actions by death. Fagin's authority was once founded on fear; according to the retributive scheme of the novel, it is appropriate that he himself should experience suffering and fear, prior to death.