Monks must restore the identity and fortune he has stolen from
Oliver. He posts a reward for Sikes' capture and is untroubled by
Fagin's hanging.
Many readers argue that Brownlow seems to be a caricature of a
virtuous man. They point to his attitude toward Nancy, especially
his conviction that she should change her lifestyle. Other readers
ask: If Brownlow is so virtuous, why does he ignore the law in order
to see that his own version of justice triumphs? Though he does more
good than harm, to get at Monks he keeps what he knows about Fagin
temporarily from the police. Then, to force Monks to reveal his
information, he protects him from arrest.
OLIVER TWIST: BILL SIKES (SYKES)
Sikes is a bully, a robber, and a murderer. Because he is an ally of
Fagin, they are often described as the two faces of evil in the
novel: Fagin plans the crimes; Sikes carries them out. The scenes
in which Sikes brutally beats Nancy to death and then accidentally
hangs himself in his frenzy to escape her haunting eyes are, for many
readers, the most frightening moments in the novel. Dickens often
selected these passages for his popular dramatic readings.
It's possible that Sikes' evil is so frightening because it is so
physical. From the beginning, he is compared to a beast. He uses
brute violence to bully, intimidate, and injure other people like
Nancy, his unwilling accomplice Oliver, and even clever but cowardly
Fagin. Also, Sikes seems to lack much power to reason: He can't
figure out Nancy's behavior, and he doesn't realize Fagin is
manipulating him.
Some readers explain Sikes' behavior as a result of the brutalizing
conditions of the slums in which he lives or his weakness for
drinking. Compare him, as a villain, to Fagin. Who seems more evil
to you?
OLIVER TWIST: MONKS (ALSO KNOWN AS EDWARD LEEFORD)
Though Monks first appears late in Oliver Twist he is crucial to the
novel's outcome, for he is Oliver's half-brother. Because he wants
to destroy the boy's chance of inheriting their father's estate, he
enlists Fagin to turn Oliver into a criminal. Like Fagin, Monks is a
stock villain, lurking in shadows and uttering curses with a sneer.
What lies behind Monks' evil? Since he was born a gentleman and has
inherited a fortune, you can't blame poverty or the slums for making
him a criminal. Like Fagin, Sikes, and Nancy, Monks lacks family
love and moral upbringing. Do you think this accounts for his
behavior?
Monks is driven by hatred for his illegitimate half-brother. He goes
