:: character (chs. 9-16) ::

        There were the faces of friends, and foes: and of many that had been almost strangers: peering intrusively from the crowd; there were the faces of young and blooming girls that were now old women; there were faces that the grave had changed and closed upon, but which the mind, superior to its power, still dressed in their old freshness and beauty: calling back the luster of the eyes, the brightness of the smile, the beaming of the soul through its mask of clay: and whispering of beauty beyond the tomb, changed but to be heightened, and taken from earth only to be set up as a light, to shed a soft and gentle glow upon the path to Heaven.

this isn't a particularly moving part of the book -- you want moving, read the description of richard carstone's last moments and miss flite's birds -- but it really shows the lyrical quality of dickens's prose. he can be succinct, capturing the essence in a few descriptive words; but he can also write amazing descriptive passages that add rich detail to the scene (I'm thinking of the slimy thames-bank description in david copperfield). I'm trying not to use the word 'character' too much, but the description really does add character to his set-up. it makes for a very rounded reading experience :)

and speaking of description. the introduction to my copy notes that when dickens first started work at a blacking factory as a young boy, he "settled the hash of another little drudge who was inclined to resent the newcomer putting on airs as the 'young gentleman'" -- this other boy, as dickens himself wrote, being "'Bob Fagin; and I took the liberty of using his name, long afterwards, in Oliver Twist.'"
   there is something about this that shocks and disturbs me. to know someone worthy of having his name applied to any evil character? fagin may not stand up to sikes (or, later on, monks; although I'm pretending I don't know that yet) as the epitome of a depraved, cruel character, but his attempts to undermine oliver's innate honesty and, yes, gentlemanliness, only worsen when you imagine that from a real person. (...not to mention the imputation of character. what does fagin the jew imply about the real one?? crazy that dickens wasn't ever sued :p)

bill sikes is introduced in chapter 13, and it is stunning, on re-read, to see how much of his character is revealed by the first paragraph. of course, there isn't any subtlety about this guy, either in his behavior or his description: he is set up to be a villain, and if you could see him on the street his character would be just as noticeable as dickens makes it in print. his entrance is a microcosm of the rest of his actions throughout the book, however -- he enters loudly, violently, in the midst of conflict, and stirs up hatred immediately. even his legs are telling: "the kind of legs, that in such a costume, always look in an unfinished and incomplete state without a set of fetters to garnish them." there is something so powerful and real about sikes that I'm drawn to these passages even while I'm repulsed by the man they portray.

on an lighter note, I found two fantastic book-related quotes.

        Oliver [came]; marvelling where the people could be found to read such a great number of books as seemed to be written to make the world wiser. Which is still a marvel to more experienced people than Oliver Twist, every day of their lives.
         'You shall read them, if you behave well,' said the old gentleman kindly; 'and you will like that, better than looking at the outsides, -- that is, in some cases; because there are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts.'

and last, but not least, is mr. grimwig and his exclamation. "[statement of opinion] or I'll eat my head" is this gentleman's favorite expression (occasionally substituted by a thump of his cane). believe me, this hilarity will continue to surface over the rest of my submersion in OT, so remember it. especially since I'll be punctuating a few of my own assertions this way.

what sinister scheme do fagin and sikes have in mind for our boy? what part will nancy play in these oncoming persecutions? who was the woman in the picture who oddly resembled oliver? can he be vindicated in mr. brownlow's eyes? will we ever find out?!
   of course. it's dickens, silly.