Nancy is a major character in Charles Dickens' famous novel, Oliver Twist.
She is a young prostitute who is part of Fagin's gang, and girlfriend of Bill Sikes (though the relationship is highly abusive). When the new face Oliver joins the crew, she takes a liking to him, that would radically change the dynamics within the gang when she finds out about an inside ploy against the newcomer. Choosing her friend over her own safety, Nancy saves Oliver's life from the conspirators, albeit at a great cost.
Her Good Ranking[]
What Makes Her Close to Being Pure Good?[]
- Even if she works as a criminal, it is her only means of survival, she clearly does not enjoy it, and she never commits any serious crimes.
- Regretted agreeing with the group's kidnapping plot after seeing how mistreated Oliver was.
- Stopped Fagin when he tried to beat Oliver.
- She decides to help Oliver once she becomes aware of a conspiracy to disinherit him, ruining his life and forcing him to stay in crime and poverty.
- She asks the woman taking care of Oliver, his aunt, Rose Maylee, and later his half-brother Mr. Borwnlon, to protect Oliver, warning what was about to be done to him.
- She explictly didn't intend to sell out any of her fellow gang members, as bad people as they may be.
- Her actions to protect the (relatively) innocent Oliver came at the cost of her own life after she was beaten to death by her own boyfriend for "betraying" him and Fagin. She never once seems to regret what she did though.
- Stands out with her low resources and in the low admirable standarts of the novel by saving Oliver from a life of misery and conditioning into crime, not to mention indirectly causing the dismentlement of Fagin's gang (though she wasn't aware of that).
What Prevents Her From Being Pure Good?[]
- Despite being shown to be a good person and preventing Oliver from becoming like her and her peers, she is still a participant in Fagin's gang, even if as means to survival. Her refusal to rat any of them out shows some level of desensitization and compliance in their criminal activities.