Charles Dickens
Oliver Twist
We establish from this extract of Oliver twist by Charles Dickens that he is trying to create a setting of a very dark and dismal place. Dickens says ‘’ slunk along in the deepest shadow he could find’’. To the reader this tells you this observer doesn’t want to be seen there is something quiet eerie about someone not wanting to be seen or heard and that the effect Dickens is trying to create. This atmosphere is created further by the pathetic fallacy by it being a very ‘’dark night‘’. And ‘’the day being unfavourable‘’, a ‘’mist hung over the river’’ seems to set a mood that something is unclear and unforeseeable. It was dark and mist but yet there was clear red glare which represents danger also blood is red. We see the dark sinless atmosphere emphasised by the old smoke stained house. We see an example of personification when dickens says and frowned sternly upon water too black to reflect even their lumbering shapes. Saviours church and the spire of saint are meant to protect people from sinners like Nancy
As the reader we get a few suttle hints that Nancy might die or get hurt like when Nancy says ‘’ I don’t now why it is but I have such a fear and dread upon me tonight that I can hardly stand. We see this furthermore when Nancy says ‘’ I’ll swear I saw coffin written on every page. It says that Nancy was speaking in a hoarse voice which is normally associated with fear. The gentlemen says threes nothing unusual in that coffins have passed me before and Nancy said ‘’Real ones’’ ‘’this was not’’.So there are many ways the reader is forewarned of Nancy’s death.
You would think Nancy and Rose are the complete opposites well they are. Nancy is the Victorian idea of a fallen angel which they loved and rose is an angel we see classic examples of this by the fact Nancy is referred to as the girl and rose is referred to as the lady. This immediately puts rose above Nancy. We see other examples when rose says poor...