Line #146 Characters/Oliver


1	!! Oliver Twist
2	--> "Where is love? Does it fall from skies above?"
3
4	%%* AdorablyPrecociousChild
5	* BerserkButton: Don't talk crap about his mother. He beats a larger and older boy bloody when he says his mother was a whore.
6	* BewareTheNiceOnes: He will snap and attack anyone who makes fun of his mother.
7	* CheerfulChild: He brings out the best in nearly everyone he meets, even Fagin. The exceptions to this [[HumansAreBastards are the completely heartless]].
8	* HeartwarmingOrphan: He's such an innocent little boy who charms most people.
9	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: He doesn't undergo a FaceHeelTurn even being surrounded by crooks and thieves.
10	%%* IJustWantToBeLoved
11	* IWantSong: "Where Is Love" is him singing about wanting love.
12	%%* NiceGuy
13	* PinballProtagonist: He's an orphan, gets passed from orphanage, to a funeral home, then gets kicked out and gets picked up by the thieves guild, then is taken in by a rich old man. It's a musical, and the characters mostly sing around him as well.
14	%%* WideEyedIdealist
15
16
17	!! Artful Dodger
18	--> "Consider yourself at home, consider yourself one of the family."
19
20	* AffablyEvil: He gets a charismatic song to introduce himself, and his pickpocketing is shamelessly cool. Not to mention [[spoiler: he's clearly learned nothing by the end, and even uses the distraction of Bill's public hanging to pick a couple more pockets]].
21	* TheArtfulDodger: [[TropeNamer Of course.]]
22	* AntiVillain: Only a pickpocket because he was corrupted on the streets by Fagin, and he is just a child.
23	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Is implied to be this with Fagin. The ending pretty much cements it.
24	* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: At the end he and Fagin both get away and renew their partnership]].
25	* LovableRogue: He steals to survive but bears no malice.
26	* SignatureHeadgear: His iconic costume includes a big top hat.
27	* SparedByTheAdaptation: He avoids arrest and being sent to Australia.
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29
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31	!! Fagin
32	--> "In this life, one thing counts, in the bank, large amounts,"
33
34	%%* AffablyEvil
35	* ActorAllusion: At one point in the 2012 production, Fagin (played by Neil Morrissey) says "[[WesternAnimation/BobTheBuilder Can we fix it?]]" while playing around with his treasure.
36	* AdaptationalComicRelief: While Fagin remains an unrepentant thief, he is a much more sympathetic and comic character than he is in the novel. His plot with Monks is deleted and his role in Nancy's death is similarly excised, and he is portrayed as being cowardly and deeply afraid of Bill Sikes.
37	* AdaptationalHeroism: While still a pickpocket, he's more of a sympathetic character in the musical compared to his portrayal in the original book. In the book, he makes Bill think that Nancy informed on him (when it was precisely the opposite). In the 1968 film, when he sees Bill chasing after Nancy, he calls out "please, Bill, no violence" [[spoiler: and when he discovers Nancy's murder, he's horrified]].
38	* AdaptationalNiceGuy: He's still not exactly a heroic character, being self-serving and at least somewhat manipulative. However, he's much nicer than his villainous book counterpart, as he does show genuine kindness and care to the children he trains as thieves and makes a dramatic contrast to the abusive and cruel adults Oliver has encountered previously.
39	%%* AntiVillain
40	* BadSamaritan: Downplayed from the book. While still somewhat self-serving, he is portrayed as something of a whimsical LoveableRogue who does to some extent care for his gang (or at least loathes Sykes' treatment of them).
41	* EvenEvilHasStandards: He's extremely prejudiced against the way Sykes treats Nancy and the way Sykes uses violence to solve every situation.
42	* CoolOldGuy: Often portrayed as an older man and something of a fun father figure to the boys.
43	* EvilIsHammy[=/=]LargeHam: Effortlessly steals every scene he's in.
44	%%* EvilMentor
45	%%* TheFagin: [[TropeNamer Duh...]]
46	* HoboGloves: He wears them as part of his iconic look.
47	* GetOut: When Bills shows up with blood on his coat, a horrified Fagin realises what he's done and yells at him to leave.
48	%%* GreedyJew
49	* HeelFaceTurn: Subverted in the movie. He plans to do this, but [[spoiler:instead chooses to leave with Dodger and continue a life of pickpocketing]]. It's rather heartwarming, in a strange way. In the theatre version, however, he plays it straight, deciding that with the breaking up and arrest of his gang, along with the loss of his precious treasures, there has never been a better time to change his ways.
50	* HeelFaceRevolvingDoor: And he does it all in ''one song''!
51	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Is implied to be this with Dodger. Confirmed at the end.
52	* IAmWhatIAm: He seems to always come back to the IAmWhatIAm decision.
53	* KarmaHoudini: [[spoiler: At the end, even though he does lose his treasure he and Dodger are still free]].
54	%%* LaughablyEvil
55	* LovableRogue: De-emphasizing his GreedyJew characterization in the original. Particularly notable is Ron Moody's cheerfully hammy performance in the 1968 film version. (He even stands up for Oliver on two occasions.)
56	* NobleDemon: He's a thief, who trains others to be thieves, and works with Bill Sykes, but deep down he doesn't like his life and wishes the things he does weren't necessary, and tries his best not to be too bad. This trope is exemplified in the song "Reviewing the Situation":
57	-->Though I'd be the first one to say that I wasn't a saint, I'm finding it hard to be really as black as they paint. I'm reviewing the situation; can a fellow be a villain all his life?... I'm a bad 'un and a bad 'un I shall stay. You'll be seeing no transformation, but it's wrong to be a rogue in every way. I don't want nobody hurt for me or made to do the dirt for me, this rotten life is not for me, it's getting far too hot for me, there is no in-between for me, but who will change the scene for me? I think I'd better think it out again!
58	* SparedByTheAdaptation: He avoids capture and execution in the end.
59	* TragicVillain: A variation. "Reviewing the Situation" shows Fagin as wanting out of the criminal life, but feels trapped by it. [[spoiler: By the end of the film, he more or less accepts his lot in life and seeks to rebuild. In the play, he instead resolves to turn over a new leaf, and limps away.]]
60	* VillainSong: "Pick a Pocket Or Two". "Reviewing The Situation" is a rather sad kind because it's him singing about how he wants out of the criminal life but feels trapped in it.
61	* WouldntHitAGirl: As seen in EvenEvilHasStandards, he doesn't like the way Bill Sykes treats Nancy, implying that he may have respect towards women.
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65	!! Bill Sykes
66
67	%%* AxCrazy
68	* BadPeopleAbuseAnimals: He treats Bullseye like shit.
69	%%* BeardOfEvil
70	* DisproportionateRetribution: Speaking his name aloud is, apparently, grounds for being killed, even if it's a whisper. He claims he actually followed through and ''did'' kill someone for boasting that he could his name in vain.
71	* DomesticAbuse: To Nancy.
72	* TheDreaded: The moment he arrives in the tavern after "Oom-Pah-Pah" the whole place goes dead quiet, segueing perfectly into his VillainSong.
73	-->'''Sykes:''' Strong men tremble when they hear it\
74	They've got cause enough to fear it\
75	It's much blacker than they smear it\
76	Nobody mentions... my name.
77	* HateSink: While a lot of the antagonists in the musical are either sympathetic or comedic, Bill Sykes lacks in either department. Having no problem with harming [[WouldHitAGirl women]], [[WouldHurtAChild children]] or [[BadPeopleAbuseAnimals animals]].
78	* {{Jerkass}}: Calling him this would be putting it kindly.
79	* KnightOfCerebus: Things take a decidedly darker turn whenever he appears.
80	%%* LackOfEmpathy
81	* NeverMyFault: In the film, after he murders Nancy, he's heard saying to himself, "Nancy, I loved you, didn't I? Look what you've do to me?!" How do you figure that one, Bill?
82	%%* {{Sadist}}
83	%%* TheBrute
84	* SanitySlippage: After he kills Nancy, he becomes rather unhinged, to the point even his own dog ditches him.
85	* UngratefulBastard: Nancy loved him enough to keep him out of jail and he still goes and [[spoiler: kills her.]]
86	%%* WouldHitAGirl[=/=]WouldHurtAChild
87
88	!! Nancy
89	--> "Oom-pah-pah, oom-pah-pah, there's a little ditty, they're singing in the city, especially when they've been on the gin or the beer, if you've got the patience, your own imagination, we'll tell just exactly what you to hear..."
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91	* AllGirlsWantBadBoys: She sings about her love of Bill Sikes, the best thief, who's a cold, bullying monster. [[spoiler: It turns out bad for her in the end - he winds up killing her.]]
92	%%* BewareTheNiceOnes
93	* BrokenBird: Her plight is summed up in her song, "As Long as He Needs Me" which explains why she stays with Sikes despite his domestic abuse.
94	%%* ExtremeDoormat: Fuck you, Sykes.
95	* FamilyUnfriendlyDeath: [[spoiler: ''Beaten to death'' by her boyfriend, in front of a little boy. Poor girl.]]
96	* FatalFlaw: Her misplaced UndyingLoyalty to the monstrous Bill Sikes.
97	* HairOfGoldHeartOfGold: Shani Wallis and numerous other stage Nancys have blonde hair.
98	* HeelFaceTurn: Sikes forces her to lead Oliver into a trap so he can be brought back to Fagin. Later she risks her own life to save Oliver from Sikes.
99	* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: Possibly one of the most famous examples in literature. It should be noted that 'prostitute' in Dickens's day just meant a woman who lived unmarried with a man outside of respectable society. So it's possible that's what the author was referring to in a preface (as Nancy only says she's a thief in the text).
100	* IAmWhatIAm: She's fully aware of the fact that Bill is a [[{{Jerkass}} complete bastard]], but she can't help [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys loving him]], complete with song. [[spoiler:And then, to top off the love fest, he kills her.]]
101	* IndyPloy: How she manages to get Oliver to the bridge - she starts up a huge song and dance number to cause a distraction, then grabs him and runs out. Too bad Bull's Eye blew her cover...
102	* LadyInRed: She's often given a red dress to identify her as a GoodBadGirl.
103	* LoveMartyr: She has this BAD for Bill Sykes. She recognises this in "As Long As He Needs Me", but even though he's a murderous thug and robber who beats her and plans to kill Oliver, she still can't bring herself to hand him over to the law.
104	-->''As long as life is long\
105	I'll love him, right or wrong\
106	And somehow I'll be strong\
107	As long as he needs me.''
108	* MamaBear: To Oliver - [[spoiler:and it gets her killed]].
109	%%* LoveRedeems
110	%%* NiceGirl
111	%%* PunchClockVillain
112	* RedemptionEqualsDeath: [[spoiler:Is killed at the end by Bill]].
113
114	!! Mr. Brownlow
115	* NiceGuy: He takes Oliver in after he realises he falsely accused him of pickpocketing him, and later tries to warn Nancy not to go back to Bill. She doesn't listen. In the movie, even before he learns that Oliver's innocent, he tries to stop the judge from sentencing him to hard labor.
116	* OutlivingOnesOffspring: He's Oliver's grandfather and is thus the father of his desceased mother.
117	!! Mr. Bumble
118	* BigWhat: Lets one loose when Oliver asks for more gruel.
119	* DeathGlare: Fixes Oliver with one as the former approaches him to make the request.
120	* FatBastard: Fat, pompous and unkind.
121	* HenpeckedHusband: After he married Widow Corney, and he even laughs at the fact that the law saying his wife should answer to him - saying something to the effect of "the law must be a bachelor".
122	* LargeHam: Particularly in the film. ''"MORE?!"''
123
124	!! Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry
125	* ColdHam: Leonard Rossiter's film portrayal with Sowerberry as a drunk.
126	* CreepyMortician
127	* NightmareFetishist
128
129	!! Noah Claypole
130	* ButtMonkey: Especially in the film. Noah ends up slipping in the snow as he is bringing Mr. Bumble to the Sowerberry's.
131	* DemotedToExtra: He disappears after Oliver flees from the Sowerberrys instead of turning up as one of Fagin's gang.
132	* {{Jerkass}}: Generally rude and bullying.
133	* KickTheDog: Insult's Oliver's dead mother at one point which leads to Oliver kicking the crap out of him.
134	* YourMom: As mentioned above.
135
136	!! Bet:
137	* CompositeCharacter: She'll sometimes be included in "Consider Yourself" just to give her actress more to do. Likewise getting the line [[spoiler: "You've murdered Nancy!"]]
138	* DemotedToExtra: In the 1968 film, all her solos in "It's A Fine Life" are just given to Nancy.
139	* HookerWithAHeartOfGold: As Nancy's best friend, she can be assumed to be a prostitute too. She's also one of Fagin's former thieves at least.
140	* LivingProp: As the best friend to Nancy, she shows up to nod and agree with her, get dismissed by Bill when he wants to talk to Nancy alone and help kidnap Oliver back.
141	* SatelliteCharacter: Always appears with Nancy.
142	* UnwittingInstigatorOfDoom: Oliver recognising her on the street and calling her by her name is what allows her and Nancy to pull of the scam that he's one of them.
143	* TheVoiceless: For someone who appears in several scenes, and gets prominently featured in most of them, she doesn't have a single line of spoken dialogue (but does sing solos in "It's A Fine Life" and "I'd Do Anything"). Averted in the film.
144	* WhatHappenedToTheMouse: In the book it's said that [[spoiler: she was so traumatised by hearing how Nancy died, she ended up in a mental hospital]]. She just kind of disappears towards the end, though some productions have her be among those who identify [[spoiler: Bill's murder of Nancy]].

Context Characters / Oliver