Bulls-Eye: Mr. Sikes' little white
dog is really a metaphor for his own evil personality. The dog, with its willingness to harm anyone
on Sikes' whim, shows the true evil of the master. Sikes himself knows that the dog is the symbol
of himself and that is why he tries to drown the dog. He is really trying to run away from who
he is. This is also illustrated when Sikes dies and the dog does immediately also.
The Jew: Fagin himself is
a recurring symbol for the devil. Several times Dickens refers to him with known devil names or
symbols. He talks of Fagin with flaming red hair and a beard, along with a three-pronged roasting
fork, which all are symbols of Lucifer. Before he is to die, he refuses to pray for himself and
his being a Jew has a very evil connotation. He is greedy and mean trying to pull Oliver and others
into his web of evil. Rose
Maylie's Handkerchief: Rose is a symbol of good in this book with her loving nature and perfect
beauty. When she gives Nancy her handkerchief, and when Nancy holds it up as she dies, it shows
that by her acts, Nancy has gone over to the "good" side against the thieves. Her position on
the ground is as if she is in prayer, and this shows her godly or good nature.
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