Compare And Contrast Foils In Oliver Rose

In Oliver Twist, there are multiple characters that serve as foils to each other. Nancy and Rose are an example of this in the novel. Both young ladies of around the same age, they serve as examples of the lives both of them could have had if things ended differently for them. While Rose has a satisfying life, Nancy does not. Nancy’s existence has been difficult, while Rose has known nothing but love and care throughout her life. They are foils to each other because of their similarities and differences, and one can see this by comparing and contrasting certain things about them. One can compare and contrast Rose and Nancy by looking at their similar backgrounds and identity issues, how the amount of love they receive shapes their characters,

Rose has lived a good life with the Maylie family. Dickens writes, “Oh! as you love me, and know that I have never felt the want of parents in your goodness and affection…” (239). Rose has never known what it is like to not feel loved and cared for, as the Maylie family has made certain that she is shown affection and goodness. Nancy, on the other hand, has not truly known a moment of love in her life. The love, or the lack of it, is what shapes both of their characters. Rose, who has known love and care is a loving, gentle, kind, and caring person herself. While Nancy, who has only known pain and hardship struggles with her temper and has a poor attitude throughout most of the novel. Dickens writes, “I may use the word, for the alley and the gutter were mine, as they will be my deathbed” (334). This moment where Nancy is comparing her circumstances to Rose’s shows how different their lives are. However, similar to Rose, Nancy also sometimes shows a caring nature, such as when she defends Oliver from Fagin and Sikes and when she gives Rose information to help Oliver, so she is not a terrible character, just one who has been put into terrible