Charles Dickens: His 10 most memorable characters - The Artful Dodger of "Oliver Twist" - CSMonitor.com
Tribute to 10 of his most unforgettable characters.
3. The Artful Dodger of "Oliver Twist"
This charming young scamp, a major juvenile delinquent and leader of a gang of pickpockets, is one of the many charms of "
Oliver Twist." The Artful Dodger – aka Jack Dawkins – tries to corrupt Oliver but quickly comes to understand that the young Twist has few criminal tendencies. Dickens describes the Artful Dodger as "altogether as roystering and swaggering a young gentleman as ever stood four feet six, or something less," and although we may bemoan his betrayal of Oliver, we never doubt the genuine affection that preceded it.