Charley Bates
Encyclopedia
Charley Bates is a supporting character in the Charles Dickens
novel Oliver Twist
. He is a young boy and member of Fagin
's gang of pickpockets, and sidekick to the Artful Dodger. Charley, along with The Artful Dodger, steal Mr. Brownlow
's handkerchief, a crime
Oliver is blamed for. Later in the novel, Bates delivers bad news to Fagin that when the Artful Dodger was arrested for stealing a silver snuff box and positively identified by the owner, that it is a sure bet he will be convicted in court, and that it is too bad he "did not go out in a blaze of glory by stealing something of great value instead of a half penny snuffbox."
At the end of the novel, Charley, is horrified by Bill Sikes
' violent murder of Nancy. When Sikes approaches him, he starts yelling, revealing Sikes' location to the mob who want to lynch him. He is the only member of Fagin's gang to reform. In an abridged
version of the book largely meant for younger readers, the ultimate chapter states that all members of Fagin's gang had unhappy endings similar to Monks and the Artful Dodger; and "only Charley Bates escape that fate and became a respectable citizen".
The character of Charley Bates, (played by Joseph J. Mervis) has a much smaller role in Oliver!
the musical and is eliminated totally from other adaptations including the 2007 miniseries and the 1997 adaptation.One adaptation in which his role is almost equally as significant as the novel is Roman Polanski's 2005 adaptation, his role is also fairly prominent in The 1948 David Lean film
Charles Dickens
Charles John Huffam Dickens was an English novelist, generally considered the greatest of the Victorian period. Dickens enjoyed a wider popularity and fame than had any previous author during his lifetime, and he remains popular, having been responsible for some of English literature's most iconic...
novel Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens, published by Richard Bentley in 1838. The story is about an orphan Oliver Twist, who endures a miserable existence in a workhouse and then is placed with an undertaker. He escapes and travels to...
. He is a young boy and member of Fagin
Fagin
Fagin is a fictional character who appears as an antagonist of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist, referred to in the preface of the novel as a "receiver of stolen goods", but referred to more frequently within the actual story as the "merry old gentleman" or simply the "Jew".-Character:Born...
's gang of pickpockets, and sidekick to the Artful Dodger. Charley, along with The Artful Dodger, steal Mr. Brownlow
Mr. Brownlow
Mr. Brownlow is a character from the novel, Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens. He is later revealed to be none other than a very close friend of Oliver's father.-Description:Dickens describes Brownlow's first appearance:-The novel:...
's handkerchief, a crime
Crime
Crime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
Oliver is blamed for. Later in the novel, Bates delivers bad news to Fagin that when the Artful Dodger was arrested for stealing a silver snuff box and positively identified by the owner, that it is a sure bet he will be convicted in court, and that it is too bad he "did not go out in a blaze of glory by stealing something of great value instead of a half penny snuffbox."
At the end of the novel, Charley, is horrified by Bill Sikes
Bill Sikes
William "Bill" Sikes is a fictional character in the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens.He is one of Dickens's most vicious characters and a very strong force in the novel when it comes to having control over somebody or harming others. He is portrayed as a rough and barbaric man. He is a career...
' violent murder of Nancy. When Sikes approaches him, he starts yelling, revealing Sikes' location to the mob who want to lynch him. He is the only member of Fagin's gang to reform. In an abridged
Abridgement
Abridgement or abridgment is a term defined as "shortening" or "condensing" and is most commonly used in reference to the act of reducing a written work, typically a book, into a shorter form...
version of the book largely meant for younger readers, the ultimate chapter states that all members of Fagin's gang had unhappy endings similar to Monks and the Artful Dodger; and "only Charley Bates escape that fate and became a respectable citizen".
The character of Charley Bates, (played by Joseph J. Mervis) has a much smaller role in Oliver!
Oliver!
Oliver! is a British musical, with script, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the novel Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens....
the musical and is eliminated totally from other adaptations including the 2007 miniseries and the 1997 adaptation.One adaptation in which his role is almost equally as significant as the novel is Roman Polanski's 2005 adaptation, his role is also fairly prominent in The 1948 David Lean film