CHAPTER SUMMARY AND NOTES

CHAPTER 47

Summary

The opening paragraphs reveal the mental turmoil experienced by Fagin a few hours after the revelations made by Noah Claypole. In the silent hours Fagin remains awake tormented by thoughts and feelings. His appearance reveals his agitation. His distorted face brightens his bloodshot eyes and toothless gums. He feels betrayed, humiliated, and disappointed by the action of the girl.

Sikes arrives a little while later with a bundle of notes as booty from his adventure. After depositing the bundle in the cupboard, Fagin sits down to face Sikes. Unable to express himself in words, he shows his agitation through gestures. Then slowly, through hints and suggestions, he relates the event of the day. He also takes the help of Noah Claypole to reveal the act of betrayal by Nancy. When the youth repeats whatever he had overheard below the bridge, Sikes is clouded with a fierce passion and rage.

He almost runs down the streets like a mad man to reach home. As soon as he sets eyes on Nancy he orders her to get up and then drags her to the middle of the room. When she fears the worst, she requests Bill to spare her and join her to a distant land where they both would lead a reformed life. Sikes stops her from saying any more by shooting her with his pistol. With her face upturned uttering a silent prayer, Nancy falls down dead.

Notes

Though Fagin waits to hear the news from Noah, he feels disturbed after hearing it. Fagin finds it difficult to control his raging passions. In the previous chapter he feels inclined to cause harm to Sikes but when he confronts the man after Noah's disclosure, he feels tongue-tied. He finds it difficult to relate the tale of Nancy's betrayal to Bill Sikes.

The incident that follows is gruesome and tragic. While Sikes shows himself as an injured lion, Nancy appears as a sacrificial lamb. The relationship crumbles as Sikes shoots Nancy. She tries to save Bill till the last, but he only gets enraged by her pleas and kills her. The housebreaker commits one more crime and is damned forever.

CHAPTER 48

Summary

As rays of morning sunlight enter the room, Sikes is horrified to see the appearance of his lifeless beloved. To avoid her sight, he strikes her with a club again and again and covers her with a rug. He throws the clubs into the fire and washes the stains from his clothes. Then dragging the dog with him, he goes out after locking the door. Wandering from place to place he behaves like a senseless man. At last he decides to go to Hatfield and arrives at a small public house to quench his thirst. Here he encounters a country man who is busy selling miracle cakes which can wash all stains. When the seller notices a stain on the hat of Sikes, he offers to wash it. The guilty robber snatches the hat from the seller and rushes out of the house. As he walks restlessly, he notices a blaze and joins the men to put out the fire.

After overhearing a conversation about a murder, Sikes decides to go to St. Albans. Chasing haunting shadows from his mind, Sikes walks through dark road and fields to reach a shed in which to take shelter for the night. However, Nancy's ghost troubles him and he experiences pangs of guilt and fear. Whenever he hears someone talking of murder, he runs away from the place. Finally, unable to bear the mental torture any longer, he resolves to go back to London. On the way he decides to drown his dog but the smart animal sensing danger runs away from him.

Notes

Sikes is haunted by the vision of Nancy wherever he goes. Fear and guilt torture him. He is unable to think clearly or relax. He experiences living as a death. Sikes is rightly punished for his action. By killing his beloved ruthlessly, he is not able to live in peace. Dickens effectively portrays the haunted man tormented by his own action.

The fire incident in the chapter rises psychological connotations. Sikes looks relieved as the fire rages and people run helter and skelter. The light, the noise, and the confusion distract his mind from dwelling on the gory details of the murder. The external calamity helps to suppress his internal turmoil. Also as he exerts himself to put out the fire, he hopes the fire within him will subside.

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