"If you speak a word when you're out o' doors with me, except when I speak to you, that loading will be in your head without notice. So, if you DO make up your mind to speak without leave, say your prayers first. " ― Chapter 20
William “Bill” Sikes is the main antagonist in Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist.
Sikes is a member of Fagin's gang and is a ruthless, malicious criminal determined to keep Oliver from escaping the gang. He often abuses his girlfriend, Nancy and dog, Bullseye, forces Oliver to participate in an attempted house break-in, and viciously kills Nancy when he fears she has betrayed the gang.
Description[]
One of Fagin's most loyal gang members, Bill Sikes, is a terrifying man who has lost all of his humanity in his life of crime. Like many of Fagin's gang members, very little is known about Sikes' early life, although he may have grown up in poverty on the London streets and then joined Fagin's gang at an early age. He represents the harsh reality the lower social class citizens had to live, including a life of crime, to survive. Fagin may be the gang's leader, but it is clear that Sikes rules the gang like a king and will take extreme measures to assure everyone who is part of his life will face serious consequences if they disobey him.
Sikes may have gotten his name from William Sykes, a trader who lived on Marylebone Street around the same time when Dickens lived in Marylebone until he was in his 20s. Whatever the reason, it is evident that the name "Sikes" will bring fear and unnerve to readers and critics. Sikes is Dickens' most terrifying character and possibly one of the scariest literary villains of all time. Having grown up in poverty, Dickens had a fearsome sense of London's criminals and how committing crimes such as stealing or murder is only a matter of life and death. A single mistake would end up in the criminal's fate in prison or on the gallows. Sikes paints a grim picture of these criminals and is possibly the life he has been forced to choose from the possible early life he had.
One of Sikes' companions is his dog Bullseye, the only character in the book to have a pet. However, he mistreats the dog even when it follows him wherever he goes. The dog mirrors his violent personality and appearance and represents his girlfriend Nancy's appearance. After he viciously kills Nancy when he learns she has betrayed the gang, he cannot wash away the bloodstains he had left, and the dog's footprints are imprinted with blood from the crime scene. As such, he tries to kill the dog so he won't let it identify him to the authorities. But the dog is apparently smart, and it leaves him on his own to fend for himself and has nothing left to live for. In the end, Sikes meets a grisly death when he tries to escape justice and then accidentally hangs himself, which would have been his alternate fate if he were captured and then executed on the gallows, ironically the same fate Fagin would meet after him.
Storyline[]
Sikes and Nancy kidnap Oliver[]
In Fagin's lair, Fagin confronts his two young accomplices, the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates, on what happened to Oliver Twist when he sent them out on a robbery task.[1]He asks them where Oliver is and beats the boys as punishment for not telling him.
Fagin throws a jug of ale at Bates but misses and hits Bill Sikes instead when he walks in. Sikes growls angrily at how his Jewish master threw ale at him and demands his dog Bullseye to come to him. The dog walks in, and Sikes scolds it and orders it to lie down. He kicks the dog, and it scurries to the other side of the room.
Sikes sits in the corner and rants about how Fagin mistreats his boys. He wonders why they didn't turn against their master. Fagin shushes him, and Sikes scolds him for his mischief. Fagin offers him a glass of gin, and Sikes tells him not to poison it. After drinking a few glasses, he turns to the Dodger and Bates. Fagin worries that now that Oliver has escaped, he will say something that will get them into trouble, and Sikes agrees with him while looking pleased with the idea of Fagin getting into trouble. Fagin tells him he would have the worst of it if captured, and Sikes glares at him menacingly. After a pause, Sikes demands that someone must go to the police station and find out what happened, and they won't be safe until Oliver is captured.
Fagin agrees with Sikes, but nobody wants to do the task of going to the police station. Then, Nancy and her friend Bet arrive, and Fagin coaxes Bet to go to the police station. When she refuses, he asks Nancy instead. Nancy refuses, too, but Sikes thinks she is suitable for the task as nobody in town knows who she is. Nancy is initially reluctant, but after Sikes makes threats, promises and bribes at her, she gives in and agrees to do it.
Nancy puts on a proper lady's gown, straw bonnet, and apron, with Fagin giving her a straw basket and Sikes requesting that she also hold a key to make her look respected. After Nancy pretends to grieve about her missing brother to the authorities, she then leaves. Fagin compliments her on her intelligence, and Sikes toasts to her health, wishing she was more beautiful than the other ladies. Nancy later returns, and Sikes takes his leave with Bullseyes after he learns about her successful task.
Sikes sits in a public house at Little Saffron Hill, with Bullseye sitting by him and licking a fresh wound.[2]Sikes yells at Bullseye and kicks it, and Bullseye bites one of his boots in retaliation until Sikes shakes him off. Sikes grabs the nearest fire poker, pulls out his pocket knife, and demands the dog come to him. Bullseye refuses to move, growls at him, and bites one end of the poker. Sikes gets angry and attacks Bullseye with the poker while Bullseye dodges, barks, and growls at him. When Fagin opens the door, Bullseye quickly escapes. Sikes scolds Fagin for coming in between him and his dog, and Fagin says he didn't know. Sikes tells him he must have heard the noise, and Fagin insists he heard nothing. Sikes retorts how Fagin always comes and goes quietly and even wishes Fagin was the dog, as he thinks the government cares more about men than dogs. Sikes even warns Fagin that if anything happens to him, it will happen to Fagin, too.
Fagin calms him by giving him his payment, wrapped in a handkerchief. Sikes unwraps the handkerchief, takes a small brown packet, and counts the coins. Fagin assures him it's more than it should be, but Sikes disagrees. While Fagin refills more coins in the brown packet, Sikes summons the waiter Barney, who is also Jewish. After Barney and Fagin exchange glances that Sikes doesn't understand, Fagin asks if anyone else is at the bar. Barney replies that it's nobody but Nancy. Sikes demands Barney to bring in Nancy, and when she arrives, she tells Sikes she's tired of stalking Oliver and discovers he's ill and recovering in a house. Fagin cuts her off, warning her not to say anything more. Nancy changes the subject and decides they must go, and Sikes leaves with her and Bullseye.
In Clerkenwell, Nancy finds Oliver returning to the bookstall and drags him away. Sikes and Bullseye come out of a beer shop and demand that Oliver go home to his mother immediately. Oliver begs for help as Sikes seizes him by his collar. Sikes and Nancy then drag Oliver into narrow alleyways back to their lair.
Sikes, Nancy and Oliver arrive in an open court in Smithfield with empty pens used for a cattle market.[3] Nancy takes Oliver's other hand, and Sikes hears for any sounds. He points to Oliver's throat and orders Bullseye to bite it if Oliver tries to make a noise. The night is dark and foggy, with the streetlamp dimly lit in the fog. They hear a church bell toll, and Nancy says it’s 8 o’clock. Sikes recalls the time he was locked up, and she pities him, although he doesn’t care what would happen to the other prisoners. He firmly grasps Oliver’s wrist and forces him to keep walking.
Nancy remarks to Sikes that if he were hanged at 8 o’clock at Newgate, she would keep walking around the place and never leave. This makes Sikes jealous of her sympathy for the inmates and urges her to hurry up. Sikes, Nancy and Oliver walk for half an hour, meeting very few people along the way, until they arrive at a filthy, narrow street. Bullseye runs forward and stops at a door of a building that appears old and empty. After a bell rings inside, the door opens, and Sikes enters, dragging Oliver in by the collar. The passage is dark; a voice calls who is there, and Sikes demands a candle. The Artful Dodger then appears with a lit candle and guides them down the stairs, where they pass an empty kitchen and into a low room.
Bates laughs hysterically at Oliver’s new clothes, while Fagin appears pleased to see Oliver again. The Dodger then pulls out a £5 note from Oliver. Sikes and Fagin fight over it, with Sikes wanting to have the banknote for himself and Nancy. He grabs the banknote from Fagin, folds it, and tucks it under his neckerchief, telling Bates he can keep or sell the books. Bates admires the books, but Oliver says they belong to the old gentleman who took him in and nursed him back to health. He begs the gang to return the books and money, or else the old gentleman will think he has stolen them. Fagin remarks that what he said is right, and Sikes says that when he spotted Oliver at Clerkenwell with the books, he knew that he had stolen them and his caregivers wouldn’t be brave enough to save him.
Oliver runs away screaming for help, with Fagin, the Dodger and Bates chasing him. Nancy shuts the door and begs Sikes not to let Bullseye onto Oliver, and he replies that the boy deserves it. She grabs Sikes and demands him not to let the dog kill Oliver unless he kills her first, and he shoves her against the wall. The door opens, and Fagin and the boys return, dragging Oliver. Fagin asks what’s wrong with Nancy, and Sikes says she has gone mad.
Fagin then takes a club and scolds Oliver from trying to escape and find the police, and he will make sure he will cure him of it. He hits Oliver with the club, but when he is about to strike him again, Nancy wrestles it out of his hands and throws it into the fire. She angrily tells Fagin that while he has Oliver back, he should leave him out of this, as she angrily gazes at Fagin and Sikes. The men are confused, and Fagin asks Sikes what he can do to console her. Sikes utters curses and threats, demanding what she’s talking about. She laughs hysterically that she knows everything about it. He adds that she’s kind enough to befriend Oliver, and she wishes that she would rather die in the streets or switch places with the others than live under Fagin’s roof after he took her in when she was young, and she blames Fagin for corrupting her into a life of crime. She charges at Fagin when Sikes restrains her wrists until she faints. He places her in a corner and remarks that she is strong when in a frenzied mood.
The House Robbery[]
On a cold, damp night, Sikes stands outside in Bethnal Green with Bullseye when the dog growls as Fagin approaches.[4] Sikes points out that Bullseye didn’t recognize the clothing Fagin is wearing. When they get inside, they meet with Nancy, who Fagin is nervous about seeing as he thinks she will still be mad with him about Oliver. While Fagin warms his hands by the fire, Sikes orders Nancy to give Fagin a drink. Nancy serves him a glass of brandy, and Sikes bids him to drink it, but Fagin hardly touches it. Sikes assumes that Fagin doesn’t want to get drunk while talking about business, so he takes the glass and throws the brandy into the fire before he refills the glass and drinks it himself.
Afterwards, Sikes is ready to talk about business, and Fagin says they’ll talk about a house in Chertsey. Sikes demands him to speak, and Fagin begs him to be quiet, as they will be heard. Sikes yells that he doesn’t care and then calms down. Fagin then discusses robbing the house in Chertsey and asks if everything is ready for the robbery. Sikes replies that they aren’t fully prepared, which shocks Fagin, but points out that Toby Crackit has been hanging around the area for a fortnight and tried to corrupt one of the servants. Fagin is shocked that none of the servants are tempted to withstand against him, and Sikes explains that an old woman has lived there for 20 years and all her servants are loyal to her; they also won’t accept any bribes of money, and Sikes admits that Crackit would have done better if he disguised himself to impress the women.
Everyone sits in silence, feeling dumbfounded about their plan. Sikes then asks if the outside is safer, even if it costs more money. When Fagin says yes, Sikes recalls that he and Crackit were at the house over the garden wall last night and found a window they can safely crack open and fit a small boy through. He declares that he needs a smaller boy to help him in the robbery and wishes he could use a chimney sweeper’s son, but since the boy is small and mistreated, the father is arrested, and the boy is sent away to learn a trade and become an apprentice. Fagin then motions Nancy to leave the room, but Sikes asks her to bring him some beer. Fagin knows she won’t blab but hopes she won’t have the same outburst from last night. Nancy starts laughing and knows that Fagin and Sikes want to use Oliver in the house break-in and that he’ll be fine if he just has to open the door for them.
Fagin says that Oliver has been trained for a few weeks and should now earn his bread as a thief. Sikes says that Oliver is the perfect size for him, and Fagin tells him that Oliver will do everything he’s told if he frightens him enough to do something. Sikes assures Fagin that he won’t see Oliver alive again if he fails to participate in the robbery. Fagin hopes that Oliver will be part of the gang if he helps with the robbery, and Sikes asks why he can’t use other homeless boys to use instead of Oliver. Fagin explains he isn’t interested in the street children, but he wants to use Oliver as he’s innocent and nobody will ever suspect him. Nancy and Fagin then ask Sikes what he has planned, and Sikes explains that he and Crackit have planned the house robbery for tomorrow night, where there will be no moon. After a brief discussion, Nancy is assigned to deliver Oliver to Sikes, where he will stay with him until the robbery, and Sikes is free to do whatever he wants with him, such as killing him. Afterwards, Sikes drinks some brandy and puts his housebreaking tools into a box before falling asleep.
The next day, Nancy brings Oliver to Sikes’ apartment.[5] He greets them from the top of the stairs with a lit candle and says Bullseye is with Tom Chitling as the dog will be in the way of the house robbery. Nancy and Oliver enter the apartment, and Sikes closes the door behind them. He tells Oliver he’s going to lecture him, removes his hat and throws it into the corner. He takes the boy to a table and shows him a pocket pistol. He loads the pistol, grabs Oliver’s wrist and points the barrel to Oliver’s head. He warns the boy that if he tries to speak when he’s not supposed to do so when he’s with him unless he speaks to him first, he won’t hesitate to shoot and kill him with the pistol, even reminding him to say his prayers if he does disobey him. He says nobody will bother to ask about Oliver if he gets killed, and Nancy explains to Oliver that Sikes will kill him if he messes up their task.
Sikes decides they should eat and then sleep before heading out. Nancy lays out a cloth on the table and serves supper. Afterwards, Sikes crawls into bed and orders Nancy to wake him at 5 o’clock in the morning. Oliver lies on some clothes, and Nancy tends to the fire and sits by it. Early the next morning, Sikes puts some things into his pockets, and Nancy prepares breakfast while it rains heavily outside. Sikes demands Oliver to eat some breakfast, and after he eats some food, Oliver says he’s ready. Nancy and Sikes then give him a handkerchief and cape to wear. After Sikes makes a threatening gesture that he has the pistol in his side pocket, he says goodbye to Nancy and takes Oliver’s hand as they leave the apartment.
It is a dreary, dark, rainy morning as Sikes and Oliver walk in the street.[6] As they walk into Bethnal Green Road, sunrise slowly arrives, and the lamplights are extinguished. Carts and coaches arrive in London, shops and taverns start opening, and the labourers head to work. The streets become loud and crowded as Sikes and Oliver approach London. They walk down Sun Street and Crown Street, then to Finsbury Square. Sikes then leads Oliver through Chiswell Street, Barbican, Long Lane and Smithfield. Since it’s market day in Smithfield, the ground is dirty and muddy, with bleating, squeaking livestock kept in pens and loud noises from the taverns and unkempt locals. Sikes drags Oliver from the crowd and walks down Hosier Lane in Holborn. Sikes glances at the clock of St. Andrew’s Church, which is 7 o’clock. He urges Oliver to hurry up as he tugs on his wrist, and Oliver tries to catch up with him. After walking past Hyde Park Corner, they are close to Kensington, where an empty cart with “Hounslow” is imprinted on it.
Sikes asks the driver if he could give them a ride to Isleworth. The driver asks if Oliver is his son, and Sikes lies by saying yes. He again gazes at Oliver and gestures his hand where the pistol is. The driver notices that Oliver is out of breath, and Sikes assures that he’s used to it. He helps Oliver get into the coach, and the cart takes off. After passing Kensington, Hammersmith, Chiswick, Kew Bridge and Brentford, the cart arrives at a tavern called Coach and Horses. Sikes gets off and helps Oliver out, and he gives him another furious look by hitting his side pocket with his fist. The driver says goodbye and drives off, and as soon as he’s gone, Sikes tells Oliver he can look around during their journey. They walk past gardens and wealthy homes, only stopping for beer. They arrive in a small town, where they walk around the fields before they return to an old tavern in the town, where Sikes orders supper by the fire. The kitchen is old and low-roofed, with some rough men sitting by the fire, smoking and drinking. None of them notice Sikes and Oliver as they sit in a corner, eating some cold meat for supper. They sit there for a long time, with Sikes smoking a few pipes and Oliver dozing off from fatigue and the tobacco smoke. When it gets dark, Sikes wakes Oliver by shoving him and then talks to another man over a pint of ale. The man, who is drunk on ale, says he’s going to Lower Halliford, but his horse has a hard time getting there. Sikes demands that he offer Oliver and him a ride. The man thinks he’s going directly to Halliford, but Sikes says he’s going to Shepperton.
Following a brief negotiation about their deal, the man relents and agrees. They pay the waitress and leave, where the man’s drunk horse is harnessed to his cart. Sikes and Oliver get into the cart, the man mounts onto it, and the horse drives away. It is a cold night, and the driver starts getting sleepy. Sikes doesn’t talk to the driver, and Oliver huddles in a corner. The cart passes by Sunbury Church, and the clock strikes seven. The cart drives on a lonely road for 2-3 miles until it finally stops. Oliver and Sikes get out and walk in the darkness until they see the lights of a town in the distance. They come to the end of a bridge, and Sikes turns abruptly to the left bank until they find a solitary, decaying house. While holding Oliver’s hand, Sikes raises the door’s latch, and they go inside.
A voice calls out from the passage. Sikes locks the door and orders Toby Crackit to bring a candle.[7] Crackit then calls to a man named Barney to wake up and provide them with some light. He throws a boot-jack at Barney to wake him up, and after a violent thud, the sleeper wakes up muttering. Crackit chastises Barney for sleeping and leaving Sikes in the dark without light. Barney then shuffles toward Sikes and Oliver with a lit candle. After Barney greets them, Sikes shoves Oliver in front of him, and they enter a dark room with a smoky fire, a table, some broken chairs and an old couch. Crackit sits at a table smoking a pipe, where he greets Sikes and demands who Oliver is when he sees him. Sikes introduces Oliver to Crackit and draws a chair to the fire. Barney addresses Oliver as a lad from Fagin’s gang, and Crackit thinks the boy will be a fine pickpocket. Sikes impatiently demands them to stop as he whispers something in Crackit’s ear, who laughs hard and stares at Oliver with astonishment.
Sikes then asks for some food and drink. He returns to his seat and orders Oliver to sit by the fire, saying he will go out with him later tonight. Crackit places some food and a bottle of liquor on the table. The men make a toast and drink their glasses before forcing Oliver to have some. The men are satisfied when Oliver has a violent coughing fit after drinking the liquor. After they finish their meal, Sikes and Crackit have a short nap on the chairs, while Barney sleeps on the floor but wakes up a few times to toss some coals into the fire. Oliver falls into a deep sleep. Later on, Crackit quickly wakes up and declares that it’s 1:30 in the morning. Sikes and Crackit immediately get up and put on thick shawls and jackets, and Barney opens a cupboard full of items that the men cram into their pockets. Barney gives the men some loaded pistols, with Crackit asking if they have everything as he fastens a crowbar into his coat. Sikes takes a thick stick from Barney and fastens on Oliver’s cape, declaring they are ready to go.
Sikes and Crackit take Oliver’s hands, and after they check to ensure everything is quiet, they leave the house, and Barney falls asleep again. It is a dark, damp night with a heavy fog. The men and Oliver cross the bridges and head towards the lights leading to Chertsey. Sikes whispers they should hurry through the streets, as nobody would see them this late. They hurry through the deserted main street, where they see a dim light from a bedroom window, hear the sounds of dogs barking, and the church bell striking two. They leave town and turn on the left lane, where they walk for a quarter of a mile until they arrive at a detached house surrounded by a wall. Crackit climbs up the wall, Sikes lifts Oliver over the wall, and Sikes then goes next. As they approach the house, Oliver falls to his knees, and Sikes orders him to get up. Oliver begs Sikes to let him go, where he’ll run away and die in the fields after realizing he is being forced to help Sikes and Crackit break into a house. Sikes prepares his pistol, but Crackit wrestles it from his grasp and covers Oliver’s mouth, demanding him to be quiet, or he’ll bludgeon him to death. He orders Sikes to break open the shutter, and Sikes quietly plies the crowbar into the shutter. After some help from Crackit, the shutter’s hinges swing on its sides. The window is small, about 5 feet, leads into the kitchen, and is small enough for Oliver to fit through. Sikes draws a lantern from his pocket and tells Oliver he’ll hoist him up into the window. Once inside, Oliver will take the lantern, use its light to find the front door and unlock it to let Sikes and Crackit in. Crackit explains to Oliver that there is a lock at the top that he can’t reach, and he should stand on a chair to unlock it. He also says there are three locks in total.
Sikes demands Crackit to be quiet and asks if the kitchen door is open. Crackit peeks inside and says it’s wide open, even stating that it’s always wide open for the dog to come in and sleep in the kitchen and can also roam around the hallway in the house. Sikes again orders him to be silent, and Crackit leans against the wall to serve as a step. Sikes mounts on top of him and gently pushes Oliver through the window, where he lands feet first inside. Sikes gives him the lantern and asks if he sees the stairs. Oliver says yes, and Sikes points his pistol to the door, warning him to do his task or else he’ll kill him if he fails. After Sikes and Crackit listen for any noises, Sikes urges Oliver to go. Unbeknownst to Sikes, Oliver decides that whether he gets killed or not, he will run upstairs and alert the sleeping family. He advances quietly towards the stairs when Sikes suddenly yells at him to come back. Oliver becomes frightened and startled, dropping the lantern. Two dressed men appear at the top of the stairs, and one of them fires a gun. Sikes quickly grabs Oliver by his collar and drags him out of the window, firing his pistol at the men as they flee. He notices Oliver has been shot in the arm and wraps his bleeding wound with a shawl. There is a loud ringing bell, followed by the shouts of men.
While Sikes mutters curses as he and Crackit escape from the house, he rests Oliver on his knee and looks back at the pursuers.[8] The shouts of men, barking dogs, and the ringing alarm bell can still be heard. He calls Crackit to stop and asks him to help him carry Oliver, who has passed out from his injury. Crackit refuses, as he worries about looking out for himself. Sikes lays Oliver in a ditch and threatens Crackit with a pistol. He then spots the pursuers climbing over a fence into the field where they stand, followed by some dogs. Crackit urges Sikes to drop Oliver and get away before he flees. Sikes looks around and heads towards a front hedge. After pausing for a second, he places Oliver on the ground and escapes.
Illness[]
Sometime later, Sikes awakens from his nap and drowsily asks what time it is.[9] He isn’t in the same lodgings before the journey to Chertsey but is in a badly furnished apartment and clearly stripped of his money.
Sikes is ill, lying in bed wearing a white nightgown, and has grown a beard. Bullseye sits at his bedside, looking at him wistfully, and Nancy sits at the window. She replies it is past 7 o’clock and asks how he is feeling. Sikes replies he still isn’t well and grumpily asks her to help him off the bed. Nancy helps him out and leads him to a chair, but he swears at her and slaps her. He starts taunting her as she starts to cry, and Nancy says she has spent many nights nursing him, lamenting it will soon be over before fainting. Fagin, Bates and the Artful Dodger arrive, and Sikes demands them to help Nancy. Bates takes a bottle and pours liquor into Nancy’s mouth until she regains consciousness, and she staggers to Sikes’s bed. He asks why Fagin is doing this and replies that he has brought him some goods. The Dodger unties the bundle he brought inside containing some food, and Bates places them on the table, which includes a rabbit pie and green tea. Bates also brings out a large wine bottle from his pockets. Sikes demands Fagin why he hadn’t come sooner while he had been sick for weeks. Fagin replies he had been away in London and couldn’t help it. Sikes demands one of the boys to give him a slice of the pie, and Fagin insists he hasn’t forgotten about him.
Sikes complains to Fagin that he has been away scheming and plotting a plan while he was gravely ill and unable to help him. He says that he would have died if Nancy hadn’t looked after him. Fagin reminds him that he wouldn’t have such a handy girl like Nancy if it hadn’t been for him. Nancy agrees with Fagin. The boys serve her some liquor, and Sikes calms down after Fagin offers him a drink. Afterwards, Sikes asks Fagin for money, but he replies he has none on him. Sikes says he must have some money tonight, but he doesn’t want to send the Dodger to bring him back some cash. He only trusts Nancy and wants her to do it while he naps. Fagin comes up with an amount of money Sikes will have, but Sikes says he will accompany him back to Fagin’s lodgings if he can’t get him any more money. Fagin, Nancy and the boys leave, and Sikes falls asleep.
Later, Sikes drinks some hot water with gin when Nancy returns. He notices how pale and nervous she is and asks what’s wrong. Nancy insists there’s nothing wrong, and Sikes blames her for his fever. Nancy serves him a drink, and after Sikes drinks himself into a stupor, he then falls into a deep sleep, unaware that she has drugged his drink with laudanum. With Sikes in a deep sleep, Nancy puts on her bonnet and shawl and quickly leaves.
On Sunday night, Sikes and Fagin are talking and pause as they listen to the clock strike eleven.[10] Sikes notes that this is the perfect night to discuss business, but Fagin says there isn’t much for him to do. Sikes replies that they should make up for lost time, and Fagin appreciates it, even trying to be friendly, and Sikes insults him. Fagin then pulls on Sikes’s sleeve and points toward Nancy, who puts on her bonnet and is just about to leave the apartment. Sikes demands Nancy where she’s going, and she replies that she’s not going far and just wants some fresh air. Sikes refuses to let her leave by shutting the door, locking it, and pulling off her bonnet. He tells Fagin that she’s losing her senses, and Nancy pleads him to let her leave, even begging Fagin to allow him to let her go. Sikes threatens to let the dog tear out her throat, and she hysterically begs him to let her leave for an hour. Sikes then drags her struggling into a room and forces her down onto a chair until it’s midnight when she becomes exhausted. Sikes wonders why Nancy is so desperate to go out tonight, and Fagin isn’t sure, assuring it’s obstinacy. Sikes thinks she may have the fever, as she has become restless from being cooped up in the apartment all day. Nancy then reappears, and Fagin bids Sikes goodnight before he takes Nancy with him downstairs, where Sikes lights his pipe.
Sikes Kills Nancy[]
Early the next morning, Sikes arrives at Fagin’s apartment carrying a bundle.[11] He asks Fagin to look after it and wishes he had been here 3 hours ago. Fagin unties the bundle and sits down, looking at him with an unnerved expression. Sikes demands what’s wrong and thinks he’s gone mad or furious with him. Fagin says this has nothing to do with him and has some terrible news to tell him, but he is too emotional to speak. Sikes grabs Fagin by his neck collar and shakes him, demanding him to speak. A boy named Noah Claypole sleeps on the floor next to Fagin, and he uses him as an example if he has been out on the street, passing on information to the right people, such as giving them descriptions and where their hideout is, even doing so for his own purpose. Sikes says he will kill him by crushing his skull with his foot in retaliation if he is betrayed. He even threatens Fagin he will do the same thing to him if he or anyone else betrays him.
Fagin shakes Noah awake and says he is tired from watching over someone for so long. Noah says he followed Nancy to London Bridge, and Fagin grabs Sikes’s wrist to stop him from leaving. Fagin says that Noah spied on Nancy conversing with an old gentleman and a young woman about capturing Fagin’s accomplice, Monks, and begs Noah if this is true. Noah confirms this and then says that Nancy couldn’t go last Sunday because Sikes prevented her from leaving, and when she left the first time to speak to the young woman, she drugged Sikes with laudanum. Furious about what he has just heard, Sikes tears himself away from Fagin’s grasp and rushes upstairs. He tries to open the door and demands to be released. Fagin asks Sikes not to be too violent, but he doesn’t reply as he opens the door and runs down the quiet street.
Sikes arrives in his apartment, opens the curtain and finds Nancy half-dressed and asleep. He orders her to get up and tosses a burning candle under a grate. Nancy is alarmed at Sikes’s furious expression, saying that she won’t scream or cry, and asks what she has done wrong. Sikes confronts her that she had been watched last night and that everything she said was overheard. Nancy clings to Sikes and begs him to spare her life, swearing that she has never betrayed him and pleads him not to kill her for the sake of his own soul. He struggles violently as she says that the old gentleman and young woman she spoke to last night offered her a safe place to live far away, and she is certain she can ask them to show him the same mercy. She even says they should leave London and live better lives, as it’s never too late to repent. Sikes frees his one arm and grabs his pistol. Knowing he can’t shoot her to cause attention, he hits her face with the pistol twice. Nancy collapses with a bloody gash on her forehead, and she kneels and begs for mercy. While covering his eyes with his hand, Sikes grabs a club and strikes Nancy, killing her.
As morning arrives, Sikes stands motionless after he kills Nancy, even repeatedly beating her body in rage and terror.[12]1] He covers her with a rug to hide the bloody, beaten corpse. He even tries to cover the windows, but the sunlight shines through onto the body. He lights a fire and throws the club into it, watching in fear as it slowly disintegrates by the flames and covers it with the ashes and coals. Afterwards, he washes himself, and when he can’t remove the spots from his clothes, he cuts them out and disposes them into the fire. Even Bullseye’s feet are bloody. Without looking at the body, Sikes backs out of the house, dragging Bullseye with him, before quietly closing the door, locking it and leaving. He glances up at the window where Nancy’s body lies and whistles to the dog to come with him.
Sikes walks to Islington, where he passes Highgate, and wanders into the London suburbs of Hampstead and Highgate. In the North End, he crawls under a hedge and falls asleep. When he wakes up, he returns to London by the high road and roams aimlessly in the suburbs. He wonders where he should go for food and drink and shouldn’t go anywhere that’s too public, so he redirects his steps. When he arrives at a public house for food, everyone stares at him suspiciously and is uncertain where he will go now. After rambling around for hours, he heads for Hatfield.
At 9 o’clock at night, Sikes and Bullseye arrive in a small village with a church and go into a pub, where some labourers sit around a fire. They make room for him to sit, but he sits alone in the furthest corner, where he eats and drinks. While the men are conversing with each other, Sikes pays for his meal and nearly falls asleep in the corner when he is awakened by the noisy entrance of a travelling peddler. The peddler starts hawking a product that can easily remove stains and takes Sikes’s hat for a demonstration. Sikes quickly snatches his hat back and flees.
After making sure nobody is following him and assuming he was just drunk, he walks down the street until he passes by the post office, where he listens to a gamekeeper and guard discussing the murder, most specifically Nancy’s murder. He becomes agitated and is unsure where he should go next. He ends up heading down a road that leads to St. Albans. But as he walks along, he is consumed with fear and dread and feels that Nancy’s corpse’s shadow is following him wherever he goes. When he turns around to look for the ghost, he feels like it has slipped behind him before he can catch a glimpse of it. He comes across a shed that offers shelter for the night. But when he tries to sleep, he is tormented by Nancy’s dead eyes staring at him. He is awakened by distant shouting and screaming from outside, and he rushes outside to find a farm building on fire. Several people drag the livestock out to safety while the others try to extinguish the fire.
To distract himself from his troubled mind, Sikes helps the people fight the fire, even risking himself by going further into the building to put out the flames. Once the fire has been extinguished, it is early morning, and he hardly has any injuries. Some of the men start conversing. Fearing he will be part of their discussion, Sikes takes his leave, where he passes by an engine, and the men call to him to share some of their food. He takes some meat, bread and beer and then listens to them discuss the murder, even mentioning the killer has fled to Birmingham. Sikes runs away until he trips and falls asleep on the spot. He wanders around aimlessly again until he has the desperate urge to return to London. He hopes to find someone to talk to and who can hide him. He even thinks he should demand Fagin some money and escape to France.
He takes a route leading him back to London but realizes that his dog will be used to identify him if a description about him has been released. He decides he will drown the dog by tying a heavy rock to a handkerchief next to a pond. Bullseye cowers and skulks back as Sikes calls to him. Bullseyes then flees, leaving Sikes on his own. He whistles, hoping that Bullseyes will return, but he doesn’t, so he continues his journey.
Attempted Escape and Death[]
Sikes, looking hollow, arrives at a dilapidated house on Jacob’s Island near the River Thames.[13] Crackit lets him inside, and Sikes drags his chair into a corner and sits down. In the room are Crackit, Chitling, Bullseye and a convict named Kags, and everyone is silent. Sikes then asks how his dog got here, and they replied he was here 3 hours ago. Sikes asks if Fagin has been arrested, and they confirm it. Sikes demands Crackit if he will allow him to stay here or turn him over to the authorities. Crackit replies that he may stay here if he thinks it’s safe.
Sikes asks if Nancy’s body has been buried, and they shake their heads, which infuriates him. There is a knock at the door, and Crackit briefly leaves, telling Sikes he has nothing to fear. He returns shortly with Bates, who becomes terrified at the sight of Sikes and asks to be taken to another room. Sikes asks Bates if he knows him, and Bates calls him a “monster.” Bates says he will give Sikes up to the police if they come here. He cries for help and charges at Sikes, bringing him to the ground. The three men are stupefied as they watch Sikes and Bates fight until Sikes pins Bates down with his knee on his neck, prompting Crackit to pull him off. The racket rouses the attention of a crowd outside, who surround the house, and then comes a heavy knock on the door. Bates cries for help again, and Sikes is here with him, begging the mob to break down the door. Sikes drags Bates into another room and locks the door.
Crackit assures Sikes that the downstairs door and windows are heavily bolted and secured. Sikes yells at the mob outside from the window. Several people in the crowd want the house to be set on fire, while others demand the officers to shoot him dead. A man on horseback announces he’ll give 20 guineas to anyone who brings him a ladder. Everyone starts shouting for ladders, sledgehammers and torches, and some even attempt to climb up by the water spout and crevices in the wall. Sikes notices the tide is in when he arrived and demands a rope, or else he will kill everyone in the room and then himself. He hopes that he’ll drop into the Folly Ditch and make his escape. The terrified men point to Sikes, where the ropes are kept, and he grabs the longest and strongest rope and hurries up to the rooftop.
The mob’s cries grow louder as Sikes reaches the rooftop and barricades the door with a heavy platform. He looks down over the edge and sees the tide is out, and only mud is in the ditch. The crowd cheers over the frustration of Sikes’s possible intention, and the noise attracts the attention of nearby houses when the inhabitants watch the excitement from their windows. An old gentleman announces he will offer £50 to anyone who will capture Sikes alive and bring him down. The mob gets excited, the front door is broken down, and a man with the ladder walks in. Even the inhabitants rush from their homes to participate in capturing Sikes.
Sikes prepares to drop into the ditch. He fastens the rope tightly onto a chimney and makes a noose at the bottom of it. He hopes that if he lowers himself down to the ground with the rope, he will cut it with his knife once he’s a close distance to the ground and escape. But as he places the noose over his head and down to his armpits and is about to lower himself down, he glances behind him and screams, “The eyes again!”. He then loses his balance and tumbles down the roof, with the noose quickly tightening around his neck. After falling 35 feet, Sikes accidentally hangs himself, and his lifeless body dangles from the chimney, his hand still clutching his knife. Bullseye jumps toward his owner but falls down into the ditch and is killed after his head smashes into the stone.
Personality/Appearance[]
Bill Sikes is a ruthless, cold-hearted criminal who will stop at nothing to accomplish his goals. He enjoys domineering over the other criminals in the gang and frightens them with his violent temper, which makes the gang members sometimes afraid of him, even Fagin. Because of his ill-tempered nature, he is isolated from the others, with his only companions being Nancy and Bullseye.