Bill Sikes

Oliver Twist (Masterpiece Theatre)

Tom Hardy (2007)

The Housebreaker

Oliver Twist (opposer)

### Personalities

Cruel, evil, violent, fearsome, ugly, strict, ruthless, dark, abusive, selfish, strong, loyal, brave, drunk, fiery, insane, stubborn, cynical, irritable, scornful, rough, aggressive, intellectual, deceitful, reckless, guilty

### Appearance

Stout-built, dirty, muscular, brown top hat, breeches with laced boots, velveteen coat, scowling face

### Allies

Fagin
Nancy (formerly)
Bullseye (formerly)
The Artful Dodger

Charley Bates

### Likes

Stealing, inflicting abuse, robbing houses, drinking

### Goal

To have Oliver participate with him in a robbery (temporarily succeeded)

To escape from society after his brutal crime (failed)

### Fate

Accidentally hangs himself from a building rooftop while trying to escape from a mob

> "*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 Bulleye, and he is 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.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 and 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 Bonne and apron, with Fagin giving her a straw basket and Sikes requesting she also holds the 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 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.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 "Biss Dadsy," referring to 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. 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. He 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 was hanged at 8 o’clock at Newgate, she will keep walking around the place and never leave. This makes Sikes jealous of her sympathy to the inmates and urges her to hurry up. Sikes, Nancy and Oliver walk for half an hour, meeting very 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 is heard ringing inside, the door opens and Sikes enters, dragging Oliver in by the collar. The passage is dark, and a voice calls who is there, and Sikes demands for a candle. The Artful Dodger then appears with a lit candle, 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 five pound 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 the books or sell them. Bates admires the books, but Oliver says they belong the old gentleman who took him in and nursed him back to health. He begs the gang to send the books and money back, 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 knows that he has stolen them and his caregivers won’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 returning, dragging Oliver with them. 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 a second time, 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 gazes at Fagin and Sikes angrily. The men are confused, and Fagin asks Sikes what he can do to console her. Sikes utters curses and threats, and demands what she’s talking about it. 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 a corner and remarks that she is strong when she is in a frenzied mood.

### The House Robbery

On a cold, damp night, Sikes is standing outside in Bethnal Green with Bullseye, when the dog growls when someone is approaching. It is Fagin and 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 of 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 refilling 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 about robbing the house in Chertsey and asks if everything is ready for the robbery. Sikes replies that they aren’t fully prepared, which makes Fagin shocked, 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, with Nancy not daring to irritate her boyfriend. 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 that 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 was small and mistreated, the father was arrested and the boy sent away to learn a trade and become an apprentice. Fagin then motions Nancy to leave the room, but Sikes then 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 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 now he should 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 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. 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. 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 dark, 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. A house with a light across the road casts eerie shadows over the churchyard graves. 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.

## 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.

## References

1. ↑ Chapter 13
2. ↑ Chapter 15
3. ↑ Chapter 16
4. ↑ Chapter 19
5. ↑ Chapter 20
6. ↑ Chapter 21
7. ↑ Chapter 22