What Fagin counts

Here's my article for Broughton's July Magazine:

This year's end of year production at Broughton Primary is Oliver!.   With a recent rise in anti-Semitism, it might be relevant to think about the portrayal of “the Jew” Fagin, particularly in Dickens' book, as the personification of evil.   The overt anti-Semitism we see today, and perhaps more worryingly society's lack of condemnation of that anti-Semitism, mirrors closely the Victorian cultural views around when “Oliver Twist” was written, and that we thought we'd moved on from.   However, that's a complicated topic with much nuance needed that a short article cannot adequately cover.

Instead we'll think about the much less controversial topic of money!   When Oliver is brought to Fagin by Dodger, Fagin explains what their 'business' is.  He sings “In this life / one thing counts / in the bank / large amounts. / I'm afraid these don't grow on trees / you've got to pick a pocket or two.”  Fagin is avaricious and greedy, he loves hoarding money but doesn't use it either for himself or for the boys he looks after (and who get him the money!)   Because he believes that the only thing that counts in this life is large amounts of money, his self-worth is based on how much he has, not what he does with it.   And he is prepared to do anything to increase the amount he has – or more correctly, he is prepared to let others risk themselves to increase his wealth.

The Bible has a lot to say about wealth, and it is one of Jesus' most common subjects to teach on.  In Matthew 6:19-24, Jesus teaches us to store up treasure in heaven not treasure on earth, firstly because earthly treasure will perish.  Secondly, “for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Whatever we value most, we will strive to obtain – “you cannot serve both God and Money.”  Famously, Paul writes “Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.  For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Timothy 6:9-10).  One of those evils is the exploitation and oppression of others to gain wealth, which is an insult to their Maker (and our Judge) (Proverbs 14:31).  Fagin gives us a working example of that evil.

We may not go as far as Fagin does, but for a lot of people their self-worth lies in how rich they are or in the things they own, and so they are never truly content because they can never have enough money, nor all the possessions they want.  Jesus teaches “Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions” instead we are to seek his kingdom first (Luke 12:13-34).

Fagin considers leaving his life of crime but the lure of money is too much for him.  Our attitude to money and possessions can become idolatrous and God calls us to trust him for what we need, and perhaps demonstrating that trust involves generously using what we have for the benefit of others.

Click here for other articles on Oliver!

Fagin and bad religion

After a break of a few years Broughton Primary School are able to do an end of year production again, and this year it's the turn of 'Oliver!' The story is full of memorable characters, and perhaps one of the most memorable is Fagin, the gang leader who trains homeless children to be thieves and pick-pockets.

Unsurprisingly, the musical tones down Fagin's nastiness by making him into a loveable rogue who perhaps even cares for the children. In 'Be Back Soon' he sings “You can go but while you're working this place, I'm pacing round until you're home safe and sound” and “I love you, that's why I say, 'Cheerio' not 'Goodbye'.” And Ron Moody memorably portrays Fagin in the film version of the musical as a clown-like figure. In 2012 Moody told an audience at the British Film Institute that Fagin is “a monster in the book, a corrupter of children” and his portrayal was “all intended to distract from, to push away the monster of Dickens.”

Dickens doesn't hold back in his portrayal of the evilness of Fagin, describing him as very old, shrivelled, villainous-looking with a repulsive face. He is a “loathsome reptile” whose disgusting outward appearance matches his disgusting inward character; avaricious and miserly with no qualms about psychologically manipulating homeless boys to earn him wealth. No wonder he is often referred to as “the old one” which is a popular nick-name for the devil.

Dickens' depiction of Fagin is nightmarish but what is also troubling is the seemingly anti-Semitic influence on his character. Dickens often refers to him simply as “the Jew”, and his character fits with contemporary ethnic stereotypes and prejudices about Jewish people. It is perhaps even influenced by the “blood libels” of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries in which English Jews were accused of kidnapping and murdering children, one such being 'Little Saint Hugh' of Lincoln.

In later editions of the book, Dickens took out the references to “the Jew” and his final novel 'Our Mutual Friend' included Mr Riah, a saintly old Jewish man, and so we can probably say that Dickens was not personally anti-Semitic, but unwisely chose to use the popular, deeply anti-Semitic idea of what the personification of evil looked like. Indeed Fagin is not evil because he is Jewish: he eats sausages and refuses to see a rabbi before his execution so he is definitely not a practising Jew! His character has nothing to do with Jewish beliefs and practices.

Often religion gets blamed for terrible events like the Crusades, the Inquisitions, and wars, and in 'Oliver Twist' the Church of England, which maintained the orphanages and workhouses, is criticised for being cruel, inhumane and unforgiving. Bad things can be done in the name of Christianity but that doesn't mean that Christianity itself is at fault, it just means that we're not very good at following the commands of Jesus who said “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44) and “Forgive and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

For another article on Oliver! see: A Fine Life?

A fine life?

Here's my article for this month's Broughton magazine:

As regular readers of this column will know, one of the highlights of my year is to watch the Broughton Primary School's summer musical production, which this year is Oliver!.

Both the musical and Dickens' novel 'Oliver Twist' are rollercoasters of emotion, with memorable characters that we come to love (or hate!). One of the best characters in the story is Nancy, the prostitute and former thief, who acts as a kind of go-between between Fagin and Bill Sikes, who is her pimp and her lover. Nancy plays a pivotal rôle in the ending of the story when she rescues Oliver and delivers him to Mr Brownlow. For this act of kindness, Nancy is brutally murdered by Sikes. Nancy's death is shocking but it was based on a real-life murder of a prostitute called Eliza Grimwood, probably by her pimp and lover, William Hubbard, in 1838.

What makes Nancy such a great character is that she is such a tragic figure. She doesn't seem to have a sense of her own worth so she is trapped in the life she has. In 'It's a fine life' she sings “Not for me, the happy home / Happy husband, happy wife / Tho' it sometimes touches me... / For the likes of such as me... / Mine's a fine...fine... life!”. And in Chapter 46 of the novel she says “I am chained to my old life. I loathe and hate it now, but I cannot leave it. I must have gone too far to turn back,-- and yet I don’t know.” One of the tragedies of her life is that she doesn't seem to believe that redemption is possible for her, that she doesn't deserve anything better than what she has.

However, the thing that touches us most about Nancy is that she loves a man who doesn't love her, and worse than that, a man that abuses her. And though we're screaming at her, she stays loyal to him. Even when helping Oliver, she is careful not to betray Skies. Her loyalty is most obviously seen in the song “As long as he needs me” where Nancy describes how despite what he does to her, she will stay true to him. The song hints that perhaps she sees something loveable in Sikes that we don't see, but the impression we get is that she is deluded or deluding herself about this. The real reason she stays with him is probably that she's lonely and Sikes gives her enough attention and 'needs' her. We know, though Nancy doesn't seem to, that Sikes could quite easily find another woman to do what Nancy does.

Nancy's situation perhaps reflects the thoughts and feelings of many people who face domestic abuse; trapped by a false sense of loyalty and love for their abusers. There may be an answer for those like Nancy in realising that redemption is possible. Throughout the gospels Jesus encountered people who were hope-less, who were rejected by society and thought little of themselves. He showed them that they were precious to God and through that encounter their lives were changed. Redemption is possible for us all; even Nancy, and even Sikes.