In a violent outbreak Nicholas got Squeers. Nicholas sprang upon him, wrested the weapon from his hand, and pinning him by the throat, beat the ruffian till he roared for mercy. Only Smikes beating that makes him react over comes him and turn on Squeers. In these three chapters, Dickens creates both a complex and clear picture of how one of his hero-figures mind works. Dickens is telling us how a decent person should think and act through his portrayal of Nicholas, we also realise what is important to him.
They should want things to change for the better, they should fight injustice, and they should always put others before themselves. Dickens always explains his hero’s action by linking them to their feelings i. e. we are never given insight into Uncles Ralph mind, but we always have an insight into Nicholas’s. A hero on Dickens terms should always be: brave, kind, honest and sympathetic. Nicholas character brings together episodes to a very strong thread of Dickens work: entertainment.
He manages to get across the pain and suffering of the boys so well, he really captures the reader’s heart through his descriptions of Smike and the appearance of the children. After his own family’s suffering he knew just how cruel the legal system was, and so he wanted the members of the upper class to read his novels and change the life of such people. AMY JOHNSON 11I Show preview only The above preview is unformatted text This student written piece of work is one of many that can be found in our GCSE Nicholas Nickleby section.
