This article is about the character from Oliver Twist. For other uses see The Artful Dodger (disambiguation).

George Cruikshank's original engraving of the Artful Dodger (center), here introducing Oliver (right) to Fagin (left). It can be argued that Cruikshank originated the Dodger's trademark top hat -- Dickens never specifically describes the hat.

Harry Eden as the Artful Dodger in Roman Polanski's Oliver Twist.

Jack Wild as the Artful Dodger in Oliver!, the musical.

The Artful Dodger is a character in the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist. The Dodger (whose real name is Jack Dawkins) is a pickpocket, and so-called by his skill and cunning in that respect. As a result he has become the leader of the gang of child criminals, trained by the elderly Fagin. Dickens describes him thusly:

He was a snub-nosed, flat-browed, common-faced boy enough; and as dirty a juvenile as one would wish to see; but he had about him all the airs and manners of a man. He was short of his age: with rather bow-legs, and little, sharp, ugly eyes. His hat was stuck on the top of his head so lightly, that it threatened to fall off every moment--and would have done so, very often, if the wearer had not had a knack of every now and then giving his head a sudden twitch, which brought it back to its old place again. He wore a man's coat, which reached nearly to his heels. He had turned the cuffs back, half-way up his arm, to get his hands out of the sleeves: apparently with the ultimated view of thrusting them into the pockets of his corduroy trousers; for there he kept them. He was, altogether, as roystering and swaggering a young gentleman as ever stood four feet six, or something less, in the bluchers.

Ultimately The Dodger is caught with a stolen silver snuff box on his person, convicted as a "lifer", and "sent abroad" (to Australia).

The nickname "Artful Dodger" is still commonly used to refer to someone who is good at avoiding responsibility or the consequences of his or her actions. "Artful Dodger" is also Cockney rhyming slang for "lodger".

Dickens had first used a similar term in his previous novel, The Pickwick Papers. At the close of Chapter 16, Sam Weller refers to the recent schemes of Mr Jingle: "Reg'lar do, sir; artful dodge."

The role of the Artful Dodger has been played by several notable performers. British actor Anthony Newley played the character in an adaptation of the story for a 1948 motion picture. The role was amplified in the musical Oliver!, and was first played by Martin Horsey (actor/ director & author of "L'Chaim"), and later by Tony Robinson (actor - eg Baldrick in "Blackadder",& presenter of "Timeteam" etc), Davy Jones (of "The Monkees" etc), Steve Marriott ("The Small Faces" etc), & Phil Collins("Genesis" etc), among others. Elijah Wood also portrayed the character, and most recently he was played by Harry Eden in Roman Polanski's big-budget version of the story, which saw release in 2005.

In the 1968 film Oliver!, Jack Wild played the role and was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.^[1]

Other "notables" to have played the role (in amateur production) include Ben Elton and Robbie Williams.

In Walt Disney's version of Oliver Twist, Oliver and Company, the character of the Artful Dodger was changed to a streetwise anthropomorphic mutt simply named Dodger. The voice was provided by famed musician Billy Joel.

In 2003's Twist, a modern-day retelling of the story, the Artful Dodger (who goes by "Dodge" in this version) is played by Nick Stahl. The film is told from his point of view.

References

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