Guest post by Kerissa, INFJ

Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens

Fi: Although Oliver was often taunted by Noah Claypole while both were in the undertaker’s service, he never retaliated until Claypole insulted his mother. When Oliver first meets Fagin, he believes he’s a good man because he seems to value hard work, which is in line with Oliver’s personal values. When he wakes at Mr. Brownlow’s and at the Maylies’, he desperately wants to show his gratitude and is in emotional agony until he becomes strong enough to do so. When with the thieves, he never tries to convince them they’re wrong. Instead, he focuses on keeping himself in line with his own morals, refusing to join them despite the fact he has nowhere else to go. He quickly comes to conclusions about people he meets, such as disliking Grimwig for his eccentric behavior despite the fact he’s Brownlow’s friend. He cares deeply for his friends and displays no interest in meeting people beyond them. His emotions (combined with mistreatment) can send him into faints and fevers with their intensity.

Se: Oliver doesn’t often think about his past. Instead, he’s focused on his present and the people in it. He’s fascinated by the portrait of a woman, who later turns out to be his mother, because she “looks pretty.” When he reunites with Brownlow’s housekeeper, he can’t wait for her to see him before leaping into her arms. When with the Maylies, he enjoys going for walks both with the women and alone. He greatly enjoys gathering and arranging flowers for them, as well as decorating the Maylies’ birdcages. While at the village, he greatly enjoys leaving the dirty city behind to nature’s beauty, observing the sights and smells and sounds of the small village. He loves doing things for those he loves, such as running errands for them or picking flowers that they can’t reach.

Ni: Since he’s so young, his intuition rarely shows up, and when it does it tends to lead him wrong. When he first meets the Artful Dodger (Jack Dawkins) and hears about his ‘gentleman’ benefactor (Fagin), Oliver realizes that Jack is not a ‘good’ boy, but comes to the wrong conclusion concerning the ‘gentleman’, believing that he secretly kept Jack at a distance because he disapproved of his behavior. He enjoys wandering around the graveyard in the village and thinking of his mother. When Rose is sick, he goes back to the graveyard to cry and pray.

Te: Because Oliver is so young, this function hardly comes into play. When set with a task, he throws himself into it and keeps at it, such as learning how to read. He values hard work, and generally follows the same patterns of behavior while at the village with the Maylies.