In which novel does the Artful Dodger appear?

The Artful Dodger appears in Charles Dickens’s novel Oliver Twist. His real name is Jack Dawkins, and he is a quick-witted young pickpocket who leads Oliver into Fagin’s criminal circle in London.

The Dodger’s nickname reflects both his cleverness and his skill at avoiding capture. Fagin trains him alongside other children to steal from passers-by, while Oliver is drawn into the group despite being much less experienced and far less criminally inclined. The Dodger is one of Dickens’s most memorable street characters because he combines criminal ability with confidence, humour and theatrical courtroom bravado.

Oliver Twist was first published serially from 1837 to 1839 and later appeared as a novel. The Dodger is sometimes confused with Fagin, the adult who supervises the pickpocket gang, or with Bill Sikes, the violent criminal associated with the gang. The phrase “artful dodge” also appears in Dickens’s earlier The Pickwick Papers, but the character belongs to Oliver Twist.