Rose Maylie

Rose Fleming Maylie is a fictional character in Charles Dickens' 1838 novel Oliver Twist who is eventually discovered to be the title character's maternal aunt. Though she plays a significant role in the novel, she is often omitted from dramatisations of the story. Role Rose is portrayed as pure, innocent, and beautiful. Seventeen years old at the time of the novel's events, she is set up as a dramatic foil to Nancy who is around the same age and sees her own degradation in contrast to Rose. Rose is an orphan whose original surname was Fleming. She is raised from childhood by Mrs. Maylie, who adopted her from a poor family who were looking after her. She refers to Rose as her niece. Rose is haunted by the thought that she may be illegitimate and so she rejects the suit of Mrs. Maylie's son Harry for fear that marriage to her may harm his career in the church. Bill Sikes and Toby Crackit, two thieves, break into the Maylies' house, accompanied by Oliver, who they use to get access as he is small enough to climb through a window. Oliver is shot and wounded by Giles, the butler of the Maylies. Later, Rose learns about Oliver's plight from Nancy. She offers to help Nancy escape from Sikes, but Nancy refuses to leave him. Rose teams up with Mr Brownlow to rescue Oliver. It is later revealed that she is Oliver's aunt. Her sister Agnes Fleming was Oliver's mother. Like Oliver, she was a victim of Monks' plotting.