The Awakening Conscience was painted by William Holman Hunt in 1853 and depicts a man and his mistress with the mistress in the middle of a revelation and rising toward redemption. The painting is also full of symbolism and includes such things as a man's glove on the floor which symbolizes the fate of a cast-off mistress was likely to be prostitution, and a tangled mess of yarn on the floor that symbolizes the tangled life and situation the girl has gotten herself into. This painting is interesting to look at in regards to the Victorian's attitude on woman - an attitude that played a part in both Hunt's and Dickens' lives as well as in Dickens' novel Oliver Twist.

Both Hunt and Dickens had connections with lower class or fallen women. Hunt's girlfriend and model for this painting was uneducated bar maid Annie Miller. Since he planned to marry her he arranged to have her educated while he was away on a trip to Palestine. Although their relationship did not end particularly well Annie remained popular with the other Pre-Raphaelite painters, particularly Dante Gabriel Rosetti. Alternatively, Dickens was an essential part of setting up the "Magdalen House" which was a house where fallen women were taken in and then prepared for a new and better life. It was a cause Dickens was incredibly passionate about.

The character in Oliver Twist that undoubtedly comes to mind with this background is Nancy. Throughout the text it is very strongly implied that Nancy is a prostitute, and thus is similar to the woman in the painting. Also like the women in the painting Nancy feels pulled toward the light. After initially helping Fagin and Sikes to kidnap Oliver and bring him back into their control she realizes the error of her ways and from then on helps Oliver as much as she can. Even though Nancy cannot give up her wayward life she eventually sacrifices her life for Oliver. Both Nancy and the women in Hunt's painting exemplify the Victorian idea of moral sentiments and that women especially had a natural inclination towards goodness. Even though both women have strayed they can't help but to be pulled towards goodness again.

During the Victorian Era women's sexuality was closely related to how women were viewed both morally and socially, and as a result the idea of the fallen woman was decently popular during that time. It was a favourite topic of many high profile Victorians and as a result it is a trope that appeared in all forms of art. The Awakening Conscience and Oliver Twist are just two of many examples from the era.