About this title: Dickens's second novel was a far cry from THE PICKWICK PAPERS, his first. The story of an orphan who flees the workhouse only to fall in with a gang of thieves and prostitutes in London's sleazy underworld, it was a trenchant criticism of England's poor laws. Enacted in the 1830s, these laws provided assistance for the poor only through workhouses ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
"Oliver Twist When I started to read the novel Oliver Twist, even though I was in the theatre performance for a month I noticed that the novel is different from the performance, Lionel Bart changed some things from Charles Dickens original one, and obviously added the music. At the beginning I felt really into the story because it talked about the conditions of him during all his life until the food incident. Then it showed the really deep relationship in-between Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Mann (Widow Corney). As well as The Giver, it has a really difficult language, sometimes I needed to use a dictionary to understand some words and to understand what they had to do with the story. It really shows detail in the chapter when he arrives at the Sowerberry's, Charles really detailed how Mr. and Mrs. Sowerberry hated him and how Charlotte hated him too. The chapter he is in Fagin's gang and he saw the jewel box that Fagin says that is his personal box, and that box comes really important as the story goes on. The characters Nancy and Bill Sikes are secretly married, this really shocked me because in my play Bill Sikes has a kind of hate towards Nancy, but she still loves him no matter what, but in the novel they love each other so much that no one could ever know that both of them are married. Talking about love, Jack Dawkins (Dodger) and Bet get in love and the gang cannot notice that as well. After all the incidents in the book the saddest moment in the book happens, Fagin is going to get hanged, I really felt sad when I read this part because I imagined all the people that would be sad, and all the children in the gang will be homeless, and this is the part of the box, Fagin, before his hanging told Oliver. `` Oliver, my dear, here, take my box, now it is yours''. This part almost made me cry. These were the reasons because I liked this book and which parts made me sad."
"Everyone knows the story of 'Oliver Twist', but very few have actually read the book. You get a whole new look at the story this way. And I'm sad to say it isn't a good one (at first glance).
My main issue with Dickens is his description - he often spends pages and pages describing in great detail the settings and characters. The reason for this is that 'Oliver Twist' is a Realist Novel. During the Victorian period, the aim of the Novel was to show the world as faithfully as possible. This meant detailed descriptions to show the reader exactly where this story took place. In this, Dickens succeeds. But as a modern reader, do we particularly care for a chapter that does nothing but describes fog ('Bleak House')?
Because of this intense attention to detail, what you get is a vivid image of Dickens' real world. But at the same time, you can't help wondering why a lamp is being described to you in such detail! The story could easily be told in half the time. Speaking of.....
'Oliver Twist' was published in Periodicals; you would read a number of chapters each week in a magazine. This meant that (not unlike television in today's terms) Dickens was forced to position 'act-outs' or cliffhangers to keep the reader hooked.
It's highly likely that Dickens himself was unaware of what was going to happen week-by-week. It's almost certain that he had no clue how the book would end. These two problems combined result is a poorly paced novel with seemingly pointless anti-climaxes and unlikely plot-points.
The hero of the piece is - as most will agree - little Oliver twist, the poor orphan boy never given a chance to achieve his full potential. But look closer and you'll see a clear problem with Dickens' protagonist. He is no hero. Heroes act - they take matters into their own hands and actually do something. Oliver is merely acted on . He is carried through the story by far more powerful and interesting characters. Dickens was aware of this; on many occasions, Dickens drops Oliver in order to pay attention to the other characters. He is constantly forced to revisit his 'protagonist' and the novel consequently suffers.
On the positive side, if you're looking to find out about Victorian London, look no further. Dickens accurately portrays 19th Century society, giving an insight into the most intimate of affairs (ever wondered how he knew so much about pick-pocketing and prostitution at the age of 24?)
It's important to note, however, that 'Oliver Twist' also acts as a social commentary of the time. London is always portrayed in a bad light and the countryside is idealised beyond words (literally). The only reason the plot develops in this way is to enable Dickens to comment about contemporary issues - the workhouse, The Fallen Woman, the class system/Poor Law, anti-Semitism, identity, imprisonment & power et al.
In summary, 'Oliver Twist' is a classic novel. Unfortunately, it's a book known for its story of a young orphan looking for a family. However, it is much better looked at as a Realist novel of the Victorian period, acting as a social commentary on many important issues."
"The story about a young boy called Oliver Twist; his mother died when she gave him a birth. In nine of his age the woman who was caring of him sent him to a place that every orphan child has work and just eat a small bowl of soup that place called workhouse. The poor boy was beaten because he just asked more soup and he got punished by sold him to a bad old woman, the woman gave him her dogs' food to eat and treated him very bad so he ran away and he spent seven days walking to reach London. The boy reached London starved and exhausted and his feet were covered with blood and dirt. When he was sitting in the side of the road crying , a boy in his age came to him and help him to get food and asked Oliver to come with him if he want a place to sleep, so Oliver followed the boy .They crossed the dirtiest neighbor in London. Then, they entered an old house. The hose was very old and the ceiling was black and covered with dirt. The boy introduced Oliver to the rest members of the house. They welcomed Oliver and gave him food and a bed to sleep but unfortunately Oliver discovered that they were a group of thieves. They involved him in stealing while he is innocent. In court the ruler was about excuse him but a witness (book seller) rescues him by saying the truth that he truly innocent. Then, Mr. Brownlow who was staling by other boys, adopt Oliver and take him to his house and take care of him. One day later he got a gone shot from the group of thieves who force him to stale Mr. Brownlow and he actually don't want to do so. After that a girl of these thieves felt sorry about Oliver and she decided to tell Mr. Brownlow the truth where she led the police to the location for these thieves. So, the police catch the group while Oliver spent his entire life with Mr. Brownlow who took care of him."
"Charles Dickens' literary classic, Oliver Twist, tells the story of a young orphan-boy at wits end, living under the English Poor Laws. Oliver, born and raised in a workhouse, is repeatedly the subject of others torment, but maintains the same grateful, honest, and pleasant demeanor, throughout the novel. The relationships that are formed between Oliver and the other characters tells us about that character's attitude and personality, as well as showing us how they perceive Oliver, and we slowly begin to form opinions of the characters as the novel progresses.
Although his character is repeatedly tested throughout the novel, Oliver still maintains the same kind attitude with a grateful heart. Most of the characters Oliver encountered on his journey were self-centered and exploited others. Fagin's devilish appearance and attitude suggests that he is possessed by evil spirits. In contrast, characters such as Rose symbolize virtue and selfless devotion. Mutual give/take relationships are apparent with characters such as Mr. Brownlow and Mrs. Bedwin. And other character relationships begin to emerge as more details of Oliver's past become available. These relationships that Oliver form over time help to create Dickens' enchanting novel Oliver Twist."
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