OLIVER TWIST

Charles Dickens

OLIVER TWIST

• NOAM TANEL
• FRANCO BERLINGERI
• FEDERICO BISET

Description of the characters

Oliver Twist

Mr. Brownlow

Monks

In the story, Oliver Twist is an 11-year-old orphan who is really innocent and does not fully understand the world around him. He is very kind and some people around him perceive this. He was raised in a workhouse and treated badly until he escaped.

He is a rich man who saw Oliver Twist involved in a theft accident and, after seeing that it was a misunderstanding, decides to take Oliver with him, showing his kindness and desire to help others. He then discovers that Oliver is the son of his defunct friend. Mr. Brownlow is the person who discovers the secrets about Oliver’s brother and stops the theft operation which Fagin and Bill were doing.

He is Oliver Twist’s big brother and one of the antagonists in the story and his true identity is never truly mentioned until the end of the book. After Oliver’s escape, he hired Fagin and Bill to capture him and make him a thief, so he could be disinherited and all the money of his father’s will would go to Monks. Monks does not want to be associated with any crime committed in the story so he is terrified when he notices that one of the people he hired commited a murder.

themes

Poverty

Crime

Poverty is a key theme in the story, since the workhouse presented in the beginning, is a place where all poor people go. The author shows us that workhouses were a place where these people were treated badly: they were hungry, thirsty, dirty, beaten regularly, piled up in a closed space and a lot more horrible things. People often tried to escape and died due to the bad conditions. The story in itself tells us about a poor boy trying to survive in a world of segregation where no-one cared about him except for a few people.

Oliver is exposed to the world of crime when he is introduced to Fagin, then he goes to square and tries to rob an old man. What comes after that is proof of what would come to him if he continued down that path. The crimes committed in the story started with children pickpocketing people in the street, and ended with a man murdering his girfriend. The story explores crimes committed in all of London and the society that forces them to happen, even when the person committing them does not want to.

SUMMARY OF THE STORY

The story starts with Oliver Twist, an 11-year-old boy who is living in a workhouse. His friends and him are really hungry after eating a really poor meal, so they decide that someone should ask the beadle for more food. Oliver Twist is chosen, but he is beaten and shouted at as a result. He then is thrown into a dark room without the possibility to leave, but he escapes and ventures into a road in the countryside. While sitting there, he meets a boy who called himself the “Dodger”. He gave him food and brought him to a house in London for the night. Oliver is then taken to meet Fagin, who would try to make him rob an innocent old man with two other kids. Both kids rob the man and run, but Oliver stays there and is seen by the old man. Oliver would have been lynched by the londoners if not for a book stand owner who saw everything and accused the other children. A rich man named Mr. Brownlow decides to help Oliver after seeing his condition. After finding out about Oliver's whereabouts, Fagin and Bill Sikes, his associate, decide to send Nancy, Bill’s girlfriend, to capture and prevent him from confessing everything to Mr. Brownlow. Oliver is then taken by Mr. Brownlow to his home, where he rests, eats and drinks. He recovers and decides to help him by retrieving some of his books to the bookstall. But, along the way, he is caught by Nancy, who takes him to Fagin. A few days later, they try to rob a luxurious house but it ends up being a failure and Oliver ends up shot in the arm and passes out. After waking up, Oliver meets Rose, who heals him, Oliver tells her the truth. Later, Nancy puts Bill to sleep and runs off in search of Rose, when she finds her, she tells her all about Monks and Fagin. Oliver is also reunited with Mr Brownlow. After telling them the truth, unfortunately, Nancy is murdered. In the end, Monks and Fagin are imprisoned, Bill dies, and Oliver is adopted by Brownlow.

INTERESTING QUOTES

“And now Fagin and the boys played a very strange game. First, Fagin put handkerchiefs, silver boxes and other things in his pockets. then he walked up and down the room”.

“ ‘A murder!’ Monks repeated in horror”.

We really like this quote because it encapsulates the pure fear Monks feels when he finds out that his plans to ruin Oliver did not only backfire, but that now he can be linked directly to murder case, making him a criminal and, consequently, has to be hanged.

We think this quote is interesting, since it demonstrates the innocence of Oliver Twist and how he was introduced for the first time to the criminal world of London, one he did not belong to.

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