Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist

Plot

Oliver Twist is a social novel composed by Charles Dickens in 1837. Oliver is an orphan who is taken to an hospice where he is exploitied to work.He traveled to London in search of his fortune, there he found Jake who takes him to his house and put him on a bad path. Nancy helps him thanks to Mr.Brownlod that adopt by Oliver so he can live an happy life.

Charles Dickens

Life

Charles Dickens was born in Portsmounth on 7th February 1812. He was a journalist and a writer. As a child Charles left school because he was forced to work in the Warren's Blacking Warehouse to pay off his father' debs until he was released from prison. After he became free Charles finished his studies and he begans his literary works as a journalist.This esperience left a profound mark on Charles' life and works.He had great success publishing articles so he began writing novels and his most famous is "Oliver Twist" and the first is "The Pickwick Papers".On 1865 Charles was involt in an accident on a train where before the rescue he helped many people.On 8th June he suffered a stroke Charles Dickens died the next day at the age of 58 in 1870 in Hignam.

Works

His most important works are:-The Pickwick Papers(1836);-Olivet Twist(1837);-Nicholas Nickleby(1838);-A Christmas Carol(1843);-David Copperfield(1849);-Hard Times(1854);-A Tale of Two Cities(1859);

Characters

Oliver Twist: he is a 10 year old boy with a small face who, orphaned from birth, lives among thieves and rich people who help him escape from an evil fate

Fagin: he leads a group of thieves, he teaches they to live by pickpocketing and other criminal activities. Man of about 70 years old, stingy and greedy, he leads Oliver into the theft ring.He is described with red hair.

William:the main antagonist, is a burglar, always accompanied by his dog, who he treats badly as he does with Nancy. He kidnaps Oliver and hires him to rob a house. He kills Nancy after learning of her betrayal and, when he tries to escape from the police, he accidentally hangs his self.

Nancy: she works as a prostitute at her own risk to earn a living, she will prove much kinder to Oliver and will betray her boyfriend by telling everything to Rose and Brownlow. For this reason she is killed

Themes

Trough the novel "Oliver Twist", set in Victorian London, Charles Dickens analyzes the main evils of nineteenth-century English society:-Poverty- Social injustice-The degradation of the slums, the worker's neighborhoods-Urban crime (often as a rebellion against poverty)-Hypocrisy of Victorian culture-Child exploitationAt the center of the rapresented society there are English istitutions.The traits of English istitutions that Dickens highlights are:-Their authoritarian nature-The use of violence

Child exploitation

The main theame addressed in this novel is child exploitation. At that time children were hired at the age of eight and were forced to work in a difficult manner. They worked 12 hours,at night and on holidays. The author of this work was exploited and when he became a writer he wanted to tell in his work what he had experienced and the hard life of exploited children.