The Title in Oliver Twist Essay

Q.15 justify the title of the novel, oliver twist

In Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens paints an effective picture of the lives of poor children under the highly bureaucratic parochial system and the lives of criminals that populated poor London. He does this through the use of brilliant sarcasm to create interesting and lifelike characters at every of English society that is represented in his story. The word lifelike' in this sense means to act like a human being. And human beings tend to grow as the years pass. They are affected by the situations they encounter. Their traumas and their triumphs form their characters. However, the title character of Oliver is shown to possess none of these qualities. From the time he is brought to the workhouse by Mr. Bumble to his adoptions in the end by his caring family, nothing changes his attitude of wide-eyed trust and blandness. Oliver's lack of human qualities is by no means a failure of Dickens's novel. His unshakable innocence acts as an excellent foil for the multi-layered cynicism of everyone who crosses Oliver's path and provides a solid connection between the vast array of characters and experiences in this story.

In the ten years we know of Oliver Twist he is portrayed as perpetually childlike and incorruptible, despite the fact that he's had very little treatment that differs from contempt, violence, or indifference. Oliver is thrown into every situation that you would expect a person to be gradually hardened from: poverty, starvation, violence and exposure to a criminal underworld populated by kids his age and younger. But Oliver never gets hardened. With all the character has gone through the reader would be more than willing to let any evidence of evil slide but this doesn't happen because Oliver's dark side doesn't exist. Dickens explains the enigmatic nature of Oliver's character very briefly and vaguely with this passage, "It cannot be expected that this system of farming would produce any very extraordinary or luxuriant cropBut nature or inheritance had implanted a good sturdy spirit in Oliver's breast" In that statement is Dickens's justification for Oliver's pure soul: that it is inherited.' Oliver is revealed to be linked with people we are introduced to as good, pure, loving, responsible and most importantlyupper class. Namely Mr. Brownlow and the Maylies. It is the well-born' (including Rose Maylie even though she doesn't believe it) people in the novel who are most capable of love and goodness in this story. Therefore the fact Oliver is a part of

In the ten years we know of Oliver Twist he is portrayed as perpetually childlike and incorruptible, despite the fact that he's had very little treatment that differs from contempt, violence, or indifference. Oliver is thrown into every situation that you would expect a person to be gradually hardened from: poverty, starvation, violence and exposure to a criminal underworld populated by kids his age and younger. But Oliver never gets hardened. With all the character has gone through the reader would be more than willing to let any evidence of evil slide but this doesn't happen because Oliver's dark side doesn't exist. Dickens explains the enigmatic nature of Oliver's character very briefly and vaguely with this passage, "It cannot be expected that this system of farming would produce any very extraordinary or luxuriant cropBut nature or inheritance had implanted a good sturdy spirit in Oliver's breast" In that statement is Dickens's justification for Oliver's pure soul: that it is inherited.' Oliver is revealed to be linked with people we are introduced to as good, pure, loving, responsible and most importantlyupper class. Namely Mr. Brownlow and the Maylies. It is the well-born' (including Rose Maylie even though she doesn't believe it) people in the novel who are most capable of love and goodness in this story. Therefore the fact Oliver is a part ofIn addition to his watery eyes a trait of Oliver's that evidences Oliver's lack of personal growth (for better or worse) is his eternal trust. Or to be more judgmental about it, his eternal gullibility. This is shown when he first meets the Artful Dodger and is introduced to Fagin and the rest of his pupils.' Shortly after Oliver is introduced to Fagin and Company the following occurs; "the young gentlemen with the pipes came round him, and shook his hand very hard especially the one in which he held his little bundle. One young gentleman was very anxious to hang up his cap for him; and another was so obliging as to put his hands in his pockets: in order that, as he was very tired, he might not have the trouble of emptying them, himself, when he went to bed." Oliver's reaction to this is not noted; therefore one must conclude that he didn't find anything suspicious about all this. Even when he sees Fagin's hidden box of treasures while half-asleep he doesn't question where I came from. Though at least in this case he had the good sense to be confused by their presence."Oliver thought the man must be a decided miser to live in such a dirty place, with so many watches: but, thinking that perhaps his fondness for Dodger and the other boys, cost him a good deal of money." Even when Fagin, Dodger and Charley are demonstrating for Oliver exactly how to "pick a pocket or two" in "such a funny and natural manner, that Oliver laughed till the tears ran down his face" it doesn't occur to him what this all means.

Oliver Twist is without a doubt the least emotionally developed figure in the otherwise brilliant array of layered characters that fill the novel that bears his name. However, as the reader gets enveloped in the vibrant world that Dickens creates in this novel it becomes clear that Oliver is written one dimensionally for a reason. To focus the numerous amount of characters and plotlines to one stable point; and to serve (with his unbelievable perfection) as a foil for the lives and habits that were common in the impoverished London Dickens hoped to expose. Judging by his own words: " I confess I have yet to learn that a lesson of the purest good may not be drawn from the vilest evil. I have always believed this to be recognized an established truth."