Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist is one of Dickens greatest books examining how children are vulnerable and can be exploited by adults. I first read this book at school for my GCSE coursework and at first didn't find it that interesting but when I read between the lines it made much more sense.

Oliver is a boy abandoned at the workhouse by his mother when he is a baby. When he is older Oliver becomes a member of Fagin's gang of thieves where he is taken advantage of from the moment he enters their den. The story develops with Oliver being abandoned and accused of being a pickpocket then being taken in by Mr Brownlow. Oliver is then kidnapped by Mr Sykes and then taken back to the criminal underworld. Soon Mr Brownlow tries to get Oliver back and sets up a meeting to hand Oliver over with Nancy who is Sykes' girlfriend. When Sykes finds out he finds Nancy before the meet and Murders her. Oliver gets back to Mr Brownlow and it ends up with Fagin and the other thieves in court.

Anyway the inequality of class difference explores good and evil. Good being represented by Oliver and evil by Fagin. Fagin prospers in the criminal underworld where as Oliver starts to fall ill and his character diminishes. By doing this Dickens wishes to change society and make England better for the lower classes. This was a good way to get the attention of the educated, well read upper classes that are the ones with the power and money and could make a difference. Also the richer people may be in the same position as Mr Brownlow and if they had read the book they may feel obliged to act more favourably towards the child.

At the time children were to be seen and not heard nobody was aquatinted with there issues except for Dickens who recognised this and spoke out. One of the points that Dickens was making was that children no matter what background they are from as at the start of the book when Oliver is born are innocent and pure. They are only labelled as lower class when they are picked up and wrapped in a dirty cloth or a white blanket. They are only corrupted when adults mislead them and impress they evil ideas as Fagin did.

This is a great book for older children and it shows how good and evil interact in the world even though it was written many years ago Oliver Twist still has great significance today. Now I understand why Dickens is classed as a literary great. It's a great read just try it. It isn't the same as some of the more recent films Fagin is much more evil and the whole story is watered down. Don't watch the films read the book.