Cource:M. A English
Semester:2
Batch:2016-2018
Roll No:11
Submitted to:Department of
M.K.Bhavangar
Email id:kavitamehta164@gmail.com
Paper no:6 The Victorian Literature
Topic:Poverty and social class in Oliver twist
My assignment’s
Poverty and social
class in Oliver twist
Introduction:
“Oliver Twist” this novel is
written by Charles john huffam dickens.(February 1819 – June 1870) was an
English writer and social critic .He
created some of the world’s best known fictional characters and is regarded by
many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era .He edited a weekly journal
for 20 years rote 15 novels,five novellas,hundreds of short stories and non fiction
articles lectured,and performed extensively .Dickensian characters are amongst
the most memorable in English literature ,especially so because of their
typically whimsical names the like of Oliver Twist and other tiny teem like
Fagin.”Oliver twist” this was second novel of Charles Dickens.It was initially
published in monthly installment that began in February of 1837 and ended in
April of 1839.In Oliver twist Dickens attackers the new poor law was really a
series of measures that were enacted in 1834.Supposedly these laws were to
provide aid and assistance to impoverished people .However the system had
serious flaws and also Dickens used his novel to point out truths about
Victorian England that polite society tries to ignore.
Poverty and Social class:
Oliver Twist ,a poor ,innocent orphan boy ,stands out in this story as
the main character but it is the supporting character that allow this novel of
much content to develop a much more satisfying and believable theme.with “Good
V.S Evil” as on of the major conflicts,in such categories are the secondary
characters found as well .Three main auxiliary characters of oliverTwist aid
the elaboration of the story , these significant characters are Mr. Brownlow
representing purity ,integrity and goodness ,Nancy as partially righteous ,
partially villain and lastly on the other extreme of the scale:Fagin ,the
symbol of evil, corruption and manipulation .Thought the story we are
introduced to each-of their personalities, thoughts and action .With their
differing levels of honestly and social status,each of them play a crucial role
in the development of the story theme.
Charles
Dickens a wide array of Victorian children throat Oliver twist.Oliver as the
figure of innocence ,led astray by corrupted adults and fellow orphans .Dickens
certainly does not characterize all children as such ,but Oliver is portrayed
as an extremely emotional character,he cries “Lustily” at birth and later on
“weeps bitterly ” and than he “sobbed himself to sleep”.
Society and class is one of the
central issue of most of Dickens often show superficial class structure ,and
theme of poverty is obviously related to them of society and class,it is
showing social class system.
The entire plot of Oliver twist revolves around the themes of poverty
and social .Dickens based this novel on his experience and context ,typical life
in Victorian times .the spectrum of social class is explored in this
novel,there are characters from the poverty sector ,including members from the
workhouse,Oliver ,Fagin,and the pickpockets,Bill and Nancy.Characters from low
to high middle including shop keeper,policeman and judges and Mr Brownlowe.who
is an upper class gentleman.The social classes however are all inter connected
to each other in some aspect or other.The police are kept occupied with the
over population of street urchins and thieves,the courts are overfilled the
workhouse and the poverty class feed of the upper class by stealing from
them.Despite the fact that Oliver discover he is a highly respected gentleman
family by the end of the novel it can be assumed that he would never be fully
freed from his past.That he is illegitimate .The poor man kept poor by the lack
education literacy was common only the basic rudiments would have been taught in
the workhouse.a world away in the upper class society young gentlemen would
have been highly educated in the areas of law science ,philosophy the Greeks
and Latin ,while the young ladies practiced their accomplishments.
The poor in society were
unmistakably poor they were a under privileged,pitiful class , deprived of
independence,dignity , personal freedom ,due to a lack of finance whole
families were reduced to a life of drudgery in the workhouse told when to wake
, sleep , work , and eat.As a result of poor health care and lack of knowledge
thousands of these young mothers died shortly after children at the mercy of of
the workhouse .In Oliver twist this happen to Oliver and he is named by Mr
Bumble,the head of the establishment.Oliver stands of for his human rights one
day when he famously ask for more gruel.He is sent away and is given to a under
taker who employs him.However Oliver shortly runs away from here due to being
ill treated and goes to London to seek his fortune,where as the myth maintained
the streets were paved in gold and silver.This myth in part was true as London
streets were swarming with young children trained in the art of pick pocketing
.In Oliver twist young Oliver is picked up by the artful dodger who befriends
him and takes him home to his “family”.Fagin is the head , an employer and
provider from a team of small boys.
In this novel Oliver Twist
.Dickens , certainly shows an English society
fraught with everyday dangers,much cruelty and a very distinct class
divide .Oliver really belongs to the more genteel side of society but by a
cruel twist of fate is left motherless and facing a terrible upbringing in an
orphanage come work house.
The children work long days doing
strenuous and soul destroying work .Their recompense is barely enough to eat but
a roof over their heads.Most of people will know the part of this book when a
young Oliver draws the short straw and has to ask for ‘MORE’ gruel which is
part of the children’s staple diets.He
is whisked of the work house decide that , despite his young age , Oliver has
to be farmed out for work in society .There is no longer a place for him at the
workhouse now that he is labelled a trouble causer .
So young Oliver’s life starts it’s
at times ,terrible journey which will eventually lead him to reconciliation
with members of his family and much brighter future. However the path he has to
travel is a hard one and we see bygone
England in all its rotten glory.Woman and children have few rights and
are generally mistreated .The sub culture of the lower working class is
portrayed as thieves who are usually dirty and have more than a fondness for
alcohol Oliver does experience a little kindness ,notably by Nancy a woman of
ill repute.
The very purpose of the Dickens
classic Oliver Twist is to explore poverty been a social status though that’s
never more been the case than it was it was in Victorian England.Dickens wrote
Oliver Twist by means of both exploring and considering this premise as well as
in an attempt to entertain and enlightenment the general public.The story’s
central character Oliver was the perfect vehicle to use in exploring the
concept of poverty and social class because while at the same time coming
across as appealing innocent and daresay even lovable to some.As the story
progresses we find Oliver is joined by fellow social outcasts including the
common thieves Fagin , Nancy and Bill sikes.
Meanwhile Bill sikes manges to
accidentally hang himself and Fagin winds up in new gate prison a waiting the
death penalty.Mr Bumble manages to lose his job and on his knees where he used
to be lord and master.Poverty is a prominent concern in Oliver twist
.Throughout the novel,Dickens enlarges on this theme ,describing slums so
decrepit that whole rows of houses are on the point of ruin ,In an early
chapter , Oliver attends a pauper’s funeral with Mr. Sowerberry and sees a whole
family crocoded together in one miserable room.
Oliver owes his life several times
over to kindness both large and small.The apparent plague of poverty that
picken describes also conveyed to his middle class readers how much of the
London population was stricken with poverty and disease nonetheless , in Oliver
Twist he delivers a somewhat mixed message about social cast and social
injustice.Oliver’s illegitimate
workhouse origins place him at the nadir of society ,as an orphan without
friends , he is routinely despised.Noah claypole , a charity boy like Oliver ,
is idle ,stupid and cowardly , sikes is a thug, Fagin lives by corrupting
children's and the artful Dodger seems born for a life of crime.
References:
WWW. Wikipedia .com
Study material.
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