Oliver Twist- a Crital Anaylsis

306 Words2 Pages
In 1838, Charles Dickens wrote the novel, Oliver Twist which is subtitled The Parish Boy’s Progress. I feel one of Charles Dickens purposes for writing this novel was to realistically portray the widespread poverty and the criminal underworld of London at that time. He uses vivid imagery to describe captivating characters and grim surroundings. I found the realism of the characters intriguing but was confused at times because of the excessive number of characters. Oliver Twist is an orphan that moves from home to home but never seems to adjust. He runs away to London where he meets Fagin and the other kids that teach Oliver how to steal. Later, Oliver gets accused of stealing and is taken in by Mr. Brownlow who offers him a better life off of the streets in a civilized home. Fagin’s gang kidnaps Oliver because they think he will give them up to officials. A tip leads police to find him and to the death of his captors. Poverty was a legitimate problem; in 1834 The Poor Law Amendment Act was created. Poverty can make people more desperate and increase criminal activity. From the beginning of the novel poverty is seen in the workhouse when the children are denied more food. In London, Artful Dodger and his boys are living in poverty and picking pockets to survive. Charles Dickens uses vivid imagery when describing Fagin, “loathsome reptile” and as having “fangs such as should have been a dog’s or rat’s”. Fewer named character would make the story less confusing without losing any relevant meaning. Charles Dickens uses realism to portray a time in London that is riddled with poverty and crime. His characters are captivating; Bill Sikes is atrocious and Oliver Twist is heartwarming. Oliver Twist is a classic novel that will continue to read for many more
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