Charles Dickens Oliver Twist
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Charles Dickens Oliver Twist
When you told us to read a book from the period which were we learning about I decided to read a book written by Charles Dickens because his works are not so complicated and are good for reading. You can find out some facts about the life in the 19th century. But Dickens wrote many books. So I decided to read Oliver Twist and I was satisfied. Setting: The main part of the novel take place in London especially in the poorer parts of the town in the 1830s. Theme: I think that it is about honest boy who is in the wrong gang. But after all he is not a criminal because ha has got a good heart. But that is what bring him many problems. But his honesty and kindness are the moral qualities which rescue him from the life of a thief.Main characters:
Oliver Twist – is a young boy who is bought up as an orphan without parents. He lives in London. His moral qualities do not allow him to live as a criminal. After all troubles he find a group of kind people who gave him what he need – love and family.
Mr. Brownlowe – is an old kind gentleman. He is an old friend of Oliver´s father but nobody knows it. After all he adopted Oliver
Nancy – is a young woman who lived with Sikes. She is the member of the gang but she is not a thief or a criminal. She helped Oliver more times. But she can not leave Sikes and that is her problem.
Fagin – he is the “brain” of the gang. Everything what the boys stole is going to him. He is very sly and mean. He wants Oliver to be a thief.
Monks – he is Oliver´s brother. They have the same father but different mothers. He wants his money so he tried to do everything against him.
Plot: Oliver Twist was born in a workhouse and his mother died a short while after. Oliver came to the world in very poor conditions. The only persons who were present were an old drunken nurse and a doctor who wasn´t paid well to care. Oliver Twist was brought up in a special “baby farm” for orphans and poor. The only person who was carrying about these children was Mrs. Mann who kept the money ,which were for children, for herself. The children were often hungry and bad clothed. But when Mr. Bumble – the beadle – came to control everything was good. So Mr. Bumble was sure that Mrs. Mann was carrying well about the children. So these were the conditions by which was Oliver brought up. And the worst has still to come. One day came Mr. Bumble but it was not a simple visit.
He came for Olive because he was nine years old and was ready to return to workhouse where he was born to be educated. He lived with other boys in the workhouse under bad conditions. They have too little food for them so they decided to ask for more and Oliver was chosen. But when the masters heard him they decided that he is a fool and they must get rid of him. Oliver was beaten every day as a warning for the others. There was a reward offered to anybody who would take Oliver and use him for work. The reward was the reason why Oliver was taken by the local undertaker – Mr. Sowerberry. But in his shop worked a big clumsy boy about fourteen – Noah Claypole. He often insult Oliver and made fun of him. But once he insulted Oliver´s mother and Oliver become mad. He wanted to kill Noah. Mrs. Sowerberry saw only Oliver beating Noah so she locked Oliver in a mall room. She told Mr. Sowernerry that Oliver is mad and aggressive and he would kill the whole family. So Mr. Sowerberry has beaten Oliver very hard. That night Oliver unlocked the shop and ran away. He didn´t know where he should go, he just ran. Than after he was very tired and must rest he decided to go to London where he can live better. But after two days he realised that London is very far, he is very tired and have nothing to eat and drink. He tried to beg but nobody wanted to give him anything. When he was totally tired he met a boy who helped him, bought him something to eat and drink. His name was Artful Dodger. Than Dodger take Oliver to London and introduced him to a strange-looking old man. His name was Fagin. Fagin behaved to Oliver like a friend, he gave him food to eat and a bed to sleep. But Oliver did not know that Fagin is a very bad man. He was a thief and a liar. He led a group of young boys. These boys like Artful Dodger and Charley Bates were stealing things for him. For example handkerchieves, watches, rings and bracelets. After the during weeks Fagin trained Oliver for stealing objects but Oliver did not recognised anything. After that Fagin decided that it is time to sent Oliver with other boys. He had to go with Artful Dodger and Charley Bates. They were walking down the streets when suddenly they saw a man who seemed to be rich. Artful Dodger carefully took the man´s handferchief and began to run with Charley. Oliver was shocked. He started to run but it was too late. The man recognised that he was robbed and shouted for help. The people saw Oliver running and so they thought thathe is the thief. After a long chase they capture him. The policeman took him to the court.
There were no proofs of Oliver´s guilt but the judge was bad-tempered man and he wanted condemn Oliver. But in the last moment came there the bookshop owner and explained that he saw all the crime and Oliver is innocent. After all Oliver was very ill and the old robbed gentleman – called Mr. Brownlowe – took him to his house. There was Oliver cured. It looked like better times were coming for Oliver,. But it was not truth. When Charley and Dodger came to Fagin and explained him what happened he and his companion called Sikes were very furious. They were afraid that Oliver could tell anybody about the gang. So they sent Nancy, a young woman who was living with Sikes, to find Oliver. One day Mr. Brownlowe wanted to have new books. He sent Oliver with money for them. But during this mission Nancy found Oliver and Sikes took him back to Fagin. When Oliver did not came back the friend of Mr. Brownlowe told him that probably Oliver is a thief and he ran away with the money. Mr. Brownlowe did not want to trust, but when Oliver was away too long, he must admit it. At the other place in London Oliver was still kept in Fagin´s house. Fagin wanted him to become a thief. One day – after a week – Sikes and Fagin devised a great robbery and they wanted to use Oliver. The house which they wanted to robber has had a small windows so they needed a young boy. But when they wanted to do this crime during the time, someone disturbed them, they were detected and Oliver was injured. They escaped with Olivery but they left him lying on the field because they thought that he was dead. After Oliver woke up he found out that he is injured. He needed help. So he went back to the house which they wanted to robber. In that house were living Mrs. Maylie and her niece Rose. They were frightened by the robbery but they saw that Oliver needed help. After Oliver woke up he told them about his life so they decided that Oliver is not a thief. And so Oliver began a new life in the country. But in that time a stranger appeared in the workhouse where Oliver was brought up. His name was Monks. He wanted to destroy all the proofs of life of Oliver Twist and so he did. After that Monks visited Fagin and wanted to see Oliver. Fagin went with him to the house and threw the window he showed him Oliver. Monks recognised him. Later in London Sikes became ill. And when Fagin came to visit he wanted all his money from him. So Fagin went with Nancy to his house to gave her the money. They were disturbed by Monks. Fagin went with Monks upstairs to have a chat and Nancy heard them secretly.
She was shocked by the thing she heard. She ran to the hotel about which she heard and found Rose. She said to her that Monks would pay to Fagin if he can turn Oliver back to thief. From this dialogue Nancy found out that Monks is Oliver´s brother. After all Rose did not want Nancy to return back to Sikes, but Nancy said that she can live only with him. On the other day Oliver was very excited. He saw Mr. Brownlowe in the town and he wanted to visit him. So Rose and Oliver went for the visit. Than Rose spoke to Mr. Brownlowe alone. She told him all the truth that Oliver is not a thief and about the strange conversation with Nancy. And Mr. Brownlowe decided to discover who were Oliver´s parents and he wanted to capture Monks. By the time Noah from Oliver´s past was coming to the town. In a small bar Fagin joined him. He persuaded him to work with the gang. After all Fagin became tired of Sikes. He wanted Nancy to poisoned him. So e sent Noah to follow her. Noah followed Nancy and saw her speaking with Mr. Brownlowe. He heard something and ran back to Fagin. Fagin was shocked. Nancy betrayed him and all the gang. So he told it to Sikes. Sikes became mad he was afraid that he would be hanged. So he killed Nancy and escaped. During this Mr. Brownlowe caught Monks and forced him to confess. After that Monks would not be punished. The thief and murderer, Sikes, wanted to escape before the crowd and he hanged himself, it was an accident. But Fagin was caught, arrested, judged and hanged. At the end Oliver was told the truth about his family. His father had to marry an older woman and with her he had a son – Monks. But they were not happy togather, so Oliver´s father found another woman. She was pregnant but Oliver´s father had to go to Italy, where he died. But he was quite rich and in his will he remained all his property to Oliver. Except than Oliver would be a criminal. Than the whole property would be Monks´. That is why Monky wants Oliver to be a thief and paid to Fagin for it. And at the very end Oliver found out that Rose is his aunt. Mr. Brownlowe adopted Oliver and moved to a small village next door to Rose and Mrs. Maylie. So it is a happyend.
I thing that Dickens was inspired for writing this novel by his own youth. His father was often in debts and went to prison when Charles was 11. He had to work in a factory where he washed up bottles. He works 10 hours a day and earned a little. Every night after work he walked four miles back to his room.
He never forgot that experience and he use it in Oliver Twist. He knew what it is to live under bad conditions and work hard. So that is why we can see the real picture of that times. We can see how the poor people lived and died and how the children were brought up to be criminals. It was not their fault, they were so educated by other criminal (like Nancy was by Sikes). When we read this book we can feel the atmohphere of the poorer parts of London, we can see dark old houses – ruins and the people which must steal something ar else they would die of hunger. About the author: Charles Dickens is one of the greatest novelist in the English literature. He wrote about the real world. No about middle classes, he wrote about the poor people. He was against social injustice. He was born in 1812. They were 8 children. His father went to prison for debts and so Charles had to work hard to survive. His teachers thought that he was clever but he had to leave the school and went to work. When he was 16 he started to work for newspapers. He visited law courts. He wrote short stories for magazines. Theses were funny descriptions of people who he met. His characters in all his works are one-sided. He published his Christmas stories. In this book hr wrote about his family under the Christmas tree, and about the atmosphere during the Christmas. He also wrote David Copperfield where he used his memories from his childhood.