Contents introduction chapter I. General facts about Charles Dickens

2.3.Thematic Aspects of Oliver Twist
Oliver is the story of an orphan boy. He is the protagonist of the novel. It is the journey of an orphan and a rejected child. Oliver Twist is mainly about child exploitation. Oliver sits in a dark office about seventy-five miles north of London. His mother's name is unknown. She died almost immediately after the baby was born and left a serum and ring as the only sign of the baby’s identity. No one knows who she is, but the doctor notices that she is not wearing a wedding ring. The child's father is unknown. On his deathbed, Oliver's mother prays:
"God will make friends for his abandoned child."
Oliver’s mother’s prayer represents God’s mercy in giving friends to the orphan. Mayli is an old woman who takes care of him when he is half-dead on his way to London. The author says:
He took pity on the poor orphan and gave him what he could and more, and such kind and gentle actions, tears of compassion and mercy penetrated deeper into Oliver's heart than the suffering he had experienced never endured "
The orphan is raised on a "children's farm" in the village until he is eight years old. Dickens draws students ’attention to the problems of orphans and marginalized. The attitude towards Oliver in the church is really criminal. The novel emphasizes the need for kindness, compassion, especially in our relationships with children. Dickens describes the orphans of the working class in Victorian England. Dickens did not address the children by name, but by their place of work or socioeconomic status. Oliver, whose mother's name has not been released, calls him Mr. Bumble, explaining: “We name our found children alphabetically. The last a, s, was Swubble, I named it. ; I called him “Oliver” means peace. Dickens showed social levels with the clothes of orphans. Dickens hypothesized that people’s careers and positions could only be distinguished by clothing . He describes Oliver as "the perfect example of the power of dress." Humphrey House, Dickens World, 1970.¹
When Oliver was wrapped in a blanket, he was unknown and could have been the child of a nobleman. Oliver became a beggar. Oliver is raised in the office under the care of Mr. Mann and Mr. Bumble. They are very corrupt. They decided it was time for Oliver to get to work and went back to the office. The child protection system in the office was broken. Councils of educators are called sages. Thus, Dickens described the individual and institutional stupidity of the Victorian era. Oliver spends his first nine years in the office. On his ninth birthday, he was described as follows:
"A white, thin boy, a little short, and always short?" Charles Dickens attacks the Victorian era, when poverty, hunger, disease and death were the main problems of society. rich for the poor.
Oliver is a victim of a heartless social system. Dickens described his traumatic condition as a child. Oliver Twist is mainly about child exploitation. It even attacks the inhumane education system that inhumanizes man. The following passage is worth exploring:
"Woe is me!" Said the poor man, feeling greedily that his dream had come late. 'What a great loaf of bread! the head rose for a moment, but it fell again.
He couldn't help but be surprised and happy that a large piece of bread had arrived, even though he couldn't eat it. In those days, when poetry and poverty were inseparable, the English poet took a piece of bread in some similar condition, became superfluous, and died swallowing it. Not to mention the difference. In the beggar boy, the beggar was powerless to even strangle the poet.
In Victorian times, poor people were believed to be only criminals. Economic and social status depended directly on moral character. The poor were considered evil. Money defined class status and public prestige. The people of the Victorian era were busy wasting their time on success. There was a strong superstition against the poor. When Oliver was hungry, he asked for more porridge from the chef in the office.
Such an attitude towards the poor was in Victorian times. If the boys asked for more food, it was considered a major insult. Mr. Bamble whipped Oliver and threw him into a dark room. If he asks for more food, they sell it to the entrepreneur as a punishment. Mr. Bamble is very indifferent to perverts and orphans. He ate very little. The guys were hungry. They never dare to ask for more food.
Oliver Twist criticizes society. Charles Dickens criticized the poor laws and the intolerable condition of the middle and upper classes. He himself grew up in a similar situation. He described the factories and ruins of London. He described the harmful effects of poverty and homelessness. Poverty is accompanied by famine. Crime is the result of poverty. This makes society completely inhumane. Oliver reflected on all the good things. He expressed the power of love, hatred, greed, and revenge. A church official named Mr. Sowerberry sold Oliver to a businessman. He was not treated well there. Mrs. Saverbury insulted and insulted him. Oliver goes with Sowerberry to retrieve the bodies of women who died of starvation. Oliver escapes on foot to London. Not far from London, Oliver joins John Dawkins or Artful Dodger. She buys lunch for Oliver. She tells Oliver to go with her to a place where Mr. provides her with a place to sleep and eat. Dodger takes Oliver to Fegin. Fagin is a criminal. Fagin teaches kids pocketing and sells what they steal.
The gang ordered Oliver to check his pockets. Oliver was arrested for the crime. He falls and Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver home because he feels bad. She takes care of Oliver. Oliver lives happily with Mr. Brownlow, but Fegin and his gang are unhappy about losing Oliver. Mr. Brownlow asks Oliver to return a few books to the bookseller. Another criminal of Fagin's gang follows Nancy Oliver and the gang kidnaps Oliver. They try to take him back to Fage and turn him into a criminal. They asked him to steal the house. Oliver is forced to enter the house with Bill Skis. He was shot by one of the servants. Skyce and another partner escape. The robbers escape with the wounded Oliver, but they leave him in the ditch. He woke up in the ditch and headed for the nearest house. Mrs. Mayle and her beautiful daughter, Rose, the housewives take the child into their arms and protect him. She eventually turns out to be Oliver's aunt. When Oliver recovers, he takes her to Mr. Brownlow, who immigrated to West India. Fegin and his gang follow Oliver. Nancy Rose tells Meile that Monk is Oliver's older brother. He tried to destroy Oliver for all his possessions. Nancy tells Rose and Mr. Brownlow how to find the monks. Fegin and Skyes kill Nancy. The monk reveals the truth and confesses everything. It reveals the true story of Oliver’s birth. Skyce falls from the roof and accidentally hangs. Fagin was arrested. Mr. Brownlow, Mylis, and Oliver live in peace and prosperity in a small village in the English countryside.
Oliver is alone. She is deprived of parental love and care. The Industrial Revolution caused many social evils such as poor houses, unjust courts, greedy government and the underground world. The poor children committed a crime and fell into the hands of the underworld. The underworld is a unique mirror of the world. During the Dickens period, Victorian society was dominated by industrialization, poor living conditions, poor hygiene, and unsanitary conditions both at home and at work. The children lived in poverty. Despite illness and death, Victorians had hope for the future. In Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens clarifies the class conflicts surrounding the world of children. A corrupt social system, horrible living conditions, malnutrition and extreme poverty are all responsible for the fate of children like Oliver Twist. The corrupt judiciary is also responsible for the illness and death of Victorian-era children. Dickens, for example, mocks agriculture with the following words: Dickens mocks this farming system and says, “If he knew that he had become an orphan, at the mercy of church overseers and overseers, perhaps he would have cried harder.
Oliver unknowingly falls into a world of chaos and greed. Dickens raised his voice against this system of child labor and the suffering of the children of the Victorian orphanage. Oliver survived the inhuman system. He had no official information. Dick is another unfortunate hero who suffers from a bad economic situation and is orphaned. Dickens describes his struggle with illness and death. Dick is one of the heroes who imagines a wonderful place where there are no other sticks, diseases and hunger. Dick explains to Oliver that he will be better after his death. Dick says:
"I know the doctor's words are true, Oliver, because I so often dream of the sky and the corners and the kind faces they never see when I wake up".
Dick admits that his destiny is only to be happy and free from struggle after death. There will be no torture. Dickens defines the helplessness of children in such horrible situations. It even detects a child’s emotional shock.¹
Thus, the Victorian child found himself in inhumane conditions. When his father was imprisoned, Dickens was abandoned by his family and his mother wanted him to work in a blue warehouse. His fiction is a real and enduring depiction of a world that can happen. He gave a true picture of a bitter childhood and reflected it vividly in his works.