Charles Dickens

CHARLES DICKENS
"OLIVER TWIST"
In the second half of the eighteen century, in England, under the reign of Queen
Victoria (1837-1901), there was a period of contrasts and extremes: great wealth
coexisted with poverty. It was a golden age but there were many problems.
emplyment, poor health, bad hausing....All these situations were described by
several writers and novelists, because they were influenced by the historical events
and because they want to inform about the poorest classes and mirrow their lifes.
In 1838 the largest organised workers'movement, the Chartist Movement, asked for
the extension of the right to vote and to stand for election to the working class. And
only in 1867 the second and the third Reform Bills were passed: the former gave
town workers the right to vote, but still excluded miners and agricultural workers,
the latter extended the suffrage to all male workers.
In 1846 the population suffered from the high price of bread, imposed by the two
Corn Laws (1815 and 1828) to protect British producters from foreign competition.
This problem moved the Anti-Corn Law League, which repealed the Corn Law.
During the Victorian age several important social reforms were carried out: in 1847
the Ten Hours' Act, which limited working hours to ten a day; the Mine Act, which
forbade the emplyment of women and children in mines; the Educational Act, which
re-organised elementary schooling; the Emancipation of religious sects, which
allowed Catholics to take part of government jobs and to enter the most famous
english university (such as Cambridge and Oxford); the Public Health Act, which
improved health condition; the Trade Union Act (1875), which legalised the
activities of the unions of workers.
Charles Dickens was one of the most important writer who described poor living
conditions, also visiting the slums and the places where they lived. Charles Dickens
had some personal experience of poverty in his own childwood . At the age of
twelve, when his father had financial problems and was prisoned, he was sent to
work in a London factory and this traumatic experience brought him to described
life in city steets, working in factories and the exploitation of children. As a matter
of fact Dickens became a journalist, describing London people and scenes, and than
he became a succesful and international novelist. Dickens' novels presents a variety
of settings, but the most important is the metropolis of London, where different
classes and social groups live next to each other and yet do not communicate. But
the main stenght of Dikens' style is his humor through which he makes
unforgettable his novels. As for the plots of his novels, they are very complex and
involve many characters and many parallel stories and intrigues.
One of his most famous social novel is Oliver Twist. It contains many of the classical
themes of his best writing, such as the struggles of orphans in Victorian England,
the grinding poverty of that period endured by so many people, and the working of
the New Poor Law, the slow triumph of good nature and strong character over
attempted suborners. The book contains some of Dickens' most famous characters,
some of which have entered as exemplars for certain types, most notably the
exploited child, Oliver Twist, who dare to ask for more, the tyran Bumble, the parish
beadle; the diabolic, gang leader, Fagin....
Oliver Twist was born in a workhouse, the home of the poorest people in 19th
century England. At that time there were no state pensions or other forms of
financial support. Those who were old or sick or had no work depended on charity.
In many towns workhouses were built to keep poor people off the streets and to
give them some kind of employment. They were cold, unfriendly places with no
confort and a minimum of food. They were sometimes run by brutal or unsrupulous
managers (like Mr Bumble), who abused the people under their control.
There were many poor people in England in those years. The population was
growing and society was changing rapidly because of the agricultural and industrial
revolutions. Many farm workers and traditional craftmen lost their jobs. People
moved into the developing industrial towns where new factories were opening. But
working and living conditions there were very bad as a matter of fact people often
had to work over 12 hours a day for little money. The factories were dangerous
places and accidents were common. Families were crowded into small houses or
even single rooms. Without proper sanitation many people died of diseases like
tuberculosis, cholera...
Oliver escaped from his hometown and makes hos way to london to seek his
fortune. Many others followed the same road in 19th century, as a matter of fact
this was the greatest city in Britain, which was becoming the first great indusrial
nation.
But, on the other side of London, especially in the "East End", there was also terrible
poverty. This was the area of London where the Artful Dodger brought Oliver to
meet Fagin. here the houses were very old and broken-down. the streets were
narrow, dark and dirty, and rubbish and waste often ended up on the steet or in the
river.
as soon he arrived in London, Oliver found himself adopted by Fagin and his gang
thieves. Crime was one of the great fears of ordinary people in this city. The large
number of poor people, the chaotic conditions of the city and the absence of an
effective, organised police force meant that crime was very common. Pickpockets
and thieves (like the Artful Dodger) were active in the streets while violent robbers (
like Bill Sikes) broke into the houses of tha rich.
When criminals, or suspected criminals, were caught their treatment was brutal and
often unjust, as a matter of fact poor people could not afford a lawyer to defend
them at their trial and their punishment often depended on the personal attitude of
the judge. dickens had personal experience of how the law operatad when his father
was held in prison because he was unable to repay his debts.
PLOT:
Oliver was a boy born in a workhouse, where he lived a miserable life under the
control of the manager called Mr Bumble, and he was undrefeded and riceved no
education. He run away in London, where he entered in a gang of young thieves ld
by a cunning old man called Fagin, who obliged him to "work" with them. Than
Oliver was temporarily rescued by a benevolent gentleman, Mr Brownlow, but some
members of the gang kidnaped the boy. After many accidents discovered to be a
relative of Mr Brownlow, so he had a family.

Charles Dickens

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CHARLES DICKENS

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