Oliver Twist, published between 1837 and 1839, is one of Charles Dickens’s most famous novels. It tells the story of an orphan boy navigating a harsh and unjust world in Victorian England. The novel combines social criticism with a compelling narrative, shedding light on issues such as poverty, child labor, and criminal exploitation.
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Oliver’s Early Life
The story begins in a workhouse in a small English town, where Oliver Twist is born to an unnamed woman who dies shortly after childbirth. Raised under the oppressive care of the workhouse, Oliver endures a harsh and loveless childhood. When he dares to ask for more food with the iconic line, “Please, sir, I want some more,” he is punished and labeled as ungrateful.
Oliver is apprenticed to an undertaker, Mr. Sowerberry, where he is mistreated by both his employer and a fellow apprentice. Unable to endure the cruelty, Oliver runs away to London.
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Life with Fagin and the Criminal Underworld
In London, Oliver encounters Jack Dawkins, known as the Artful Dodger, a charismatic young pickpocket. Dodger introduces Oliver to Fagin, an old man who leads a gang of child thieves. Fagin trains children to steal for him while keeping them under his manipulative control.
Unaware of the gang’s criminal activities, Oliver is taken on a pickpocketing mission. When the gang robs a wealthy gentleman named Mr. Brownlow, Oliver is mistakenly accused. However, Brownlow sees Oliver’s innocence and takes him into his home, providing him with kindness and care for the first time in his life.
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Recapture and Further Exploitation
Fagin and his associate, the brutal thief Bill Sikes, fear that Oliver might reveal their secrets. With the help of Nancy, Sikes’s compassionate but conflicted girlfriend, they kidnap Oliver and force him back into the gang.
Sikes uses Oliver in a house burglary, but the plan goes wrong when Oliver is injured. The house belongs to Mrs. Maylie and her niece Rose, who take Oliver in and nurse him back to health. They come to love him and protect him from further harm.
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Unraveling Oliver’s Past
The mystery of Oliver’s parentage begins to unfold. It is revealed that he is the illegitimate son of Edwin Leeford and Agnes Fleming, and he has a rightful claim to an inheritance. Monks, Oliver’s half-brother, conspires with Fagin to destroy evidence of Oliver’s identity, hoping to deny him his inheritance.
Nancy, despite her loyalty to Sikes, risks her life to inform Mr. Brownlow about Monks’s schemes. Tragically, Sikes discovers her betrayal and murders her in a fit of rage. Sikes is later hunted by a mob and accidentally kills himself while trying to escape.
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Resolution and Redemption
With Nancy’s help and Mr. Brownlow’s intervention, Monks is exposed, and Oliver’s true identity is established. Mr. Brownlow adopts Oliver, giving him a secure and loving home. Fagin is arrested and executed for his crimes, marking the end of his criminal enterprise.
Rose Maylie is revealed to be Oliver’s aunt, further solidifying his connection to a caring family. The novel concludes with Oliver finally finding peace and security, free from the cruelty and hardships that defined his early life.
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Themes and Legacy
Oliver Twist is a powerful critique of the social injustices of Dickens’s time, including the mistreatment of orphans, the cruelty of workhouses, and the exploitation of the poor by criminals. Through Oliver’s journey, Dickens highlights the resilience of the human spirit and the importance of compassion.
The novel remains a cornerstone of English literature, celebrated for its vivid characters, gripping plot, and unflinching examination of Victorian society.