Oliver Twist
(Charles Dickens)

Treatment of the Poor

The novel's primary focus is to highlight the unfair treatment of the poor in Britain during the industrial revolution. By putting Oliver at the mercy of the system, as Dickens himself once was, he shows how the poor are put into distressing situations and looked down upon so that it becomes almost impossible to live a good and honest life. Oliver faces difficult roadblocks at nearly every point of his adventure because of the simple fact that he was born an orphan, and nothing else.

Identity

As a poor orphan, Oliver's identity is continually defined by the others in power around him. He is defined by Mr. Bumble as evil and of bad blood, by Noah Claypole as a murderer, by Fagin as a would-be thief, and by the law as a pickpocket. Oliver, however, is none of these things. But because of his status in society, he does not have the power to tell his own story. He finally gets the chance to form his own identity when he is taken in by Rose and Mrs. Maylie, and becomes part of the family unit.

Clothing as Social Marker

One of the largest factors playing in to identity is clothing. Because of Britain's distinct class structure, clothing is the easiest way to identify someone's social status. There are many instances where, but changing clothing, certain characters are treated differently. Nancy, to get information about Oliver, disguises herself as a middle-class lady. When Oliver is taken in by Mr. Brownlow, he is given a new suit. After Oliver is kidnapped, Fagin takes his new clothes and gives him his old ones back, literally taking away his new social status and defining him as an orphan.

Outward Appearance Equal to Moral Character

While clothes may be a social marker, in Oliver Twist beauty, and ugliness, seem indicative of good or inappropriate moral character. Fagin, Monks, and Sikes, for instance, are all old, ugly, and/or disfigured. By contrast, Mr. Brownlow, Oliver, Rose, and Mrs. Maylie are described as beautiful and/or handsome. Oliver's face, in particular is referred to often as beautiful by other characters. The more extreme the good or evil in a person, the more extreme their beauty or ugliness. Fagin, the most villainous character, is described as hideous and frightful, almost a monster to look at. Rose, the most pure and virtuous character, is described as having the beauty of an angel.

Christianity and Hypocrisy

Religion plays a vital role in Oliver Twist's role, and the views held on the poor. In the mind of the public, wealth is associated with virtue, and thus the poor must have done something terrible to incur God's wrath upon them. This sort of thinking is seen as hypocritical by Charles Dickens, who uses greedy middle-class characters, such as Bumble, to illustrate the unfairness with which the poor are treated. The owners of the workhouse, including Mr. Bumble, are fat and well-off, while the poor are purposefully being starved. This contrasts to the virtues of charity and selflessness present in the bible and Christianity in general.

Justice

There are many different types of justice present in Oliver Twist. There is a stark difference in the types of justice administered, as well. Dickens suggests with Oliver's trial that the legal system in place administers the opposite of justice. Even though the gentleman thought Oliver innocent, and Oliver was never allowed to testify on his own behalf, he was still sentenced to prison for his "crimes". By contrast, the end of the novel sees personal justice administered by Mr. Brownlow, who makes Monks admit his crimes and adopts Oliver as his son. By the end of the story, the villainous characters are all either dead or penniless, showing that Dickens believes justice does exist in the world, but is not administered by the legal system.

The Need for Human Companionship

The thing that Oliver craves more than anything else in his life is companionship. He does not have many friends growing up and goes through the first part of his life alone. When Fagin and crew take Oliver in, it is Oliver's first taste of what it is like to have friends, and he accepts even those disreputable creatures. When he is later taken in by Brownlow and Mrs. Maylie, Oliver experiences the bliss which comes along with friendship and warm companionship. Rose if the first to acknowledge that the crimes Oliver committed, he did because he was alone in the world and had no choice but to fall in with thieves.

Environmental Influence

Dickens, though his characters, suggests that a person's environment shapes their moral character more than their blood. This is most clearly shown through Fagin's young disciples and Rose Maylie. The Dodger, Charley Bates and Nancy all have good traits in them but were corrupted by the Jew and his thieving lifestyle. Nancy, in particular, becomes trapped by her environment and cannot escape it. Rose, but contrast, is an orphan taken in by the kind Mrs. Maylie, who raised her with love and care. Because of the environment, Rose becomes a kind and gentle woman. If Rose has been an orphan on the streets, such as Nancy was, however, she could have turned out differently.

Rural versus City Life

Following the many trends of good versus evil in the novel Oliver Twist, the theme of rural versus city living is truly distinct. The city is where all the terrible things in the novel occur. It is filthy and poverty-ridden, with everyone stealing and diseased. The country, by contrast, is almost heavenly in its beauty. When Oliver goes to the country to recover, his soul becomes more pure and lovely with every passing day because of the simplicity of life there. At the end of the novel, Oliver and his friends choose to live an ordinary life in the country, and spend their time studying, gardening, and other relaxing activities, in sharp contrast to the filth and chaos of living in the city.

Sarcastic Language

The narrator employs constant sarcastic language throughout the course of the novel, to mimic the hypocrisy of the system and draw attention in a humorous way to the flaws of the evil characters. He repeatedly describes the Jew as a "merry" fellow, for instance, and refers to villainous characters as "respectable" when they are obviously anything but. At times, this opposite language makes it hard to understand the nature of the characters, but as they act in villainous ways it becomes clear.