One thing that misleads the reading into thinking that Oliver Twist is no more than entertaining fiction is the deceptively simple plot: action, suspense, obvious "good guys" and "bad guys" and a happy ending.

Oliver himself provides a great deal of the action. He fights Noah Claypole, a bullish adopted boy, after Noah makes disparaging comments about his mother (48). As a result of this, Oliver himself is beaten by every member of this household and the local beadle as well (53). This treatment causes him to flee to a place where he is framed by thieves for stealing and then chased by an angry mob (73). When caught, he is beaten again and thrown into a jail cell (75). Later on in the story, the same group of thieves forces him to rob a house at gunpoint (165). This encou

The "bad guys" are completely different. The "bad guys" are all ugly looking and commit heinous and vile acts. The workhouse owner is a mean old crone who takes pleasure in starving all the children that she "takes care of."

"Oliver Twist" may appear to be a simple story, but this is only an illusion. "Oliver Twist" covers very controversial topics, including child abuse, classism, and poverty. The issues that Dickens covers in Oliver Twist have survived for generations and will continue to exist because there will always be people will never all be equal.

Bill Sikes is an aggressive jerk that takes a similar delight in bullying other thieves. Monks is a character that is a combination of both of these; he bullies Mr. Bumble, the former Beadle, and his wife at one point, but also cleverly negotiates with Fagin for the upper hand. Mr. Bumble, before losing his position as the local beadle, beats Oliver and bullies all those below him. Mrs. Mann, his wife, nearly starves the children she is pledged to take care of in her workhouse, marries Mr. Bumble for his power, and then abuses him after their marriage on many occasions. All of these characters represent extremes of behavior. "The caricaturist drawing a man with a big nose, makes it as big as his foot; that is the convention of his art; and it is the convention of Dickens' art." - __________________ . Each of these characters is simple too. "...nearly every one can be summed up in one sentence." Eventually, there is a happy ending to the story, because the "good guys" all live happily ever after with Oliver, while the "bad guys" end up in jail. 5+6

Fagin is a desiccated old man who takes delight in stealing even from other thieves. He is described by Dickens as "...a very old shriveled Jew... villainous-looking and repulsive... (62).

In addition to creating a stark difference between good and evil, Dickens also uses hyperbole in other ways. Dickens exaggerates coincidence wherever it suits his purposes. His writing is full of "glorious absurdities of speech." One such example is Oliver being taken in by the Maylies and the Brownlows, whom he happens to find out he is related to in the end. Even in Hadley this kind of thing would be quite unlikely. In London it would be very nearly impossi

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Approximate Word count = 1539
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)