Oliver Twist

A detailed Summary of Oliver Twist

The main theme and universal truth contained in Oliver Twist is that the poor and disadvantaged will always be mistreated and overlooked by society as a whole. This truth was present then and still exists in our society today in many shapes and forms.

The book begins with Oliver Twist being born in a British workhouse. Just after his birth, Oliver's mother dies. Oliver remains at the workhouse for about nine months, until the authorities hear of his situation. They send him to a workhouse for juvenile offenders against the poor laws. The overseer, Mrs. Mann, receives money to care for each child, but she keeps most of the money and lets the children go hungry. On Oliver's ninth birthday, Mr. Bumble, the parish official, informs Mrs. Mann that Oliver is too old to stay at her establishment. Since no one has been able to locate his family, Oliver returns to the workhouse. He and his companions suffer slow starvation. After lots are cast, it falls upon Oliver to ask for more food at supper. His request so shocks the workhouse authorities that they offer five pounds to anyone who will take Oliver off their hands. They lock him in a dark room, letting him out only to wash and eat, and flogging him for public example. Mr. Gam

Although Oliver Twist was written over 150 years ago, the theme and universal truth contained within it is still relevant in today's society and culture. The plight of the poor will always exist and the separation of classes will remain as an ever-present fault in society.

The story of Oliver Twist gives accurate insight into the London scene of the poor and lower class people during the mid-1800's. Since the 1600's England had enforced a system of laws known as the Poor Laws. The Poor Laws generally provided small supplements of money for seasonal workers and people who could not work for themselves such as young women, children, the elderly, and the handicapped (Moss 261). In 1834, the British Parliament passed a new set of Poor Laws. This new system regulated things more and generally tried to standardize the system that was already held in place by local authorities (Moss 262). Under the New Poor Laws, the British government stopped giving financial aid to those people who only needed a little bit more than they earned to get by (Moss 262). Without the monetary aid from the government, many of the lower-class citizens were forced to leave their jobs and move into the workhouses run by the government in order to support themselves and their families (Moss 262). The belief at the time was that it would be an injustice for the unemployed poor to have a higher standard of living than the most impoverished working class (Moss 262). This resulted in the food allowances dwindling and the overall workhouse conditions declining (Moss 262). The workhouse administrators would make the able-bodied poor especially disconsolate in order to motivate them to find some sort of employment (Moss 262). Another flaw in the New Poor Laws was the theory that harsh discipline and wretched conditions within a workhouse would discourage the less fortunate from unnecessarily seeking refuge in the workhouse instead of finding some work that was available (Moss 262). This harsh discipline was evidenced in the story when Oliver was beaten and publicly flogged for asking for more food. The new rules adopted by the workhouses segregated the residents by age and sex, which often separated husbands from wives, and children from their mothers (Moss 262). People who criticized this new system thought that this was an attempt to control poverty by stopping the poor from having children (Moss 262). Overall, the quality of the food and shelter in the workhouses dropped drastically due to the New Poor Laws (Moss 262). The New Poor Laws actually caused more trouble than good, the only real effects were the increase in the number of people residing in the workhouse, and a raise in the crime rate, as men and women turned to crime in order to earn money (Moss 262). According to historians the type of pick-pocketing gang that Oliver was in was a commonplace thing (Moss 262). Like Oliver, pickpockets in that time period began learning their skills at a very early age, even as young as 5 years old (Moss 262). It was common for pickpockets to learn the trade from their parents, their companions, or from a well-known thief trainer (Moss 263). It was in this manner that Oliver learned the pick-pocketing trade from Fagin. Another form of crime for young boys in London was stealing money from small children that had been sent on errands by their parents (Moss 263). A more serious crime that was popular in that era was housebreaking. Housebreakers needed the help of small boys to enter houses through fanlights or small windows, and then unlock and open a door from the inside to let the rest of the gang in (Moss 263). Oliver was forced into helping Bill Sikes attempt to rob a house in this manner. Young women on the streets also took part in the crimes of the era. Shoplifting was popular among young ladies. A girl would ask a shopkeeper to reach a certain item for her, and then while the shopkeeper's back was to her she would grab what she pleas

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Approximate Word count = 2702
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Novels