Mutasim Billah 's Reviews > Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist
by
Welcome to the 19th century! The Industrial Revolution is in full flow. Money is being made, the population is thriving. The working-class is suffering and the Poor Law is in operation. Oliver Twist is born under testing circumstances as his unmarried mother dies in childbirth and his father is nowhere to be found. The Poor Law stated: "..... poor-law authorities should no longer attempt to identify the fathers of illegitimate children and recover the costs of child support from them." Hence, Oliver is now an illegitimate orphan. The book details on Oliver's struggles as a child, the mistreatment he receives from a society of scoundrels in a dog-eat-dog world.
Oliver Twist is well known for its portrayal of English workhouse conditions. The infamous scene where the hungry children draw lots and the loser must ask for a second portion of gruel. Upon being asked, the well-fed, hypocritical workhouse owners brand him a troublemaker and offer to send him away to anyone willing, showing another cruel aspect of the Poor Law and the mistreatment of orphans at the time.
The story showcases Oliver's pure soul in a world of misery and poverty. The novel also illustrates a horrific image of 19th century London slums, riddled with disease and poverty with shady crime circles. We see a world where even children are not spared their innocence.
Despite the grim contents of the book, the story, however, eventually proves that kindness does lurk in murky corners as well. Oliver finds himself the recipient of love more than once in the novel and his story eventually finds a respectable conclusion. A personal favorite of mine, Oliver Twist to me is the definitive illustration of Dickensian literature. A representation of 19th century poverty and crime, the novel is a classic tale of a child's survival in a world marked by cruelty.
by
“It is because I think so much of warm and sensitive hearts, that I would spare them from being wounded.”
Welcome to the 19th century! The Industrial Revolution is in full flow. Money is being made, the population is thriving. The working-class is suffering and the Poor Law is in operation. Oliver Twist is born under testing circumstances as his unmarried mother dies in childbirth and his father is nowhere to be found. The Poor Law stated: "..... poor-law authorities should no longer attempt to identify the fathers of illegitimate children and recover the costs of child support from them." Hence, Oliver is now an illegitimate orphan. The book details on Oliver's struggles as a child, the mistreatment he receives from a society of scoundrels in a dog-eat-dog world.
Oliver Twist is well known for its portrayal of English workhouse conditions. The infamous scene where the hungry children draw lots and the loser must ask for a second portion of gruel. Upon being asked, the well-fed, hypocritical workhouse owners brand him a troublemaker and offer to send him away to anyone willing, showing another cruel aspect of the Poor Law and the mistreatment of orphans at the time.
"Please, sir, I want some more."
The story showcases Oliver's pure soul in a world of misery and poverty. The novel also illustrates a horrific image of 19th century London slums, riddled with disease and poverty with shady crime circles. We see a world where even children are not spared their innocence.
"Oliver meets the Artful Dodger."
Despite the grim contents of the book, the story, however, eventually proves that kindness does lurk in murky corners as well. Oliver finds himself the recipient of love more than once in the novel and his story eventually finds a respectable conclusion. A personal favorite of mine, Oliver Twist to me is the definitive illustration of Dickensian literature. A representation of 19th century poverty and crime, the novel is a classic tale of a child's survival in a world marked by cruelty.
Sign into Goodreads to see if any of your friends have read
Oliver Twist.
Sign In »
Reading Progress
Started Reading
August, 2007
–
Finished Reading
January 21, 2017
– Shelved
Comments Showing 1-20 of 20 (20 new)
date
newest »
message 1:
by
Mary
(new)
Aug 22, 2018 06:39PM
reply
|
flag
Mine is a tattered copy I discovered at home over a decade ago. It's still here. I still wonder who the original owner was.
You could give it a shot, if you want to.
Thank you Markus! As it happens, David Copperfield is, possibly, the first English novel I'd ever read. I read it when I was 8 years old and it did create quite an impression on me back then. It is quite different from Oliver Twist, though.
Thanks Henry!
He's a wonderful writer. David Copperfield is probably the first novel I'd ever read.
Thanks H! :)
Mine too. I have given up hopes of ever catching up ._.
Thank you :)
It looks like a Jane and John, early reader from primary school shelves, doesn't it?
But the review itself is really good!
But the review itself is really good!"
*chuckles*
Takes you way back, doesn't it?
Yes... and no. I rarely wanted "more" of my school food as it was not nice. And senior school, where I was a boarder, was like a cross between First Term at Malory Towers with a dash of Jane Eyre's Lowood - and still, the food was not very moreish!
Ahh yes, that won't do. I doubt the workhouse food was any better though.
But then again, young Oliver was probably bullied into it by the other workhouse boys. It is amazing what hunger and fear drive people into.
As children, we carry really vivid images of unappetizing food for the rest of our lives. Among other things, I can't eat fish to this day, something my parents tried to force me to eat every other day without much success. I was spoiled rotten, I must say. >:D
We do, and I'm sorry that's left you unable to eat fish. But I hope you also carry vivid images of food you loved as a child, and that is still comforting to you.