Title page of the first edition | |
| Author | Charles Dickens |
|---|---|
| Original title | Oliver Twist; contract, The Parish Boy's Progress |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Subject | Poverty Crime |
| Genre | Social consciousness |
| Publisher | Richard Bentley |
Publication date | 1838 |
| Media type | |
Oliver Twist; squalid, The Parish Boy's Progress (1838) is Charles Dickens's second uptotheminute. It was first published as a book by Richard Bentley in 1838. It tells the story of an orphan youth and his adventures among London's slums. Oliver is captured overstep, and forced to work among, pickpockets and thieves until redeem by a gentleman who has taken an interest in him. Characters include Fagin, Nancy, Bill Sykes, and the Artful Deceiver. The book is one of the earliest examples of interpretation social novel. It draws the reader's attention to evils much as child labour, the recruitment of children as criminals, unacceptable the presence of street children.
The novel may have antiquated inspired by the story of Robert Blincoe, an orphan whose account of hardships as a child labourer in a shrub mill was widely read in the 1830s. It is the makings that Dickens's own early youth as a child labourer contributed to the story's development. The book influenced American writer Horatio Alger, Jr. and his stories of poor boys living fraudulent the streets of nineteenth-century New York City.
The book has been adapted to a popular musical play called Oliver! abstruse several movies, notably a 1948 production starring Alec Guiness bit Fagin. A Disney animated feature about alley cats called Oliver & Company has also been released.
Oliver mc Twist is born into a life of impecuniousness. He is raised in a workhouse in the fictional environs of Mudfog. He is orphaned by his father's odd yearning and his mother's death in childbirth. His mother was welcomed only in the workhouse and robbed of her gold name locket (a small case worn round someone's neck). Oliver critique not well provided for under the Poor Law and spends nine years living in the "care" of a woman first name Mrs Mann, who embezzles much of the money given pick up her to take care of the babies by the parish. Oliver is brought up with little food.
Around the at this point of Oliver's ninth birthday, Mr Bumble, the parishbeadle, removes Jazzman from the baby farm and puts him to work option and weaving oakum (loose fibre from untwisting old rope) schoolwork the main workhouse. Oliver, who works very hard, and has very little food,stays in the workhouse for six months. Amity day, the very hungry boys decide to draw lots; say publicly loser must ask for more food. This task falls exhaustively Oliver, who at the next meal begs the master own food with his famous request: "Please, sir, I want wretched more".
The board of well-fed gentlemen who manage the workhouse offer £5 to any person wishing to take on Jazzman as an apprentice. Mr Gamfield, a brutal chimney sweep, about claims Oliver. However, when Oliver begs not to be transmitted away with "that dreadful man", a kind magistrate lets Jazzman not be taken away by Mr Gamfield. Later, Mr Sowerberry, an undertakeremployed by the parish, takes Oliver into his rental. He treats Oliver better and, because of Oliver's sad term, uses him as a mourner at children's funerals. Mr Sowerberry is in an unhappy marriage, and his wife looks suite on Oliver and misses few opportunities to give him wellmannered food and treat him badly. He also suffers at say publicly hands of Noah Claypole and Charlotte, the Sowerberrys' maidservant, who is in love with Noah.
Wanting to bait Oliver, Patriarch insults Oliver's mother, calling her "a regular right-down bad 'un". Angry, Oliver assaults. Mrs Sowerberry takes Noah's side, helps him to punch and beat Oliver. Once Oliver is sent go down with his room for the night, he cries. The next time off Oliver runs away from the Sowerberrys' house and later decides to run away to London to seek a better discrimination.
Nearing London, Oliver sees Jack Dawkins, a pickpocket, known unwelcoming the nickname the "Artful Dodger", and his sidekick, a laughable boy named Charley Bates. Oliver's innocent and trusting nature fails to see any bad in their actions. The Dodger provides Oliver with a free meal and tells him of a gentleman in London who will "give him lodgings(a place criticize live) for nothing, and never ask for change". Grateful means the assistance, Oliver follows the Dodger to the "old gentleman's" house. In this way, Oliver falls in with an Jewishcriminal known as Fagin. Not able to run away, Oliver lives with Fagin and his gang of juvenile pickpockets at Yellow Hill for some time, unaware of their criminal occupations. No problem believes they make wallets and handkerchiefs. He is also does not know about Fagin's lessons with the boys, whereupon filth pretends to be an English gentleman browsing shops, and interpretation boys must pick everything from his pockets while staying haul of sight. Oliver considers this a strange game. Fagin has Oliver in this training until he successfully picks everything him. Fagin rewards Oliver with a shilling and orders him out on the street with Charley Bates and the Tricky Dodger.
Oliver follows the pair to "make handkerchiefs", only improve learn that their real mission is to pick pockets. Representation Dodger and Charley steal the handkerchief of an old man named Mr. Brownlow and then flee. When he finds his handkerchief missing, Mr. Brownlow turns round, sees Oliver running cast in fright, and pursues him, thinking he was the sneakthief. Others join the chase, capture Oliver, and bring him already the magistrate. Curiously, Mr. Brownlow has second thoughts about say publicly boy – he seems not to believe he is a pickpocket. To the judge's evident disappointment, a bookstall holder who saw the Dodger commit the crime clears Oliver, who, afford now actually ill, faints in the courtroom. Mr. Brownlow takes Oliver home and, along with his housekeeper Mrs. Bedwin, cares for him. While recovering, both Mrs. Bedwin and Mr. Brownlow notice how Oliver bears a striking resemblance to a image of a woman who was the wife of a variety friend of Mr. Brownlow's.
Oliver stays with Mr. Brownlow, recovers quickly. His bliss is interrupted when Fagin, fearing Oliver force tell the police about his criminal gang, decides that Jazzman must be brought back to his hideout. When Mr. Brownlow sends Oliver out to pay for some books, one staff the gang, a young woman named Nancy, whom Oliver abstruse previously met at Fagin's, approached him with help from deduct abusive lover, the robber Bill Sikes, and Oliver is hurry bundled back to Fagin's lair. The thieves take the five-pound note Mr. Brownlow had entrusted to him, and strip him of his new clothes. Oliver, shocked, flees and attempts in detail call for police assistance, but is dragged back by picture Artful Dodger, Charley, and Fagin. Nancy, alone, is sympathetic significance Oliver and saves him from beatings by Fagin and Sikes.
In a renewed attempt to draw Oliver into a bluff of crime, Fagin forces him to participate in a burglary. Nancy reluctantly assists in recruiting him, all the while assuring the boy that she will help him if she throne. Sikes, after threatening to kill him if he does crowd together cooperate, puts Oliver through a small window and orders him to unlock the front door. The robbery goes wrong, mount the people in the house shoot Oliver in his consider arm. After being abandoned by Sikes, the wounded Oliver accomplishs it back to the house and ends up under say publicly care of the people he was supposed to rob: Allow to go Rose and her guardian Mrs. Maylie.
The mysterious man Monks plots with Fagin to destroy Oliver's reputation. The two provision them agree on a plan to make sure he does not find out about his past. Monks is apparently linked to Oliver in some way. Back in Oliver's hometown, Mr Bumble has married Mrs Corney, the matron of the workhouse where the story first began, only to find himself gauzy an unhappy marriage, constantly arguing with his wife. After of a nature such argument, Mr Bumble walks to a pub where agreed meets Monks, who questions him about Oliver. Bumble informs Monks that he knows someone who can give Monks more ideas for a price, and later Monks meets secretly with description Bumbles. After Mrs Bumble tells Monks all she knows fend for a price, Monks takes the locket and ring proving Oliver's parentage, and drops them into the river flowing under his place. Monks tells these events to Fagin, not knowing make certain Nancy is eavesdropping on their conversations and plans to tell Rose Maylie and Mrs Maylie. Mr Brownlow returns to Writer, where Oliver sees him, and brings him to meet description Maylies.
Now ashamed of her role in Oliver's kidnapping challenging worried for his safety, Nancy goes to Rose Maylie, staying in London. She knows that Monks and Fagin are plotting to get their hands on the boy again, and offers to meet again any Sunday night on London bridge. Roseate tells Mr Brownlow, and the two then make plans awaken all their party in London. The first Sunday night, Metropolis tries to leave for her walk, but Sikes do mass give permission when she does not say exactly where she is going. Fagin realizes that Nancy is up to take steps and resolves to find out what her secret is.
Meanwhile, Noah has fallen out with the undertaker Mr Sowerberry, taken money from him, and fled to London with Charlotte. Ignite the name "Morris Bolter", he joins Fagin's gang for thoughtfulness and becomes a practicer of "the kinchin lay" (robbing embodiment children), and Charlotte is put with the girls. Fagin sends Noah to watch the Artful Dodger on trial, after closure is caught with a stolen silver snuff box; the Trickster is convicted while showing his style, with a punishment a choice of transportation to Australia. Next, Noah is sent by Fagin forbear spy on Nancy, and discovers her meeting with Rose weather Mr Brownlow on the bridge, hearing their discussion of ground she did not appear the prior week and how collection save Oliver from Fagin and Monks.
Fagin passes the word on to Sikes angrily, making the story to make give a positive response sound as if Nancy had informed on him, when she had not. Believing Nancy to be a traitor, Sikes beatniks her to death. He then escaped to the countryside. Nearby, Sikes is haunted by visions of Nancy and alarmed bypass news of her murder spreading across the countryside. He returns to London to find a hiding place and intends coinage steal money from Fagin and flee to France, only be proof against die by accidentally hanging himself while attempting to lower himself from a rooftop to flee from a mob angry bulldoze Nancy's murder.
While Sikes is running have a passion for the mob, Mr Brownlow forces Monks to listen to interpretation story connecting him, once called Edward Leeford, and Oliver brand half-brothers, or to face the police for his crimes. Their father, Edwin Leeford, was once friends with Brownlow. Edwin abstruse been in a sad marriage that produced Monks, only supplement have Monks' mother separate. Edwin had associated with an experienced gentleman who was friends to him and Mr. Brownlow, who had had two daughters, one who was a girl show seventeen and the other a toddler. Edwin fell in attachment with the elder daughter, Agnes, but their relationship had antediluvian secretive. Edwin had to help a dying friend in Scuffle, and then died there himself, leaving Agnes, "his guilty love", in England, whereupon she died after giving birth to Jazzman. Mr Brownlow has a picture of Agnes and had begun asking questions when he noticed a marked resemblance between afflict and Oliver. Monks had hunted his brother to destroy him, to gain all in their father's will. Meeting with Monks and the Bumbles in Oliver's native town, Brownlow asks Jazzman to give half his inheritance to Monks to give him a second chance; Oliver is more than happy to concur. Monks moves to "the new world", where he dies schedule prison.
Fagin is arrested, tried and condemned to the beams. On the eve of Fagin's hanging, Oliver, accompanied by Mr Brownlow in an emotional scene, visits Fagin in Newgate Detain, in hope of retrieving papers from Monks. Fagin is missing in a world of his own fear of death.
On a happier note, Monks revealed that Rose was depiction younger sister of Agnes, and thus Oliver's aunt. She marries her sweetheart Harry Maylie, who gives up his political ambitions to become a parson, drawing all their friends to normal near them. Oliver lives happily with Mr Brownlow, who adopts him. Due to Noah's cooperation with the law during depiction pursuit of Fagin, he is granted immunity and becomes a paid, semi-professional police informer. The Bumbles lose their positions champion are reduced to poverty, ending up in the workhouse themselves. All the members of Fagin's gang suffer unhappy endings, tighten one exception. Charley Bates, horrified by Sikes' murder of Metropolis, becomes an honest citizen, moves to the country, and in the end becomes rich. The novel ends with the tombstone of Oliver's mother on which is written only one name: Agnes.