Oliver Twist
OLIVER TWIST ESSAY- Topic 3
In ‘Oliver Twist’ Charles Dickens exposes the lives and conditions of the poor in England to his affluent readers. He describes the extreme hardship and harsh treatment of the authorities of that time.
At the time of Dickens’ writings there was an institution that was set up to deal with poverty stricken people. In his books he clearly depicts the cruelty of the jurisdiction in the workhouse as it really was. He describes how they were fed a minimal amount of food while the authorities were well fed and flourishing. The poor were forced to do hard labor if they didn’t have the money to pay for their keep, as well as if they were not able to pay debts, which happened to Dickens’ father. The rich really didn’t have any idea of what life was like for the poor as shown in Mr Bumble’s attitude. Mr Bumble is supposedly looking after the welfare of the poor people but all he really cares for is himself. He also gets the money intended for the poor for himself which also shows his selfishness and greed. His characteristics are shown by his comment about two starved paupers saying that because they were too sick to work he would send them to another parish as it was cheaper to transport them than to bury them and it would save them money, time and worry.
In London around the 1800’s the criminal class was at large and is clearly portrayed in Dickens’ novels. As shown in ‘Oliver Twist’ gangs of thieves were regularly operating to support themselves. Many gangs robbed rich people of their wallets as well as taking things such as handkerchiefs which could be sold at a good price at market because they would most likely be made out of silk, linen with lace trimmings. The gangs often trained children to do the dirty work in return for accommodation and food, which was why lots of young children were attracted to doing these jobs. If the children did the actual thieving then the head of the gang would be safer and could abandon the child if they
In ‘Oliver Twist’ Charles Dickens exposes the lives and conditions of the poor in England to his affluent readers. He describes the extreme hardship and harsh treatment of the authorities of that time.
At the time of Dickens’ writings there was an institution that was set up to deal with poverty stricken people. In his books he clearly depicts the cruelty of the jurisdiction in the workhouse as it really was. He describes how they were fed a minimal amount of food while the authorities were well fed and flourishing. The poor were forced to do hard labor if they didn’t have the money to pay for their keep, as well as if they were not able to pay debts, which happened to Dickens’ father. The rich really didn’t have any idea of what life was like for the poor as shown in Mr Bumble’s attitude. Mr Bumble is supposedly looking after the welfare of the poor people but all he really cares for is himself. He also gets the money intended for the poor for himself which also shows his selfishness and greed. His characteristics are shown by his comment about two starved paupers saying that because they were too sick to work he would send them to another parish as it was cheaper to transport them than to bury them and it would save them money, time and worry.
In London around the 1800’s the criminal class was at large and is clearly portrayed in Dickens’ novels. As shown in ‘Oliver Twist’ gangs of thieves were regularly operating to support themselves. Many gangs robbed rich people of their wallets as well as taking things such as handkerchiefs which could be sold at a good price at market because they would most likely be made out of silk, linen with lace trimmings. The gangs often trained children to do the dirty work in return for accommodation and food, which was why lots of young children were attracted to doing these jobs. If the children did the actual thieving then the head of the gang would be safer and could abandon the child if they