Summary: Oliver Twist

Summary: Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens

Oliver Twist is the name of the second novel written by one of the greatest British authors of all the time, Charles Dickens, and one of his best-loved stories. He also tried through this novel to make people aware of the social evils of the day. Because of these reasons Oliver Twist has become a classic story, which is studied in every English school and other places among the world. The story takes place during the period of the Industrial Revolution, in the early part of the 19th century, when Oliver is born in a poorhouse in a small town about 70 miles from London. His mother dies almost immediately after his birth and nobody know where she came from or who she was but the doctor notices that she wasn’t wearing a wedding ring.

The first eight years of his life are spent under the care of Mrs. Mann, a wretched woman who takes the money from the state in exchange for looking after several orphan children who are starved and underdressed. When Oliver turns nine years old he has to go back to the poorhouse, which is in charge of Mr. Bumble, the beadle of the town. There he learns how to pray for the ones who give him a roof and bread, even though they didn’t worry about his wellbeing. Furthermore Oliver has to learn a job in order to repay what he has received. Then, someday, he was chosen by his companions to ask for more food for the next time they are given some. It is when he is punished by the beadle, Mr. Bumble, a next to that Mr. Sowerberry, the local undertaker, agrees to take him to work for him. The times by his employer are large and hard, not only because of the work but the way he is treated by Mr. Sowerberry and his wife, and even more because he has to sleep among the coffins in the graveyard. It is then when Oliver decides to escape to London in order to reach a better life.

Outside London Oliver, starved and exhausted, meets Jack Dawkins, the leader of a gang of juvenile pickpockets and better-know by his nickname, Artful Dodge. Naively unaware of their awful activities, Oliver is led direct to the hands of their elderly criminal trainer, Fagin the Jew, who wants him to become a great robber at any cost. Unfortunately the first time Oliver practices what he is told to do, is captured and send to a judge. For his luck, Mr. Brownlow pities him and removes any charge for Oliver. Furthermore Oliver Twist goes with him to live in his house, till the day he tells him to take back some books of the library and he is kidnapped by Bill Sikes and Nancy, two of Fagin’s companions. He is eventually despoiled of everything he has on his hands and the clothes he has been given. For many days he starves and is enclosed in a room that Fagin gives to him, till he is told to work together with Bill Sikes and Toby Crackit in a robbery. There he is been shot and left alone by the others at the point he is going to die. The only chance he has to survive is to return to the house that he was going to steal. When he returns there he meets Mrs. Maylie, the owner of the house and Rose, her adopted niece. After receiving medical care from Dr. Losberne Oliver tells them all the truth. They easily trust him and become his friends. Moreover they are the ones who educate him. One day, when Oliver was walking with Dr. Losberne he accidentally collides with a man in the way, who reacts with great wrath upon him. After that Oliver feels one time that he is being watched by Fagin and the other mysterious man. By Nancy’s help, Rose discovers that the mysterious man is Fagin’s friend and he wanted Oliver to be a robber at any cost but she didn’t know why. Meanwhile Monks, the mysterious man, goes to speak with Mr. Bumble and his wife in exchange to pay them money. He wanted to get the locket and wedding ring Oliver’s mother had before old Sally stole it from her. Monks hide them in a house at the side of the river.

After planning what they would do after talking to Nancy, Rose told Mr. Brownlow and the others the importance of capturing both, Fagin and Monks. They could find them at different places, Mr. Brownlow talked by himself with Monks, who really was his deceased best friend’s son, Edward. By the other hand, Nancy was killed by Bill Sikes after being followed by one of Fagin’s disciples. However he was at bay together with Toby Crackit and Fagin the Jew at the house by the river, which was surrounded by an angry crew, who wanted to hang him. During his last attempt to escape at the roof of the house he fells and hang himself with the same rope he was using to survive.

At the end Mr. Brownlow and Rose gather everybody with Oliver to go to the poorhouse, where they are going to reveal the truth about his past. Oliver discovers by his half-brother’s voice, by Edward, that his father had a romance with another woman besides his mother, Agne Fleming, Oliver’s mother. Furthermore he developed a will for her and her child, which said that after his death, she would get half of the goods and the other ones would get the child, if he had never stained his name with any public act of wrong-doing. Besides Agne’s father had other daughter, who was given in adoption. Rose was Agne’s sister and Oliver’s aunt.
The story ends with a happy end in which every character reaches the very meaning of happiness. Rose marries Harry Maylie, Mrs. Maylie’s son. Mrs. Maylie goes to live with her son and daughter-in-law in great happiness for the rest of her days. Mr. Brownlow adopts Oliver as his son and they also go to live near the Maylies. And so Oliver’s story ends happily with all his friends living close in a small society whose happiness was only increased by the arrival of the children born to Rose and Harry.