Symbols of Oliver Twist
Important Symbols from Oliver Twist
In the novel, Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, the author uses many symbols to help the reader have a better understanding on his views. Through his symbols, Dickens shows the reader his opinions about the way of crime and the importance of the evidence of a person’s parenthood.
Dickens uses the symbol labyrinth that represents the path of criminals. After Oliver managed to escape from Fagin the Jew, Fagin became worried that Oliver might tell about the crimes that he and his gang had committed. To ensure that Oliver would never tell the stories of the crimes, Fagin sent Sikes and Nancy to kidnap him. Oliver was caught and then “dragged into a labyrinth of dark narrow courts and forced along them” (Dickens 92). Although Oliver is literally being dragged back to Fagin, he is also being dragged to the labyrinth of criminals. Dickens is telling the readers that the path of the criminals is one that no one can leave after he or she has entered it. By dragging Oliver as close as they can to the maze, Fagin hopes that Oliver will enter it. If Oliver enters the labyrinth of the criminal path, he will not be able to leave nor tell others of the evil that Fagin and his group are doing.
Another symbol that Dickens uses in the novel is the trinket that represents who Oliver is. The trinkets were stolen after Oliver’s mother had died, and it came into the possession of Mrs. Bumble. Mrs. Bumble sold it and “threw upon the table a small kid bag scarcely large enough for a French watch, which Monks pounced on” (Dickens 237). The trinket symbolized Oliver’s past and his future. Oliver was the son of Edward Leeford and Agnes Fleming, and he was to inherit much from his father. However, Monks, the legal son of Edward, did not want Oliver to get any of the inheritance and was trying to get rid of everything that would prove that Oliver was a son of Edward. Monks threw the trinkets into the river; by this action, Monks threw away Oliver’s past
In the novel, Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, the author uses many symbols to help the reader have a better understanding on his views. Through his symbols, Dickens shows the reader his opinions about the way of crime and the importance of the evidence of a person’s parenthood.
Dickens uses the symbol labyrinth that represents the path of criminals. After Oliver managed to escape from Fagin the Jew, Fagin became worried that Oliver might tell about the crimes that he and his gang had committed. To ensure that Oliver would never tell the stories of the crimes, Fagin sent Sikes and Nancy to kidnap him. Oliver was caught and then “dragged into a labyrinth of dark narrow courts and forced along them” (Dickens 92). Although Oliver is literally being dragged back to Fagin, he is also being dragged to the labyrinth of criminals. Dickens is telling the readers that the path of the criminals is one that no one can leave after he or she has entered it. By dragging Oliver as close as they can to the maze, Fagin hopes that Oliver will enter it. If Oliver enters the labyrinth of the criminal path, he will not be able to leave nor tell others of the evil that Fagin and his group are doing.
Another symbol that Dickens uses in the novel is the trinket that represents who Oliver is. The trinkets were stolen after Oliver’s mother had died, and it came into the possession of Mrs. Bumble. Mrs. Bumble sold it and “threw upon the table a small kid bag scarcely large enough for a French watch, which Monks pounced on” (Dickens 237). The trinket symbolized Oliver’s past and his future. Oliver was the son of Edward Leeford and Agnes Fleming, and he was to inherit much from his father. However, Monks, the legal son of Edward, did not want Oliver to get any of the inheritance and was trying to get rid of everything that would prove that Oliver was a son of Edward. Monks threw the trinkets into the river; by this action, Monks threw away Oliver’s past