Posted: November 7, 2021
Oliver Twist
My initial reaction to reading about Oliver's birth, the death of his mother, his having to grow up in the parish workhouse, farmed out to an affiliate place for care, the whole situation with Mr. Bumble and the board, was how terrible the situation was. This is highlighted because Dickens pretty much makes us go through it as Oliver.
Oliver is very much the definition of innocence and helplessness, he is totally dependent. In this state of neediness and loneliness he is surrounded by people who, by turns, ignore him or hurt him as a matter of form. The world around Oliver is harsh and uncaring, peopled by characters who are out to earn more at his expense and people who are more focused on rules and principles rather than people.
I am always interested in novels that shows the reality that life breaks all of us. The most terrible thing about life, in my opinion, is we all start out hopeful and we all end up jaded because, as we go through life, we are constantly and figuratively, slammed to the ground. Oliver Twist is a novel that illustrates this particular reality within its pages.
One thing that Dickens keeps coming back to is Oliver crying all the time. Two occasions are particularly striking. First, when he dared ask for more food he was imprisoned in a room on his own and cried all day; in order to sleep at night he would put his hands in front of his eyes in order not to see the darkness. Secondly, and even more terrible, was when Mr. Bumble was taking him to his apprenticeship to Mr. Sowerberry, the undertaker. During that walk, tears started streaming out of Oliver's eyes, quite out of his control, even when he covered his eyes with his hands the tears streamed out of his fingers; an experience made even more horrid because Bumble could not care less that this child walking beside him is hurting.
This instance of Oliver crying occurs again and again during this period of his life and they are indicative of the pain this young soul is being subjected too. Other than this, and on top of this, Oliver's complaint is the terrible loneliness he finds himself in - the fact that he is utterly alone since nobody really cares for him and he has no one to care for.
One way to read this is that it is an indictment of the workhouse system as it pertains to orphans by Dickens. I look upon it as a brilliant allegory about what life is like for all of us. Growing up for each of us would most likely not be uniformly so terrible as it was for Oliver but growing up is an encounter with a harsh world by essentially dependent and hopeful souls who will, many times, find themselves facing daunting situations alone.
I think that, in this sense, Oliver's workhouse years points to a common human experience. It also challenges all of us to make it less terrible for, not only children in our society, but each other. It is that way but it does not have to be; seeing how dark it is in the pages of Oliver Twist, we can take steps to make it better.
The incident at Mr. Sowerberry's where Oliver is roused to fight off Noah Claypole and then runs away is a very welcome incident for me. It shows that there is a limit to abuse. There is a time when decisions will be made, deeds will be dared, and the abuser will have to face consequences, and the victim will walk away from the abuse.
Oliver's road to London would be considered a harsh one if it were not set against the backdrop of all his years of abuse. Against that backdrop the road to London with the length of its wearying walk and periods of hunger and cold, seems a time of freedom.
Oliver's initial encounter with Fagin and his troop is also much better than Oliver's workhouse experience. He is fed better and treated better than he ever has been.
That said I have to say that the Artful Dodger is a brilliant creation. Every time Jack Dawkins is in a scene I'm riveted. The way the Dodger is dressed, the way he thinks, which can be gleaned from the way he talks, is entertaining. The Dodger, more than any of them, has made his peace with this miserable thieving life; indeed he seems to be thriving in it.
In terms of capturing my interest, Fagin is a close second to the Dodger. The criminal mastermind is a colorful creation. Fagin, and all the rest of them really, is simply doing what they can to survive, and what they can do to survive is crime.
Slightly less interesting is Charley Bates, who seems to be dealing with a life of crime through an excess of jollity. Charley's defense mechanism is to think everything funny.
Nancy as a character is given depth early on when she becomes defensive of Oliver in spite of being the one who led to his capture by the gang. Unlike the Dodger, Nancy is a criminal who has not made her peace with a life of crime.
The darkest corner of this dark troupe is Bill Sikes. Whatever shred of goodness and conscience Bill had was shorn from him long before this story. Bill is the man who has been swallowed whole by a life of crime; seething with hate. My sympathy, is not with Bill - who is too far gone - it is with Bullseye, his dog. The poor dear is repeatedly abused by Bill but remains loyal to his master.
Oliver's recuperative stay with Mr. Brownlow and his household marks a further break in the dark oppressive clouds surrounding Oliver. He gets better treatment under Fagin's care than at the workhouse and his treatment at Mr. Brownlow's is better still. His life is getting better. Read allegorically: It is possible for dismal lives to get better.
Reversals do happen and that happens for Oliver when Oliver gets recaptured by Fagin's gang. I would not say Oliver is becoming jaded but he is being exposed more to what the world and people are like. I also noticed that he has stopped crying. He's becoming tougher.
Fagin has also said that Oliver is harder to turn to a life of crime than other boys of his - Fagin's - experience. Indeed, Oliver is resistant to doing criminal acts in spite of the enticements presented by the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates and the threats offered by Sikes. Oliver simply shows he is a good person.
But where does this come from? His rough childhood at the parochial workhouse had exposed him to some coarse cruelties and to people, like Mr. Bumble, who behave abominably. Where did Oliver get this moral uprightness? Is Dickens of the opinion that some people are simply born good like Oliver? Maybe it was something that Fagin observed about Oliver. Fagin observed that he could not find leverage with Oliver because he- Fagin -could not find anything to scare Oliver with. Oliver cannot be moved to a state of fear. Maybe that is the key. Fear leads to evil. Oliver, being essentially absent of fear, remains good.
A subplot in this story is about Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Corney and the circumstance of their agreeing to marry. Dickens gives us a description of the war for dominance between husband and wife. I am amazed about the erudite description that Dickens gives of the relationship between man and wife specially since he wrote this in his twenties and himself unmarried.
For those of you who are yet single and are looking at married life with rose-colored glasses read the Mr. Bumble/Mrs. Corney subplot of this novel and be warned. Best to keep your cocked hat and staff secure in the knowledge that you are not missing out on something.
Oliver's stay with the Maylies is his second period of peace and tranquility after the Brownlows. The lack of misery and tension benefits him. It gives him time to learn as he is now able to read and write. He is showing signs of initiative; helping around the Maylie household and running small errands.
A weakpoint of the novel is Oliver's backstory which I find too contrived - particularly the part of the sudden death of his father in Rome. I also find it hard to believe that Monks could be bullied to reveal all, after he made sure all the evidence had been destroyed. I think it would have worked better if, instead of Monks being so borringly obstinate and evil, he would have been portrayed as a reluctant villain breaking down in the end and confessing.
Outside of Oliver's coming of age story, what shines out for me here are the "bad guys". Fagin, The Artful Dodger, Charley Bates, Nancy, flash Toby Crackit, and Sikes. These characters jump off the page and are revealed in glorious relief.
Fagin, in particular, is a favorite. Up until he gets hanged at the end I sympathize with Fagin. In my opinion he's simply a guy who played the cards he was dealt in the best way he can.
Sikes on the other hand has none of my sympathy. He's totally dark, unable to love anything. Sikes has been blessed with two devotees: Nancy and Bullseye - he kills the former and attempts to kill the latter. Sikes is evil in a way the other criminals are not.
Nancy is the heartbreaker here. At her core is that insane, irrational devotion to Sikes; a true moth-to-a-flame impulse. In many ways Nancy is foolish, but she is also heroic, the most tragic figure in Oliver Twist.
Add to these every scene featuring the interaction between Jack Dawkins and Charley Bates and these gang of never-do-wells make up the true attraction of Oliver Twist as a novel to be enjoyed.