Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was published in parts from 1837 to 1839 and then as a three-volume book in 1838. The story is about an orphan named Oliver Twist. After growing up in a place where poor children were forced to work, Oliver escapes to London. There, he meets a group of young people who steal, led by an older man named Fagin. Oliver also learns secrets about his family and finds his remaining relatives.

The book shows the hard lives of criminals and reveals how badly orphans were treated in England in the mid-1800s. Its other title, The Parish Boy's Progress, refers to a famous old story called The Pilgrim's Progress and some pictures by an artist named William Hogarth.

As one of the first books to talk about important social issues, Oliver Twist makes fun of making children work too hard, hurting children in homes, getting children to commit crimes, and the many children who had to live on the streets. The story might have been inspired by a real boy named Robert Blincoe, who wrote about his time working in a cotton mill as a child. Dickens may have also been influenced by his own time in a workhouse when he was 12 years old.

Oliver Twist has been made into many other forms, such as a famous 1948 movie with Alec Guinness as Fagin, a successful musical called Oliver!, which later became an Oscar-winning movie in 1968, and a Disney animated movie from 1988 called Oliver & Company.

Publications

The novel Oliver Twist was first shared in small parts each month, starting in February 1837 and ending in April 1839, in a magazine called Bentley's Miscellany. An artist named George Cruikshank made special drawings for each part. The story was later published as a book in three parts by Richard Bentley, who owned the magazine. He used the writer’s nickname, “Boz,” as the author’s name. The book had 24 beautiful drawings made by Cruikshank.

The first book was called Oliver Twist, or, The Parish Boy's Progress.

Plot

Oliver Twist is born into a poor family and grows up in a place called a workhouse, where children are not treated well. One day, Oliver asks for a little more food, which causes trouble. He runs away from the workhouse and finds himself in London.

In London, Oliver meets a boy named the Artful Dodger, who takes him to meet a man named Fagin. Fagin teaches boys to steal, and Oliver soon learns this when he sees the Dodger take something from a kind man named Mr Brownlow. Mr Brownlow cares for Oliver and notices he looks like someone in a painting in his home.

Later, Oliver is taken by someone named Nancy and another person to help Fagin with a plan to steal from people. The plan goes wrong, and Oliver is hurt but finds safety with the very people he was supposed to steal from.

Eventually, the truth about Oliver's family is revealed. Mr Brownlow adopts Oliver, and they live happily together. Some of the bad characters face trouble for their actions.

Characters

Here are the main characters from the story of Oliver Twist:

• Oliver Twist – an orphan boy whose mother passed away when he was born.
• Mr Bumble – the official who works in the place where Oliver grew up.
• Mrs Mann – the boss of the place where Oliver stayed as a baby, known for being selfish.
• Mr Sowerberry – a man who takes Oliver in to help with his work.
• Mrs Sowerberry – Mr Sowerberry’s wife.
• Noah Claypole – a mean boy who works for the Sowerberrys.
• Charlotte – the Sowerberrys’ maid and Noah’s friend.
• Mr Gamfield – a harsh worker in Oliver’s town.
• Mr Brownlow – a kind man who helps Oliver and becomes his first true friend.
• Mr Grimwig – a friend of Mr Brownlow who seems grumpy but cares deeply.
• Mrs Bedwin – Mr Brownlow’s caring housekeeper.
• Rose Maylie – another kind person who helps Oliver and is later found to be his aunt.
• Mrs Lindsay Maylie – Rose’s adoptive aunt.
• Harry Maylie – Mrs Maylie’s son, who cares for Rose.
• Mr Losberne – the doctor for Mrs Maylie’s family.
• Mr Giles – Mrs Maylie’s servant.
• Mr Brittles – Mrs Maylie’s helper.
• Duff and Blathers – two police officers who aren’t very good at their job.
• Fagin – a man who leads a group of young thieves.
• Bill Sikes – a thief who works with Fagin.
• Bull's Eye – Bill Sikes’s aggressive dog.
• Jack Dawkins, The Artful Dodger – Fagin’s best thief.
• Charley Bates – another thief who works for Fagin and is The Artful Dodger’s friend.
• Toby Crackit – a thief who works with Fagin and Bill Sikes.
• Nancy – a girl who works for Fagin and lives with Bill Sikes.
• Bet – a girl in Fagin’s group who is sometimes Nancy’s friend.
• Barney – a friend of Fagin who speaks in a special way.
• Agnes Fleming – Oliver’s mother and Rose Maylie’s sister.
• Mr Edwin Leeford – Oliver’s father.
• Old Sally – a woman who helped when Oliver was born.
• Mrs Corney (later Mrs Bumble) – a woman who works in the place where Oliver grew up and later marries Mr Bumble.
• Monks – a sickly thief who works with Fagin and is Oliver’s long-lost brother.
• Monks's mother – a wealthy woman who didn’t love her husband.
• Mr Fang – a judge in the story.
• Tom Chitling – another of Fagin’s young thieves who has returned from being locked away.

Major themes and symbols

In Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens blends harsh reality with sharp jokes to show how industrialism affected England in the 1800s. He criticizes the tough new laws for the poor. Oliver, a harmless child, finds himself stuck in a harsh world with few choices: a workhouse, a life of crime led by a man named Fagin, prison, or worse. Yet, even in this difficult setting, a bit of hope shines through. Oliver stays kind and pure, avoiding the evil around him, and in the end, he finds happiness and a peaceful life with good friends. Along the way, Dickens shows what life was like for a lonely orphan boy in London in the 1830s.

Poverty is a big part of the story. Dickens describes very poor areas where houses are falling apart. Oliver sees a sad funeral and a family living in a tiny, crowded room. This sadness makes the moments when Oliver receives kindness and love even more meaningful. Oliver is saved several times by small and big acts of kindness.

Dickens uses symbols to tell his story. Fagin, an older man who leads young boys into crime, acts in scary ways. He first appears by a fire with a toasting fork and refuses to pray before a big event.

Dickens gives his characters names that match their personalities. Oliver, though treated poorly and given a simple name, stays kind and good. Bill Sikes's dog, Bull's-eye, behaves badly like his owner. The dog's fierce nature shows Sikes's cruel actions. Nancy, another character, tries to do what is right even though she has done wrong things. She faces danger from the man she loves but still wants to protect Oliver.

Main article: Poor Laws

Main articles: domestic violence, psychological abuse

Allegations of antisemitism

See also: Fagin § Allegations of antisemitism

Some people have said that Charles Dickens showed unfair ideas about Jewish people in his book Oliver Twist because of how he described the character Fagin. Fagin is a Jewish man who leads a group of young thieves, and some think Dickens made him seem very bad and linked him to evil things.

Dickens explained that at the time he wrote the story, many criminals in London were Jewish, and he didn’t mean to hurt Jewish people. He even changed parts of the book later to make Fagin’s description better. Later, in another book called Our Mutual Friend, Dickens showed Jewish characters in a more positive way.

Reception

When "Oliver Twist" came out, some people liked how it showed real-life problems and poverty. Writers like John Forster and the Literary Gazette praised the book for this. But others, like Richard Ford, thought the book made poverty seem worse than it really was.

Audio recordings

Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist has been turned into many audiobooks. Some famous versions include:

• A dramatized version called The Adventures of Oliver Twist And Fagin, with Basil Rathbone telling the story, released in 1947.
• An abridged version told by James Mason came out in 1962.
• Anthony Quayle read some early chapters in 1976.
• Paul Scofield narrated a shorter version in 1987.
• Martin Jarvis told the story in both abridged and full versions between 1994 and 2006.
• Alex Jennings read a shorter version in 1995.
• Miriam Margolyes narrated the full story in 2005.
• Gerald Dickens, a relative of Charles Dickens, told the full story in 2011.
• Jonathan Pryce narrated the full novel in 2019.

Film, television, radio and theatrical adaptations

Film

• Oliver Twist (1909), the first adaptation of Dickens's novel, a silent film.
• Oliver Twist (1948), directed by David Lean and starring Alec Guinness as Fagin.
• Oliver! (1968), a British musical adaptation.
• Oliver & Company (1988), a Disney animated film set in modern-day New York City, with Oliver as an orphaned kitten.
• Oliver Twist (2005), directed by Roman Polanski.

Television

• 1962: Oliver Twist, a BBC serial.
• 1985: Oliver Twist, a BBC One drama.
• 1996–97: Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist, an animated series for younger viewers.
• 1999: Oliver Twist, an ITV drama.
• 2007: Oliver Twist, a BBC One drama.
• 2022: Dodger, a British TV series set as a prequel.
• 2023: The Artful Dodger, an Australian TV series.

Radio

• 1928, BBC Liverpool.
• 1934, BBC Regional Programme.
• 1941–42, BBC Home Service.
• 1947, NBC Radio.
• 1952, BBC Home Service.
• 1970, BBC Radio 4.
• 1994, BBC Radio 4.
• 2012, Focus on the Family Radio Theatre.

Theatre

• In 1838 an adaptation opened at the Marylebone Theatre in London.
• Oliver!, a 1960 West End stage musical by Lionel Bart.
• Neil Bartlett's 2004 adaptation.
• Oliver Twist is a 2017 stage adaptation written by Anya Reiss.