Appunti di Letteratura inglese sulla trama e i personaggi di Oliver Twist e Hard Times

Plots and information - English literature

Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist

Summary

Oliver Twist is born a weak infant in a parish workhouse. Present at his birth are a parish surgeon and a drunken nurse. His young mother, who had been found lying in the street the night before, kisses him and dies shortly after giving birth. The surgeon notes that she is not wearing a wedding ring. Her identity remains unknown.

Oliver is placed in a branch workhouse for children, run by Mrs. Mann, who steals most of the funds meant for their care. The children are poorly fed and often die. On Oliver’s ninth birthday, Mr. Bumble, the parish beadle, arrives to say Oliver is too old to stay. Mrs. Mann asks how he got his name, and Mr. Bumble explains he names orphans in alphabetical order.

Mrs. Mann threatens Oliver to keep him silent about the mistreatment. She gives him bread and butter so he won’t seem too hungry at the main workhouse. There, the children suffer constant hunger. After one boy threatens to eat another, they draw lots to choose who will ask for more food. Oliver loses and famously asks: “Please, sir, I want some more.” Shocked, the board of authorities offer £5 to anyone willing to take Oliver off their hands.

Oliver is publicly beaten and locked in a dark room as punishment. Mr. Gamfield, a cruel chimney sweep, offers to take him as an apprentice. Although boys have died under his care, the board considers it, lowering the reward to just over £3. During a magistrate’s review, the judge notices Oliver’s terrified expression. When asked, Oliver begs to suffer any punishment rather than go with Mr. Gamfield. The magistrate refuses to approve the contract.

The board suggests sending Oliver to sea as a cabin boy, expecting he would die quickly. Instead, Mr. Sowerberry, an undertaker, agrees to take him as an apprentice. Mr. Bumble warns Oliver to behave or face consequences. Mrs. Sowerberry complains about Oliver’s size and appetite. She gives him leftover food rejected by the dog, which Oliver eats gratefully. She shows him to a cold, uncomfortable bed in the shop’s basement.

Oliver is woken by Noah Claypole, another apprentice, who, along with the maid Charlotte, mocks him during breakfast. Oliver helps Sowerberry prepare a coffin for a pauper’s funeral. The dead woman’s husband rants emotionally, explaining she starved while he was jailed for begging. Her mother pleads for bread and a cloak for the funeral. At the cemetery, boys jump over the coffin for fun, and Mr. Bumble beats them. The funeral is performed hastily. Mr. Sowerberry takes the old woman’s cloak. Oliver finds the funeral business upsetting.

A measles outbreak increases Oliver’s workload. Sowerberry dresses him well so he can march in funeral processions. Oliver observes that the grief of the wealthy is short-lived.

Noah grows jealous of Oliver’s growing status. One day, he insults Oliver’s dead mother, provoking Oliver to physically attack him. Charlotte and Mrs. Sowerberry come to Noah’s defense, beating Oliver and locking him in the cellar.

Noah fetches Mr. Bumble, exaggerating the fight. Mr. Bumble says giving Oliver meat has made him rebellious. Oliver keeps kicking the cellar door in rage. Mr. Sowerberry returns, beats Oliver, and locks him up again. That night, Oliver weeps alone. At dawn, he escapes. On the road, he passes the old workhouse and sees Dick, a kind boy who promises not to tell anyone and gives him a heartfelt goodbye.

Oliver walks seventy miles toward London, suffering from hunger, exhaustion, and cold. In one town, signs warn beggars will be jailed. After seven days, he collapses near London. A boy his age, Jack Dawkins—nicknamed the Artful Dodger—finds him, buys him food, and offers shelter in London. Jack hints he knows a “gentleman” who can help Oliver.

They reach a shabby part of the city and enter a house using a secret password. Inside, Oliver meets Fagin, an old man surrounded by boys. They are drinking, smoking, and surrounded by silk handkerchiefs. Oliver eats supper and falls asleep, unaware of the criminal nature of the group.

Fagin wakes up and examines a box of stolen goods while Oliver watches from his bed. Fagin, initially suspicious, quickly pretends to be kind. The Artful Dodger and Charley Bates return with stolen items, and Fagin jokes about teaching Oliver to pick pockets. The Dodger and Charley practice their skills, and two young women, Bet and Nancy, visit briefly. Fagin lets Oliver try stealing a handkerchief from his pocket, rewarding him with a shilling when he succeeds.

Fagin keeps Oliver indoors to practice picking pockets for several days. Eventually, he lets Oliver join the Dodger and Charley on a “job.” They steal a handkerchief from a gentleman, and Oliver realizes the true nature of their activities. When the gentleman notices his loss and cries out, Oliver is mistakenly caught by the police. Despite Oliver’s protests, he is arrested and taken to the station.

Oliver is locked in a cell at the police station, awaiting trial. The gentleman who was robbed, Mr. Brownlow, insists that he doesn't want to press charges but is intrigued by Oliver’s face. In court, Oliver collapses and is sentenced to hard labor. However, the bookstall owner reveals that two other boys committed the theft, clearing Oliver of all charges. Mr. Brownlow, feeling sorry for Oliver, takes him home in his carriage.

Oliver falls ill with a fever, and Mrs. Bedwin, Mr. Brownlow’s housekeeper, cares for him. As Oliver recovers, he notices a portrait of a young woman that deeply affects him. Mr. Brownlow comments that Oliver resembles the woman in the painting, causing Oliver to faint.

Fagin becomes furious when the Dodger and Charley return without Oliver. In his rage, Fagin accidentally throws a pot of beer at Bill Sikes, a violent robber. Fearing Oliver might reveal their operation, they send Nancy to the police station to gather information about him. Nancy pretends to be Oliver's sister and learns that Oliver is at Mr. Brownlow's house in Pentonville due to illness. Fagin sends Charley, Jack, and Nancy to find Oliver while he hides his stolen goods in preparation for relocating his operation.

Oliver notices that the portrait of the young woman he resembles has been removed. Mrs. Bedwin tells him that it was taken down by Mr. Brownlow because it upset Oliver. Later, Brownlow invites Oliver to his study and asks him to share his story. Before Oliver can speak, Brownlow’s friend, Mr. Grimwig, arrives and implies that Oliver might have bad habits. Brownlow, trusting Oliver, asks him to deliver a parcel of books, despite Grimwig’s suggestion that Oliver might steal them. However, when it grows dark and Oliver doesn’t return, Brownlow begins to worry.

On his way to deliver the parcel, Oliver gets lost and is confronted by Nancy. She falsely claims Oliver is her runaway brother who joined a gang of thieves, dragging him back to Fagin’s hideout. Bill Sikes joins them, and they forcefully drag Oliver through the streets.

Oliver arrives at a shabby house where Fagin, the Dodger, and Charley mock his fine clothes. Oliver tries to escape, but Sikes threatens him with his vicious dog, Bull's-eye. Nancy intervenes, stating that Oliver has been ruined by Fagin’s influence. Fagin attempts to beat Oliver for trying to escape, but Nancy fiercely defends him. Sikes restrains Nancy, and she faints. They strip Oliver of his clothes, money, and books before sending him to bed. Fagin, having learned where Oliver was, receives the clothes Oliver had previously given to Mrs. Bedwin.

Characters

Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist is an innocent and pure child, raised in a corrupt environment. His purity challenges the Victorian idea that poverty and crime are innate. Unlike other more complex characters, such as the Artful Dodger or Nancy, Oliver remains a symbol of goodness, unaffected by the hardships around him. Dickens uses his character to criticize society's attitude towards the poor in 1830s England. To appeal to the moral sensibilities of his bourgeois audience, he makes Oliver a near-saintly figure. Oliver's true identity is a mystery, but despite the suffering he endures, his moral integrity always shines through, making him the central figure in Dickens's critique of social injustices toward the poor.

Fagin

Fagin is a manipulative career criminal who takes in homeless children and trains them to pickpocket, while he himself avoids committing crimes. Although Dickens denied any anti-Semitic intention, Fagin's character is shaped by negative ethnic stereotypes, being described as ugly, greedy, and villainous, often referred to as “the Jew.” Despite this, Fagin is more than just a stereotype; he embodies pure villainy, with his portrayal evoking fear, especially in scenes where