Dickens, Charles - Life and Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens

Charles Dickens was born in 1812 in Portsmouth. He moved to London at the age of 10 years old. He came from a poor family. His father was failed for debts so Dickens was forced to leave school early and started working in mines. The experience in mines marked the life of the writer.
For the quality and the quantity of his works and for the use of the language can be compared to Shakespeare. In fact he published 15 novels, hundreds of short stories, plays, letters and edited two journals. Dickens set many novels in London because he know very well this city. Most of the novel focused on the contrast beetween rich and poor people. For example A Christmas Carol and David Copperfield.
Dickens married Catherine Hogarth. They had 10 children but then they divorced. The poet died in 1870 and was buried in Westminster abbey.

The most important novels by Dickens are:
• Pickwick Papers (first book);
• Oliver Twist;
• A Christmas Carol;
• David Copperfield;
• Hard Times;
• Little Dorrit (the only one novel in which a female is the protagonist);
• Great Expetations.

Oliver Twist

Oliver is an orphan grown up in a workhouse, until he runs away to London to escape from starvation. In London he falls into the clutches of Fagin, a thief who trains boys like Oliver to pick pockets. Later Oliver is arrested for stealing from an old gentleman. The gentleman, Mr Brownlow takes pity on Oliver and takes him to his home where Oliver lives happy until he fall again into the clutches of Fagin. One night is forced to participate in a robbery and is shot. Abandoned by the others, Oliver is found and cured by an elderly lady and her niece. Fagin plots with Monks to recapture Oliver. But Mr Brownlow is reunited with Oliver and they discover that Monks is Oliver’s half-brother who is trying to deny him his inheritance. Monks is forced to give Oliver his inheritance and Fagin is imprisoned. Oliver goes now to live happily in the countryside with Mr Brownlow.
In the passage we read the children that work in the workhouse choose Oliver to talk to the master because they are hungry. So Oliver during the dinner asked for more food, although he wasn’t supposed to do that. The reaction of the master is in fact terrible: he is astonished and can’t believe that Oliver’s asking for more food. He decides to take him to the boss, who says that Oliver will be hung.