Dickens, Charles - Oliver Twist and Hard Times

Childhood and Career of Charles

He was born in Portsmouth in 1812. Charles had unhappy childhood, because his father was imprisoned for debt, and he was put to work in a factory at the age of 12. When his father was released, he was sent to a school in London. By 1831 he had become a very successful shorthand reporter of parliamentary debates in House of Commons. Than he became to work as a reporter for a newspaper, using the pen name “Boz” and he published “sketches by Boz”, a collection of articles where he describes London’s people. After he published the “pickwick papers”, that revealed Dickens’s humoristic and satirical qualities.

Marriage and Early Works

In 1836 Dickens married with Catherine Hogarth, and in same year he published the second series of “sketches by Boz”. Charles became to compose novel in 1837 Oliver Twist was begun, in 1839 Nicholas Nickleby was finished.

His first successful Christmas book was
Dickens represent the 18th century, where the upper middle class was replaced by lower order. His aim was captured reader’s interest given by exaggeration of characters’ habits. Charles was always on the side of poor.

Importance of Children in Novels

Children are important character in his novels, because they became the moral teachers. For this, his aim was didactic, he want educate wealthier class about condition of poor.
Dickens uses an effective language, he describes life of character, attention on the use of adjectives, repetition of words, juxtaposition of images —> irony

A lot of his stories became films, because he fictionalised reality.

In the story there are happy ending—> good people sono premiate and bad people not. He wrote story for adult, but it talks about children, because he want to know to they, the condition of children.

This story isn’t real, was an imaginary story, but he wrote in a realistic, ironic and humoristic way.

This novel was published in instalments in 1837, than became a book. This story was similar of his personal experience.

Plot of Oliver Twist

Oliver twist is a poor child, he grew up in a workhouse in inhuman way, because his mother died after his birth, so he didn’t know his parent. One day Oliver asks more food, and as consequence the Parrish official offers 5 pounds to anyone will take care of him. Oliver was sold and after difficult experience he left London, and he met a gang of pickpockets, he commits a theft, and during this action he was caught. Mr Brownlow, the victim, was shocked by his condition and he decided to take care of him, in fact Oliver was adopted. During an investigation he discovered that he had noble origins, and his half brother paid the gang of pickpocket, because he want to have his property, at the end of story they are arrested.

Setting and Social Classes

London is principal setting, and it is divided in 3 levels:

- the parochial world of the workhouse—> lower class are insensible of poor

- The criminal world —> represented by gang of pickpocket, the poverty drives to crime

- The world of Victorian middle class —> world where lives respectable people.

Oliver wants some more

In the first part there is the introduction of condition of Oliver and his friends, they are subject all this for 3 months. One boy, tall, says that some night he will eat the boy who sleep next him, because he want more food. So a council decided a boy that had to ask more food, he is Oliver. During a dinner he asks more food, is described the reaction fo master, and at the end the director of the workhouse decide to offer 5 pounds to anyone will take care of him.

Omniscent narrator—> novelist have possibility to judge. Attention od details.

Coketown and Mr. Gradgrind

- This novel is set in an imaginary industrial place—>Coketown. In this town lives Mr Gradgrind, an educator who believes in facts and statistic. In fact, he educated his two children, Louisa and Tom, in same way—> repressing their imagination and feelings. Louisa married whit Mr Bounderby, a rich banker, because she want to help her brother, so he obtained a job. But this marriage was unhappy and also her brother robs his employer and was obliged to leave the country. At the end Mr Gradgrind understands the damage that he has caused to his children, because base all on materialistic philosophy. - coketown—>represent real industrial town of 19 century.

Is described as a jungle —> the machineries are like elephants \__ smook looks as serpents

In this place people seems to be proud of polluted air—> black was symbol of productivity or may be depressing.

- the Novel is divided in 3 books, and each book is divided in chapters.

1) sowing —> shows how is composed the education of Mr Gradgrind and Mr Bounderby;

2) reaping —> reveals the consequence of education (Louisa is unhappy, tom is a criminal);

3) garnering —> linked to the instability of this system

- all this novel is linked to theme of utilitarianism, because the education is based on

facts, people are object in the factory, without emotions, used by employer to his self- interest. Mr Gradgrind thinks that human nature could be controlled by use of reason. Dickens in this novel wants to show the dangers of this method based on object lesson, because humans are dehumanised.

In this text children are considered as vases to fill with knowledge, they aren’t named but are numbered.