AReviewofReadingOliverTwist

I.Introduction

CharlesJohnHuffamDickenswasanEnglishwriterandsocialcriticwhoisgenerallyregardedasthegreatestnovelistoftheVictorianperiodandthecreatorofsomeoftheworld'smostmemorablefictionalcharacters.DuringhislifetimeDickens'worksenjoyedunprecedentedpopularityandfame,butitwasinthetwentiethcenturythathisliterarygeniuswasfullyrecognizedbycriticsandscholars.Hisnovelsandshortstoriescontinuetoenjoyanenduringpopularityamongthegeneralreadingpublic.

Dickenswasregardedasthe'literarycolossus'ofhisage.His1843novella,AChristmasCarol,isoneofthemostinfluentialworkseverwritten,anditremainspopularandcontinuestoinspireadaptationsineveryartisticgenre.Hiscreativegeniushasbeenpraisedbyfellowwriters—fromLeoTolstoytoG.K.ChestertonandGeorgeOrwell—foritsrealism,comedy,prosestyle,uniquecharacterisations,andsocialcriticism.OntheotherhandOscarWilde,HenryJamesandVirginiaWoolfcomplainedofalackofpsychologicaldepth,loosewriting,andaveinofsaccharinesentimentalism.

DickensworkedatthelawofficeofEllisandBlackmore,attorneys,ofHolbornCourt,

\o"Gray'sInn"

Gray'sInn

,asajunior

\o"Lawclerk"

clerk

fromMay1827toNovember1828.Then,havinglearned

\o"ThomasGurney(shorthandwriter)"

Gurney's

systemofshorthandinhissparetime,helefttobecomeafreelancereporter.

InlateNovember1851,Dickensmovedinto

\o"TavistockHouse"

TavistockHouse

wherehewouldwriteBleakHouse,HardTimesandLittleDorrit.ItwashereheindulgedintheamateurtheatricalswhicharedescribedinForster's"Life".In1856,theincomehewasearningfromhiswritingallowedhimtobuyGad'sHillPlaceinHigham,Kent.Asachild,Dickenshadwalkedpastthehouseanddreamedoflivinginit.TheareawasalsothesceneofsomeoftheeventsofShakespeare'sHenryIV,Part1andthisliteraryconnectionpleasedhim.

Majorworks,ATaleofTwoCities;andGreatExpectationssoonfollowedandwouldproveresoundingsuccesses.Duringthistimehewasalsothepublisherandeditorof,andamajorcontributorto,thejournalsHouseholdWordsandAlltheYearRound.Inthesameperiod,Dickensfurtheredhisinterestintheparanormal,becomingoneoftheearlymembersofTheGhostClub.

On9

June1865,whilereturningfromPariswithTernan,DickenswasinvolvedintheStaplehurstrailcrash.Thefirstsevencarriagesofthetrainplungedoffacastironbridgeunderrepair.Theonlyfirst-classcarriagetoremainonthetrackwastheoneinwhichDickenswastravelling.Beforeleaving,herememberedtheunfinishedmanuscriptforOurMutualFriend,andhereturnedtohiscarriagetoretrieveit.Dickenslaterusedthisexperienceasmaterialforhisshortghoststory,"TheSignal-Man",inwhichthecentralcharacterhasapremonitionofhisowndeathinarailcrash.Healsobasedthestoryonseveralpreviousrailaccidents,suchastheClaytonTunnelrailcrashof1861.

DickensmanagedtoavoidanappearanceattheinquesttoavoiddisclosingthathehadbeentravellingwithTernanandhermother,whichwouldhavecausedascandal.Althoughphysicallyunharmed,DickensneverreallyrecoveredfromthetraumaoftheStaplehurstcrash,andhisnormallyprolificwritingshranktocompletingOurMutualFriendandstartingtheunfinishedTheMysteryofEdwinDrood.

II.EnjoyableQuotes

TheheroofthisnovelwasOliverTwist,anorphan,whowasthrownintoaworldfullofpovertyandcrime.Hesufferedenormouspain,suchashunger,thirst,beatingandabuse.WhilereadingthetragicexperiencesofthelittleOliver,Iwasshockedby

countingtheironspikesbeforehim,andwonderinghowtheheadofonehadbeenbrokenoff,andwhethertheywouldmendit,orleaveitasitwas.Then,hethoughtofallthehorrorsofthegallowsandthescaffold--andstoppedtowatchamansprinklingthefloortocoolit--andthenwentontothinkagain.

Atlengththerewasacryofsilence,andabreathlesslookfromalltowardsthedoor.Thejuryreturned,andpassedhimclose.Hecouldgleannothingfromtheirfaces;theymightaswellhavebeenofstone.Perfectstillnessensued--notarustle--notabreath--Guilty.

Thebuildingrangwithatremendousshout,andanother,andanother,andthenitechoedloudgroans,thatgatheredstrengthastheyswelledout,likeangrythunder.Itwasapealofjoyfromthepopulaceoutside,greetingthenewsthathewoulddieonMonday.

Thenoisesubsided,andhewasaskedifhehadanythingtosaywhysentenceofdeathshouldnotbepasseduponhim.Hehadresumedhislisteningattitude,andlookedintentlyathisquestionerwhilethedemandwasmade;butitwastwicerepeatedbeforeheseemedtohearit,andthenheonlymutteredthathewasanoldman--anoldman--andso,droppingintoawhisper,wassilentagain.

WhenIreadthisbookIthinkthathowcansuchalittleboywhohadalreadysufferedoppressiveafflictionremainpureinbodyandmind?Thereasonisthenatureofgoodness.IthinkitisthemostimportantinformationimpliedinthenovelbyDickens-hebelievedthatgoodnesscouldconquereverydifficulty.AlthoughIdon’tthinkgoodnessisomnipotent,yetIdobelievethatthosewhoarekind-heartedlivemorehappilythanthosewhoareevil-minded.

Forme,thenatureofgoodnessisoneofthemostnecessarycharacterforaperson.Goodnessistohumanswhatwateristofish.Hewhoiswithoutgoodnessisanutterlyworthlessperson.Onthecontrary,asthefamoussayinggoes,‘Thefragrancealwaysstaysinthehandthatgivestherose’,hewhoiswithgoodnessundoubtedlyisahappyandusefulperson.Peoplereceivinghishelparegratefultohimandhealsogetsgratifiedfromwhathehasdone,andthushecandogoodtoboththepeoplehehashelpedandhimself.

Tomydisappointment,nowadayssomepeopleseemtodoubttheexistenceofthegoodnessinhumanity.Theylookdownonpeople’shonestyandkindness,thinkingitfoolishofpeopletobewarm-hearted.Asaresult,theyshownosympathytothosewhoareintroubleandseldomoffertohelpothers.Ontheotherhand,theyattachimportancetomoneyandbenefit.Intheiropinion,moneyistheonlyrealobjectwhileemotionsandmoralityarenihility.Iftheycannotgetprofitfromshowingtheir‘kindness’,theydrawbackwhenothersarefacedwithtroubleandevenhitamanwhenheisdown.TheyareoneofthesortsthatIreallydetest.

FrancisBaconsaidinhisessay,‘Goodness,ofallvirtuesanddignitiesofthemind,isthegreatest,beingthecharacteroftheDeity,andwithoutit,manisabusy,mischievous,wretchedthing,nobetterthanakindofvermin.’

Thatistosayapersonwithoutgoodnessisdestinedtoloseeverything.Therefore,I,akindperson,wanttotellthose‘vermin-to-be’tolearnfromthekindOliverandregainthenatureofgoodness.

III.ComprehensioninDepthandEvaluation

OliverTwistisCharlesDickens'secondnovel.ThebookwasoriginallypublishedinBentley'sMiscellanyasaserial，inmonthlyinstallmentsthatbeganappearinginthemonthofFebruary1837andcontinuedthroughApril1839，originallyintendedtoformpartofDickens’serialTheMudfogPapers.GeorgeCruikshankprovidedonesteeletchingpermonthtoisustrateeachinstallment.OliverTwististhefirstnovelintheEnglishlanguagetocenterthroughoutonachildprotagonistandisalsonotableforDickens'unromanticportrayalofcriminalsandtheirsordidlives.Thebook’Ssubtitle，TheParishBoy'sProgress，alludestoBunyan’sTheHlgrim'sProgressandalsotoapairofpopular18th-centurycaricatureseriesbyWilliamHogarth，ARake'sProgressandAHarlot'sProgress.

Amongotherpublicbuildingsinacertaintown，whichformanyreasonsitwillbeprudenttorefrainfrommentioningandtowhichonewillassignnofictitiousname，thereisoneancientlycommontomosttowns，greatorsmall：towit，aworkhouse；andinthisworkhousewasborn；onadayanddatewhichIneednottroublemyselftorepeat，inasmuchasitcanbe0fnopossibleconsequencetothereader,inthisstageofthebusinessata11events；theitemofmortalitywhosenameisprefixedtotheheadofthischaptenFora10ngtimeafteritwasusheredintothisworldofsorrowandtrouble，bytheparishsurgeon，itremainedamatterofconsiderabledoubtwhetherthechildwouldsurvivetobearanynameatall；inwhichcaseitissomewhatmorethanprobablethatthesememoirswouldneverhaveappeared；or,iftheyhad，thatbeingcomprisedwithinacoupleofpages，theywouldhavepossessedtheinestimablemeritofbeingthemostconciseandfaithfulspecimenofbiographsextantintheliteratureofanyageorcountry.

OliverTwistprovidesinsightintotheexperienceofthepoorin1830sEngland.Beneaththenovel’sraucoushumorandflightsoffancyrunsanundertoneofbittercriticismoftheVictorianmiddleclass'sattitudestowardthepoor.Oliverisanearperfectexampleofthehypocrisyandvenalityofthelegalsystem,workhouses,andmiddleclassmoralvaluesandmarriagepracticesof1830sEngland.

Oliver'sexperiencesdemonstratethelegalsilenceandinvisibilityofthepoor.In1830sEngland,wealthdeterminedvotingrights.Therefore,thepoorhadnosayinthelawsthatgovernedtheirlives,andthePoorLawsstrictlyregulatedtheabilitytoseekrelief.Sincebegging(wasillegal,workhousesweretheonlysourcesofrelief.Theworkhousesweremadetobedeliberatelyunpleasantinordertodiscouragethepoorfromseekingtheirrelief.TheVictorianmiddl