Oliver Twist, the Orphan Child

1. His physical construction: reason to worry

2. His emotional responsiveness: reason to pity

3. His strong, decisive character: reason to hope

The time is Victorian England, during the Industrial Revolution and the resultant population explosion. It is a society beset by social ills beyond the ability of its institutions to remedy, populated by the poor, the disenfranchised, and the orphaned young. It is a society in need of reform and reformers. It is the society into which Charles Dickens is born, destined to be a voice calling for reform, challenging the members of the middle class to look about them and see—really see—the suffering of the poor.

Fortunately for twenty-first century readers, Dickens was a reformer who used the power of imagination and figurative language rather than the sermon or political speech. His message is embedded in the characters, conflicts, and intricate, improbable plots of more than a dozen books that call us to have compassion for the downtrodden, to express indignation for their oppressors, but also to feel hope because of the honest and simple human goodness that comes to the rescue in story after story—and because of the resilient tenacity of so many of his protagonists. One of the most unlikely of these is the young hero of Oliver Twist, “the item of mortality” whose adventures have captivated readers of many generations.

Oliver is introduced to the reader immediately as a weak and fragile infant, unlikely to survive the hazards of his own birth, at which he “breathed, sneezed, and proceeded to advertise the fact of a new burden…imposed upon the parish” (2). From the beginning, he is “a pale thin child, somewhat diminutive,”(5) encrusted with layers of dirt, and with “tears…lingering in his eyes” (9). Perpetually underfed, he becomes so “desperate with hunger and reckless with misery”(12) that he willingly steps forward to plead for another serving of gruel.

Oliver’s appearance ends up inspiring pity in not only the reader, but also some influential characters in the child’s young life. When he stands trembling before the board of the work house, the old gentleman observes with concern, “My boy! You look pale and alarmed”(19), and thus Oliver is saved from a terrible fate. Eventually, even the callous Mr. Bumble is touched by his plight, “regarding Oliver’s piteous and helpless look” (25). But it is the response of Mr. Sowerberry, the gaunt and solemn undertaker, to Oliver’s size and sorrowful face that determines his immediate destiny, for he recognizes in the pale little boy a perfect mourner to attend funerals and inspire appropriate sympathy……………..