Oliver Safety Essay

Oliver’s Safety

Most children have the privilege to live in a secure and safe home all of their life. Oliver Twist, a British orphan affected by the British poor laws, does not have this opportunity. In the novel by Charles Dickens, Oliver learns the hard way on how to find safety. He finally feels like he belongs with only a few individuals. The theme, safety and security, are shown several times through Fagin, Mr. Brownlow, and Mrs. Maylie.

Fagin’s home was the first place Oliver felt remotely safe. When Oliver ran away from his old establishment, the Sowerberry’s house, he met Jack Dawkins. Jack was genuinely nice to him and offered him a place to stay in London. The home belonged to a Jew named Fagin. Fagin also housed several

Brownlow met Oliver when he thought that Oliver was the boy who stole his handkerchief. When Oliver fainted in the courtroom, Mr. Brownlow took him to his expensive-looking home. Mr. Brownlow saw some resemblance between Oliver and a nice painting in his house. His maid, Mrs. Bedwin, took it as her responsibility to renew his health. She thought of Oliver as part of her family, and treated him the same. Oliver would have been here a long time because of Mr. Brownlow’s kind spirit. Mr. Brownlow told Oliver that “you need not be afraid of my deserting you, unless you give me a cause” (pg. 81). By saying this, Brownlow is telling Oliver that he would never leave him without an acceptable reason. Oliver was afraid of being left without a cause as he has been through this many times already. Knowing this, he felt the safest he ever had in his

Maylie. Oliver was taken with Bill Sikes, one who was part of Fagin’s gang, to rob a home. Oliver went inside and was going to warn the occupants when he was shot. Bill ran him out of the house and left him in a nearby ditch. Oliver woke the next morning and traveled to the Maylie’s home, which turned out to be the house he was supposed to rob. Mrs. Maylie graciously took him in and, with the help of Rose, her niece, and many others, nursed him back to life. After Oliver was healed, all he wanted to do was repay them and make the pair, Rose and Mrs. Maylie, happy. Rose told Oliver that, “You will make me happier than I can tell you to think that my dear good aunt should have been the means of rescuing any one from such sad misery as you have described to us, would be an unspeakable pleasure to me; but to know that the object of her goodness and compassion was sincerely grateful and attached, in consequence, would delight me more than you imagine” (pg. 194). In this, Rose is telling Oliver that he does not need to make her happy. She is happy enough knowing that her loving aunt helped a poor, innocent child from a bad situation. Mrs. Maylie also took in Rose when she was little. Rose did not know who her parents were, so Mrs. Maylie made Rose a part of her family. Mrs. Maylie made two people, Rose and Oliver, feel loved and safe in her home. This scene shows that Mrs. Maylie would be willing to do anything for anyone. She is a