Janice Vincent
Characters as Social Aspects in Oliver Twist
"The Victorians were avowedly, unashamedly, incorrigibly moralists. They . . . engaged in philanthropic enterprises in part to satisfy their own moral needs. And they were moralists in behalf of the poor, whom they sought not only to assist materially but also to elevate morally, spiritually, culturally, and intellectually . . . ." (Himmelfarb 48(8)). Charles Dickens used characterization as the basis of his pursuit of this moral goal in the serialized Oliver Twist. His satyr was meant to draw parallels to the dark side of an era of British progress. One side of progress is wealth, the other side of the same coin is poverty, despair, misery and crime. Dickens allegorized evil in contrast to good through characterization and melodrama. "Most of the moral judgments of the reader are pre-made for him or her. As a result, the reader objectively absorbs the moral lessons Dickens has set forth" (Stoddard).
Gregory Stoddard writes: "in Oliver Twist, there is a clear, defined system of criticism and rhetoric marked by sarcasm, and the language of judgment" (Stoddard). The first words of Chapter 2 are an example. In it, he describes the situation that the innocent, Oliver, finds himself. "Here is a clear example of the sarcasm and careful word choice in which lies the authorial social criticism," writes Stoddard. "Consider the choice of words in this passage, 'treachery and deception.' The connotations of these words imply an inherent evil, and consequently, a moral judgment. More subtly, the choice of 'victim' implies that there is an entity that victimizes, and the word 'systematic' strengthens that impression, lending to it an intentionality, and as a result, an evil nature" (Stoddard). Stoddard continues, ". . . when the victimizing entities are systematic in their methods, a conflict of good versus evil results" (Stoddard).
Although the overall message was clear, coming on the heels of the of Poor Law of 1834 as the book did, the characters Dickens created for the purpose of making his social commentary ranged from one dimensional to multidimensional caricatures. He used them as a means of presenting the "other" side of wealth-the dark, evil side.
To that end, Oliver operates as a catalyst rather than as a hero. His lack of hero status allows us to follow him into the underworld without ever being a participant in it, just as he never desired to be a participant in it.
Explore how Dickens makes his readers aware of poverty in A Christmas Carol One of the major themes in "A Christmas Carol" was Dickens' observations of the plight of the children of London's poor and the poverty that the poor had to endure. Dickens causes the reader to be aware of poverty by the use and type of language he uses. He uses similes and metaphors to establish clear and vivid images of the characters who are used to portray his message. Dickens describes his characters like caricatures. Dickens exaggerates characters characteristics in order to make his point and provide the reader with a long living memory.
Dickens used his characters to convey his thoughts of human nature - good and bad. Dickens believed if he could present both sides of humanity to the public, people would try to better themselves. Dickens hated the Victorian society in which he was bound, and he turned to the pen to alter his bete noire.
I think that Charles Dickens message was to inform the rich, rude people to change their views on people that were underprivileged because they are poor it doesn’t mean that they are not human beings you treat them the same way just the way you would like to be treated. In the Victorian times if you were rich you were rich if you were poor you were poor nobody cared for each other. Dickens message in the Victorian Era was extremely important as Dickens tried to help the unfortunate ones by trying to change rich people’s scrutiny on them so they might help them in life.
Scrooge is a great example of the wealthy, who never gave to the poor and would rarely put money into charities. Dickens was appalled by the conditions the working class had to endure. “Dickens felt that self-interest, uncontrolled, subject to the passions and desires
Here, Dickens focuses on the word “suffering”, to reinforce the idea that being wealthy, which is related to being better than other, a materialistic view of society is not what gives happiness, but the surroundings and
middle of paper ... ... Understanding the relationship between environment and morality—indifference and depravity—Dickens evaluated what the system does to a person, how it classifies, how it deforms. Fagin manages the underworld, connoting corruption as an entertaining, enjoyable, and artful game not only because of his intrinsic craftiness, but also because it is the only way he knows to survive. Exploiting his audience's attitudes, Dickens shaped a character with religious stereotypes to ensure that his readers could recognize the absolute evil it had bore through its ignorance and apathy--poverty is a product of a societal environment. Work Cited Dickens, Charles.
Charles Dickens creates a believable picture of Victorian times. In a book review which appeared in the September, 1861 issue of Atlantic Monthly, it was stated that, “in none of his other works does he evince a shrewder insight into real life, and a clearer perception and knowledge of what is called the world” (Peterson and Brother’s). The world Dickens creates emphasizes social structure, where the imbalance between the social classes is prominent. Great Expectations, set in Victorian times, successfully demonstrates the theme of social class and how this social hierarchy can be an inaccurate measure of self worth. This primary theme shows how setting affects Pip’s understanding, ultimately drawing him to the conclusion that treating others with respect is more important than social standing. Dickens incorporates various settings such as the Satis house, Walworth castle, the Victorian prison setting, and the overall climate of the criminal world to develop the prominent theme of the imbalance between the extremes of the social classes.
When considering representation, the ways in which the authors choose to portray their characters can have a great impact on their accessibility. A firm character basis is the foundation for any believable novel. It is arguable that for an allegorical novel - in which Hard Times takes its structure, Dickens uses an unusually complex character basis. The characters in Hard Times combine both the simplistic characteristics of a character developed for allegorical purposes, as well as the concise qualities of ‘real’ people (McLucas, 1995). These characters are portrayed to think and feel like we as readers do and react to their situations in the same way that most of us would. Such attributes are what give the characters life and allow us to relate to their decisions.
Dickens' Criticism of the 1834 Poor Law in Oliver Twist Dickens criticised the 1834 poor law in many different ways within the first five chapters. He does this firstly by cleverly portraying the Victorians attitudes towards the poor. He does this in chapter 1 by referring to Oliver as 'the item of mortality' suggesting how lowly his position in society is. Also the difficulty of Oliver's birth and the fact his mother dies, gives us some idea of the dangers of child birth in Victorian society and the amount of negligence his mother receives from the surgeon.
Our Mutual Friend, Dickens' last novel, exposes the reality Dickens is surrounded by in his life in Victorian England. The novel heavily displays the corruption of society through multiple examples. These examples, that are planted within the novel, relate to both the society in Dickens' writing and his reality. In order to properly portray the fraud taking place within his novels, Dickens' uses morality in his universe to compare to the reality of society. He repetitively references to the change of mind and soul for both the better and the worst. He speaks of the change of heart when poisoned by wealth, and he connects this disease to the balance of the rich and the poor. This is another major factor to novel, where the plot is surrounded by a social hierarchy that condemns the poor to a life of misery, and yet, condones any action that would normally be seen as immoral when it occurs in the aristocracy. It expands on the idea that only an education and inheritance will bring success in society, with few exceptions. Lastly, Dickens expands his opinions of society through his mockery of ...
The novel, Great Expectations, presents the story of a young boy growing up and becoming a
Dickens saw it as his role to write about the plight of the poor and
In Oliver Twist and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, both main characters refuse to except the poor hand the world has dealt them. Pip and Oliver reach a great epiphany in regards to social injustice, and in turn rebel against the system that oppresses them. They are tired of being mistreated and neglected, and therefore decide to make a stand. Charles Dickens exhibits through Oliver and Pip that the revolt of the weak against the strong results from the oppression of the poor. As a result of their revolt against the system, Pip and Oliver are ostracized for their non-conformist ideals. Thus change in an oppressing and conformist society can only be achieved through change in moral, social, and political instincts.
can be seen in Oliver Twist, a novel about an orphan, brought up in a workhouse and poverty to demonstrate the hypocrisy of the upper class people. Oliver Twist shows Dickens' perspective of society in a realistic, original manner, which hope to change society's views by "combining a survey of the actual social scene with a metaphoric fiction designed to reveal the nature of such a society when exposed to a moral overview" (Gold 26). Dickens uses satire, humorous and biting, through pathos, and stock characters in Oliver Twist to pr...
...olution; he believed in internal parity and the growth of the mind and the spirit. He demonstrated that the system that "grinds down," but never building up, will ultimately result in chaos and woe for all those subjected to it. Through Hard Times, Dickens argues that all humans have an unconquerable need for imagination, emotion, and love. He tells us that this need cannot be altered or thwarted by any method of education or economic oppression, no matter how strict and abusive it might be. Hard Times illustrates Dickens' belief that it does not matter whether one is born in a nurturing or an abusive and neglectful surroundings. What matters is how an individual's true nature responds, changes, asserts itself and molds his or her environment. In the end, whether one remains thwarted or strives to fulfill and complete their lives determines who each person becomes.