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.
However Dickens also has those characters that are supposed to be good and evil except the reader can't always tell which is which, this happened with the peasants and aristocrats. At first the peasants are supposed to be the good and the aristocrats the evil, yet when the peasants have control they are just as bad as the aristocrats. When the aristocrats had all of the power they were bloodthirsty. They would "sentence a youth to death" for not kneeling for monks. This was a very bad time and this seems and is extremely evil. It seems as if the peasants were good, yet when the tables turned they acted the exact same way as the aristocrats. The peasants had "eleven hundred defenseless prisoners killed just because they could. So the peasants were just as evil as the aristocrats, even though both thought they had just cause.
Charles Dickens is arguably one of the best writers of his time. He wrote many classic novels that are still appreciated today. A Tale of Two Cities is known for its description of the events leading up to the French Revolution, in two very different places, London, England; and Paris, France. The Cricket on the Hearth is a touching story of two young people in love, and the lack of trust that occurs between them. Oliver Twist is the tale of a young orphan and his struggles to advance in social classes. Pip wants nothing more than to be a gentleman and to have all the money in the world; however his expectations are too great in Great Expectations. Dickens writes with humor and satire of character and social classes. Physical descriptions that bring out a character’s moral and spiritual natures are one of Dickens’s strong points according to George P Landow, an English and Arts professor from Brown University. Dickens describes even the littlest parts of the plot with great detail. Edwin P. Whipple writes in Atlantic Monthly: 1 “[Dickens] has succeeded so perfectly in… stimulating and baffling the curiosity of his readers” (156). The description in Dickens’s writing also expresses the themes of his novels. Instead of having one main theme, Dickens writes with many themes in mind. Charles Dickens illustrates the themes of social classes, city versus country, and poverty in his writing to reflect his own experiences and influence social change.
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.
How does the writer’s use of language manipulate the reader’s sympathies in Chapter 47 of ‘Oliver Twist’?
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.
Throughout the novel, Dickens employs imagery to make the readers pity the peasants, have compassion for the innocent nobles being punished, and even better understand the antagonist and her motives. His use of personified hunger and description of the poor’s straits made the reader pity them for the situation caused by the overlord nobles. However, Dickens then uses the same literary device to alight sympathy for the nobles, albeit the innocent ones! Then, he uses imagery to make the reader better understand and perhaps even feel empathy for Madame Defarge, the book’s murderous villainess. Through skillful but swaying use of imagery, Dickens truly affects the readers’ sympathies.
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 ...
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.
Charles Dickens presents in his novel a specific structure to expose the evils and abuses of the
...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.
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.
The novel Oliver Twist follows an orphan on his journey to find out his true identity. During Oliver’s journey, he is forced into the harsh side of reality, ultimately challenging his innocence. His mother dies giving birth to him and he is raised in an orphanage that treats the kids as workers and barely feeds them anything. Oliver eventually runs away from the orphanage and goes to London where he encounters a gang of criminals. Dickens uses his book to criticize the cruelty that the poor experienced in nineteenth century society. Dickens tells the story through the eyes of a poor boy named Oliver Twist who is portrayed as being innocent and pure while everyone else in the book is, on the contrast, evil. Dickens uses Oliver as a symbol of a truly good person who can overcome his experiences and always prevail over evil. Dickens shows that after all of the malevolent things that Oliver goes through, he is still a genuinely good person. In Charles Dickens’s Oliver Twist Dickens portrays a boy that can defeat all odds and overcome evil because Oliver Twist is idealistic, ignorant, naïve, and overall inherently good. Dickens shows through Oliver’s ability to not be corrupted an example of idealism in what was his modern Victorian society.
... to the many children who have gone through life unheard, opening society's eyes to the inhumane conditions that the poor children are forced to live through. Dickens does so by writing a "story of the routine cruelty exercised upon the nameless, almost faceless submerged of Victorian society" (Wilson 129). Dickens' work of social reform is not limited to Oliver Twist for "a great and universal pity for the poor and downtrodden has been awaken in him which is to provide the
...s's mother Leeford had no will because his wife had actually burned. Leeford's wife and son then lived in the West Indies on their ill-gotten fortune--which is where Brownlow went to find Monks after Oliver was kidnapped, Oliver's startling resemblance to the woman in the portrait, his mother, having bothered his conscience too much. Meanwhile, the search for Sikes continued. When an angry mob found Sikes he tried to escape and while doing so he hung himself. Fagin is sentenced to death by hanging for being an accomplice to murder. Brownlow arranges for the remains of Monks' property to be sold and the proceeds divided between Monks and Oliver. Monks travels to the New World where he squanders his share and turns to a life of vice for which he is arrested. He dies in a prison. Brownlow adopts Oliver as his son. And the story of Oliver Twist ends happily ever after.
Most of the story revolved around utilitarianism and the study of cold hard facts, but when the character flaws began to surface as a result of this philosophy, Dickens is quick to emphasize them. One actually sees the main character of the book and firm supporter of utilitarianism, Mr. Thomas Gradgrind, experience the faults of his practice and begin to stray from it. Now, after watching his life fall apart, maybe he wishes he were in the circus.