Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist; or, The Parish Boy's Progress is the second novel by English author Charles Dickens. It was published from 1837 to 1839. The story is about an orphan named Oliver Twist. Oliver grows up in a place where poor children had to work hard. He then escapes to London.

In London, Oliver meets a group of young people who steal, led by an older man named Fagin. Oliver also learns secrets about his family and finds his remaining relatives.

The book shows the hard lives of some people and how badly orphans were treated in England in the mid-1800s. Its other title, The Parish Boy's Progress, refers to a famous old story called The Pilgrim's Progress and some pictures by an artist named William Hogarth.

As one of the first books to talk about important social issues, Oliver Twist makes fun of making children work too hard and hurting children. The story might have been inspired by a real boy named Robert Blincoe, who wrote about his time working in a cotton mill as a child. Dickens may have also been influenced by his own time in a workhouse when he was 12 years old.

Oliver Twist has been made into many other forms, such as a famous 1948 movie with Alec Guinness as Fagin, a successful musical called Oliver!, which later became an Oscar-winning movie in 1968, and a Disney animated movie from 1988 called Oliver & Company.

Publications

Cover, first edition of serial, entitled "The Adventures of Oliver Twist", January 1846

The novel Oliver Twist was shared in small parts each month, from February 1837 to April 1839, in a magazine called Bentley's Miscellany. An artist named George Cruikshank made special drawings for each part. The story was later published as a book in three parts by Richard Bentley, the owner of the magazine. He used the writer’s nickname, “Boz,” as the author’s name. The book had 24 beautiful drawings made by Cruikshank.

The first book was called Oliver Twist, or, The Parish Boy's Progress.

Plot

Oliver Twist is born into a poor family and grows up in a place called a workhouse, where children are not treated well. One day, Oliver asks for a little more food, which causes trouble. He runs away from the workhouse and finds himself in London.

Mr Bumble by Kyd (Joseph Clayton Clark)

In London, Oliver meets a boy named the Artful Dodger, who takes him to meet a man named Fagin. Fagin teaches boys to steal, and Oliver soon learns this when he sees the Dodger take something from a kind man named Mr Brownlow. Mr Brownlow cares for Oliver and notices he looks like someone in a painting in his home.

Later, Oliver is taken by someone named Nancy and another person to help Fagin with a plan to steal from people. The plan goes wrong, and Oliver is hurt but finds safety with the very people he was supposed to steal from.

Eventually, the truth about Oliver's family is revealed. Mr Brownlow adopts Oliver, and they live happily together. Some of the bad characters face trouble for their actions.

Characters

Here are the main characters from the story of Oliver Twist:

Oliver Twist – an orphan boy whose mother passed away when he was born.
Mr Bumble – the official who works in the place where Oliver grew up.
Mrs Mann – the boss of the place where Oliver stayed as a baby, known for being selfish.
Mr Sowerberry – a man who takes Oliver in to help with his work.
Mrs Sowerberry – Mr Sowerberry’s wife.
Noah Claypole – a mean boy who works for the Sowerberrys.
Charlotte – the Sowerberrys’ maid and Noah’s friend.
Mr Gamfield – a harsh worker in Oliver’s town.
Mr Brownlow – a kind man who helps Oliver and becomes his first true friend.
Mr Grimwig – a friend of Mr Brownlow who seems grumpy but cares deeply.
Mrs Bedwin – Mr Brownlow’s caring housekeeper.
Rose Maylie – another kind person who helps Oliver and is later found to be his aunt.
Mrs Lindsay Maylie – Rose’s adoptive aunt.
Harry Maylie – Mrs Maylie’s son, who cares for Rose.
Mr Losberne – the doctor for Mrs Maylie’s family.
Mr Giles – Mrs Maylie’s servant.
Mr Brittles – Mrs Maylie’s helper.
Duff and Blathers – two police officers who aren’t very good at their job.
Fagin – a man who leads a group of young thieves.
Bill Sikes – a thief who works with Fagin.
Bull's Eye – Bill Sikes’s aggressive dog.
Jack Dawkins, The Artful Dodger – Fagin’s best thief.
Charley Bates – another thief who works for Fagin and is The Artful Dodger’s friend.
Toby Crackit – a thief who works with Fagin and Bill Sikes.
Nancy – a girl who works for Fagin and lives with Bill Sikes.
Bet – a girl in Fagin’s group who is sometimes Nancy’s friend.
Barney – a friend of Fagin who speaks in a special way.
Agnes Fleming – Oliver’s mother and Rose Maylie’s sister.
Mr Edwin Leeford – Oliver’s father.
Old Sally – a woman who helped when Oliver was born.
Mrs Corney (later Mrs Bumble) – a woman who works in the place where Oliver grew up and later marries Mr Bumble.
Monks – a sickly thief who works with Fagin and is Oliver’s long-lost brother.
Monks's mother – a wealthy woman who didn’t love her husband.
Mr Fang – a judge in the story.
Tom Chitling – another of Fagin’s young thieves who has returned from being locked away.

Major themes and symbols

In Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens mixes hard truths with jokes to show how factories changed England in the 1800s. He criticizes unfair laws that hurt poor people. Oliver, a gentle child, faces a tough world with few choices: a workhouse, a life of crime led by a man named Fagin, prison, or worse. But even in these hard times, hope appears. Oliver stays kind and good, avoiding the evil around him, and finally finds happiness with good friends. Through Oliver’s story, Dickens shows what life was like for a lonely orphan boy in London in the 1830s.

Poverty plays a big role in the story. Dickens describes very poor areas with broken houses. Oliver sees a sad funeral and a family living in a tiny, crowded room. This sadness makes the moments when Oliver receives kindness and love even more special. Oliver is saved many times by both small and big acts of kindness.

Bill Sikes by Kyd (Joseph Clayton Clarke)

Dickens uses symbols to share his story. Fagin, an older man who leads young boys into crime, acts in frightening ways. He first appears by a fire with a toasting fork and refuses to pray before an important event.

Dickens gives his characters names that match their personalities. Oliver, though treated badly and given a simple name, stays kind and good. Bill Sikes's dog, Bull's-eye, behaves badly like his owner. The dog's fierce nature shows Sikes's cruel actions. Nancy, another character, tries to do what is right even though she has made mistakes. She faces danger but still wants to protect Oliver.

Main article: Poor Laws

Main articles: domestic violence, psychological abuse

Allegations of antisemitism

Some people think Charles Dickens showed unfair ideas about Jewish people in his book Oliver Twist. This is because of how he described the character Fagin. Fagin is a Jewish man who leads young thieves, and some believe Dickens made him seem very bad.

Dickens said that when he wrote the story, many criminals in London were Jewish, and he did not want to hurt Jewish people. He even changed parts of the book later to improve Fagin’s description. In another book called Our Mutual Friend, Dickens showed Jewish characters in a better light.

Reception

When "Oliver Twist" was published, some people liked it because it showed real problems and poverty. Writers like John Forster and the Literary Gazette praised the book for this. But others, like Richard Ford, thought the book made poverty seem worse than it really was.

Audio recordings

Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist has been made into many audiobooks. Some famous ones are:

A dramatized version called The Adventures of Oliver Twist And Fagin, with Basil Rathbone telling the story, from 1947.
An abridged version by James Mason in 1962.
Anthony Quayle read early chapters in 1976.
Paul Scofield narrated a shorter version in 1987.
Martin Jarvis told the story in abridged and full versions from 1994 to 2006.
Alex Jennings read a shorter version in 1995.
Miriam Margolyes narrated the full story in 2005.
Gerald Dickens, a relative of Charles Dickens, told the full story in 2011.
Jonathan Pryce narrated the full novel in 2019.

Film, television, radio and theatrical adaptations

Film

Oliver Twist (1909) was the first movie based on the book. It had no sound.
Oliver Twist (1948) was directed by David Lean. Alec Guinness played Fagin.
Oliver! (1968) was a British musical.
Oliver & Company (1988) is a Disney cartoon set in New York City. Oliver is an orphaned kitten.
Oliver Twist (2005) was directed by Roman Polanski.

Television

The earliest known playbill of a production of Oliver Twist. Marylebone Theatre, 1838

In 1962, the BBC made a TV series called Oliver Twist.
In 1985, BBC One showed a drama called Oliver Twist.
From 1996 to 1997, there was an animated series called Saban's Adventures of Oliver Twist for kids.
In 1999, ITV showed a drama called Oliver Twist.
In 2007, BBC One showed another version of Oliver Twist.
In 2022, a British TV series called Dodger aired. It is a story that happens before the book.
In 2023, an Australian TV series called The Artful Dodger aired.