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UNIT V
OLIVER TWIST Charles Dickens Introduction:
Charles Dickens is one of the giants of English literature. He wrote from his own ex erience a great !eal. "lthough he was ex ert at #ournalistic re orting$ he wrote nothing that was not transforme! from actualit% &% his imagination. Shar !e iction of the eccentricities an! characteristic traits of eo le was stretche! into caricature. He attacke! the in#ustices of the law an! social h% ocris% an! e'ils$ &ut after man% of the ills he icture! ha! &een cure! he gaine! still more rea!ers.

Summary o the No!el:

(li'er )wist is &orn in a workhouse in 1*+,s Englan!. His mother$ whose name no one knows$ is foun! on the street an! !ies #ust after (li'er-s &irth. (li'er s en!s the first nine %ears of his life in a &a!l% run home for %oung or hans an! then is transferre! to a workhouse for a!ults. "fter the other &o%s &ull% (li'er into asking for more gruel at the en! of a meal$ .r. /um&le$ the arish &ea!le$ offers fi'e oun!s to an%one who will take the &o% awa% from the workhouse. (li'er narrowl% esca es &eing a rentice! to a &rutish chimne% swee an! is e'entuall% a rentice! to a local un!ertaker$ .r. Sower&err%. 0hen the un!ertaker-s other a rentice$ 1oah Cla% ole$ makes !is araging comments a&out (li'er-s mother$ (li'er attacks him an! incurs the Sower&err%s- wrath. Des erate$ (li'er runs awa% at !awn an! tra'els towar! 2on!on. (utsi!e 2on!on$ (li'er$ star'e! an! exhauste!$ meets 3ack Dawkins$ a &o% his own age. 3ack offers him shelter in the 2on!on house of his &enefactor$ 4agin. It turns out that 4agin is a career criminal who trains or han &o%s to ick ockets for him. "fter a few !a%s of training$ (li'er is sent on a ick ocketing mission with two other &o%s. 0hen he sees them swi e a han!kerchief from an el!erl% gentleman$ (li'er is horrifie!

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an! runs off. He is caught &ut narrowl% esca es &eing con'icte! of the theft. .r. /rownlow$ the man whose han!kerchief was stolen$ takes the fe'erish (li'er to his home an! nurses him &ack to health. .r. /rownlow is struck &% (li'er-s resem&lance to a ortrait of a %oung woman that hangs in his house. (li'er is 'er% ha % with .r. /rownlow$ &ut 4agin an! his co8cons irators are not ha % to ha'e lost (li'er$ who ma% gi'e awa% their hi!ing lace. So one !a%$ when .r. /rownlow entrusts (li'er to return some &ooks to the &ookseller for him$ 1anc% s ots (li'er$ an! ki!na s him$ taking him &ack to 4agin. (li'er is force! to go on a house8&reaking excursion with the intimi!ating /ill Sikes. "t gun oint (li'er enters the house$ with the lan to wake those within$ &ut &efore he can$ he is shot &% one of the ser'ants. Sikes an! his artner esca e$ lea'ing (li'er in a !itch. )he next morning (li'er makes it &ack to the house$ where the kin! owner$ .rs. .a%lie$ an! her &eautiful niece 9ose$ !eci!e to rotect him from the olice an! nurse him &ack to health. )he% grow fon! of (li'er$ an! he s en!s an i!%llic summer with them in the countr%si!e. (li'er slowl% reco'ers$ an! is extremel% ha % an! grateful to &e with such kin! an! generous eo le$ who in turn are ecstatic to fin! that (li'er is such a goo!8nature! &o%. 0hen he is well enough$ the% take him to see .r. /rownlow$ &ut the% fin! his house em t%:he has mo'e! to the 0est In!ies. .eanwhile$ 4agin an! his m%sterious artner .onks ha'e not gi'en u on fin!ing (li'er$ an! one !a% (li'er wakens from a nightmare to fin! them staring at him through his win!ow. He raises the alarm$ &ut the% esca e. /ut 4agin an! a m%sterious man name! .onks are set on reca turing (li'er. .eanwhile$ it is re'eale! that (li'er-s mother left &ehin! a gol! locket when she !ie!. .onks o&tains an! !estro%s that locket. 1anc%$ o'erhearing 4agin an! .onks$ !eci!es that she must go to 9ose .a%lie to tell her what she knows. She !oes so$ telling 9ose that .onks is (li'er-s half8&rother$ who has &een tr%ing to !estro% (li'er so that he can kee his whole inheritance$ &ut that she will not &etra% 4agin or Sikes. 9ose tells .r. /rownlow$ who tells (li'er-s other caretakers$ an! the% !eci!e that the% must meet 1anc% again to fin! out how to fin! .onks. )he% meet her on 2on!on /ri!ge at a rearrange! time$ &ut 4agin has &ecome sus icious$ an! has sent his new &o%$ 1oah Cla% ole$ to s % on 1anc%. 1anc% tells 9ose an! .r. /rownlow how to fin! .onks$ &ut still refuses to &etra% 4agin an! Sikes$ or to go with them. 1oah re orts e'er%thing to 4agin$ who tells Sikes$ knowing full well that Sikes will kill 1anc%. 0hen wor! of 1anc%-s !isclosure reaches Sikes$ he &rutall% 5re are! &% 6.7nnamalai Eshwari

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mur!ers 1anc% an! flees 2on!on. 5ursue! &% his guilt% conscience an! an angr% mo&$ he ina!'ertentl% hangs himself while tr%ing to esca e. .r. /rownlow has in the mean time foun! .onks$ who finall% a!mits e'er%thing that he has !one$ an! the true case of (li'er-s &irth. .r. /rownlow$ with whom the .a%lies ha'e reunite! (li'er$ confronts .onks an! wrings the truth a&out (li'er-s arentage from him. It is re'eale! that .onks is (li'er-s half &rother. )heir father$ .r. 2eefor!$ was unha il% marrie! to a wealth% woman an! ha! an affair with (li'er-s mother$ "gnes 4leming. .onks has &een ursuing (li'er all along in the ho es of ensuring that his half8&rother is !e ri'e! of his share of the famil% inheritance. .r. /rownlow forces .onks to sign o'er (li'er-s share to (li'er. .oreo'er$ it is !isco'ere! that 9ose is "gnes-s %ounger sister$ hence (li'er-s aunt. 4agin is hung for his crimes. 4inall%$ .r. /rownlow a!o ts (li'er$ an! the% an! the .a%lies retire to a &lissful existence in the countr%si!e.

Theme o the No!el:

5o'ert% is a rominent concern in (li'er )wist. )hroughout the no'el$ Dickens enlarges on this theme$ !escri&ing slums so !ecre it that whole rows of houses are on the oint of ruin. In an earl% cha ter$ (li'er atten!s a au er;s funeral with .r. Sower&err% an! sees a whole famil% crow!e! together in one misera&le room. )his u&i<uitous miser% makes (li'er;s few encounters with charit% an! lo'e more oignant. (li'er owes his life se'eral times o'er to kin!ness &oth large an! small. )he a arent lague of o'ert% that Dickens !escri&es also con'e%e! to his mi!!le8class rea!ers how much of the 2on!on o ulation was stricken with o'ert% an! !isease. 1onetheless$ in (li'er )wist he !eli'ers a somewhat mixe! message a&out social caste an! social in#ustice. (li'er;s illegitimate workhouse origins lace him at the na!ir of societ%= as an or han without frien!s$ he is routinel% !es ise!. His >stur!% s irit> kee s him ali'e !es ite the torment he must en!ure. .ost of his associates$ howe'er$ !eser'e their lace among societ%;s !regs an! seem 'er% much at home in the !e ths. 1oah Cla% ole$ a charit% &o% like (li'er$ is i!le$ stu i!$ an! cowar!l%= Sikes is a thug= 4agin li'es &% corru ting chil!ren= an! the "rtful Do!ger seems &orn for a life of crime. .an% of the mi!!le8class eo le (li'er encounters:.rs. Sower&err%$ .r. /um&le$ an! the sa'agel% h% ocritical >gentlemen> of the workhouse &oar!$ for exam le:are$ if an%thing$ worse.

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Conclusion:
(li'er$ on the other han!$ who has an air of refinement remarka&le for a workhouse &o%$ ro'es to &e of gentle &irth. "lthough he has &een a&use! an! neglecte! all his life$ he recoils$ aghast$ at the i!ea of 'ictimi?ing an%one else. )his a arentl% here!itar% gentlemanliness makes (li'er )wist something of a changeling tale$ not #ust an in!ictment of social in#ustice. (li'er$ &orn for &etter things$ struggles to sur'i'e in the sa'age worl! of the un!erclass &efore finall% &eing rescue! &% his famil% an! returne! to his ro er lace:a commo!ious count. In (li'er )wist$ Dickens mixes grim realism an! merciless satire as a wa% to !escri&e the effects of in!ustrialism on 1@th8centur% Englan! an! to criticise the harsh new 5oor 2aws. (li'er$ an innocent chil!$ is tra e! in a worl! where his onl% o tions seem to &e the workhouse$ 4agin;s gang$ a rison$ or an earl% gra'e. 4rom this un romising in!ustrialAinstitutional setting$ howe'er$ a fair% tale also emerges. In the mi!st of corru tion an! !egra!ation$ the essentiall% assi'e (li'er remains ure8hearte!= he steers awa% from e'il when those aroun! him gi'e in to it$ an! in ro er fair%8tale fashion$ he e'entuall% recei'es his rewar! : lea'ing for a eaceful life in the countr%$ surroun!e! &% kin! frien!s. (n the wa% to this ha % en!ing$ Dickens ex lores the kin! of life an or han$ outcast &o% coul! ex ect to lea! in 1*+,s 2on!oner house. In a recent film a!a tation of the no'el$ 9oman 5olanski !is enses with the ro&lem of (li'er;s genteel origins &% making him an anon%mous or han$ like the rest of 4agin;s gang.

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S"ORT #UESTIONS:
1. 0here was (li'er )wist &ornB (li'er )wist was &orn in a !ark sting% unknown workhouse CD miles north to 2on!on. 2. )o whom was (li'er a rentice!B (li'er was a rentice! to a coffin8maker$ .r. Sower&err%. +. 0h% !i! (li'er hit 1aoh Cla% oleB (li'er hit 1aoh Cla% ole &ecause he s oke ill of (li'er-s arentage. E. 0ho was .r. FrimwigB .r.Frimwig was the frien! of .r./rownlow. D. 0rite a note on the !eath of 4agin. 4agin was hange! u&licl% at 1ew Fate. G. 0ho marrie! 9oseB Harr% .a%lie marrie! 9ose. C. 0ho wrote (li'er )wistB Charles Dickens wrote (li'er )wist. *. 0hat is the name of (li'er-s motherB .rs."gnes 4leming is the name of (li'er-s mother. @. 0hat is the real name of .onksB E!war! 2eefar! is the real name of .onks. 1,. 0ho is .r./um&leB

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11111S12 English I .r./um&le is the master of the 0orkhouse.

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5re are! &% 6.7nnamalai Eshwari