Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist
Study Guide by Course Hero
early 19th-century English society.

What's Inside
TENSE
Oliver Twist is written in the past tense.
j Book Basics ................................................................................................. 1
d In Context ..................................................................................................... 1
a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 3

d In Context
h Characters .................................................................................................. 3 The first installment of Oliver Twist was published in February
1837. Four months later 18-year-old Princess Victoria
k Plot Summary ............................................................................................. 7 ascended to the throne of England. It was a time of flux in
Britain. The Industrial Revolution was at its peak, and despite
c Chapter Summaries .............................................................................. 12
the loss of the North American colonies in what had become
g Quotes ........................................................................................................ 30 the United States, the British Empire was expanding. Both
these events prompted sweeping fundamental changes in
l Symbols ..................................................................................................... 33 British society.
m Themes ...................................................................................................... 33
e Suggested Reading ............................................................................. 34 The Industrial Revolution

In the early 18th century, Britain's domestic economy was
structured on agriculture and cottage industries making cloth,
j Book Basics glass, metalwork, and other products. But in the middle of the
century, everything changed. A series of inventions led to the
mechanization of processes previously done by hand.
AUTHOR
Entrepreneurs opened factories in towns and cities with good
Charles Dickens
rail and canal transport for bringing in the needed resources
YEARS PUBLISHED and shipping out the manufactured goods. People left the
1837–39 country and flooded these industrial centers to find work.
GENRE British society rearranged itself. The ranks of the upper class,
Drama which had formerly drawn wealth from inheritance and land
ownership, were swelled by men with new fortunes made in
PERSPECTIVE AND NARRATOR manufacturing and trade. The middle class changed character
Oliver Twist is told from a third-person point of view with an and grew, too. The skilled workers on whom the cottage
omniscient, or all-knowing, narrator. This choice allows Dickens industry system had depended were no longer needed. The
to accomplish several authorial goals: revealing interior thought new and growing middle class comprised businessmen and
processes and various emotions, adding commentary on other professionals—doctors and lawyers, bankers and
characters, and editorializing on the events of the story and
Oliver Twist Study Guide In Context 2
insurance agents, shopkeepers and merchants, managers and

clerks. British Empire
The largest and fastest-growing segment of society was the As the capital of a powerful nation, London had always been a
working class, which accounted for approximately 80 percent populous city, but during the Industrial Revolution, its
of Victorian England. This class included a variety of workers population boomed:
ranging from street sellers and casual laborers to skilled
workers. Factory workers, including children, labored for long 1650: 350,000–400,000 (world's 3rd most populous city)
hours under unregulated and often dangerous conditions. 1715: 630,000
Interested in promoting economic growth, the government 1760: 740,000
espoused policies that supported manufacturing and trade. In 1801: 1.1 million
the first quarter of the 19th century, for instance, the 1815: 1.4 million (becomes the world's most populous city)
Combination Acts of 1799 and 1800 made it illegal for workers 1860: 3.2 million
to unionize. As the century progressed, however, conditions 1901: 6.5 million
gradually improved.
London's population was diverse; the city was home to
And then there were the poor. As the cities swelled, poverty immigrants from Europe, Ireland, and around the world,
grew. Whenever possible poor people of all ages found a way including China, India, and Africa. By 1851 foreigners accounted
to earn a few pennies—selling newspapers, carrying packages for 38 percent of the population.
for passersby, scavenging, or begging. The truly destitute

London's neighborhoods reflected not just the city's varied
relied on charity. In 1834 Parliament passed the Poor Law
population but also its history. One particularly defining event
Amendment Act. This law restyled the old poorhouses, which
was the Great Fire of London in 1666. In the early 17th century,
had already been in use for several centuries as "workhouses,"
London was a city of narrow streets lined with wooden
and required inmates to work for their keep in much the same
terraced houses. One Sunday morning in September 1666, a
way as inmates sentenced to hard labor in prison. Typical
fire started in a baker's shop in Pudding Lane. With winds
employment included breaking up granite rocks and picking
raking the city, the fire quickly spread. It raced down to the
oakum, a loosely twisted fiber used in caulking seams and
Thames near London Bridge, where it found fuel in the wooden
filling joints. Workhouse paupers received minimal wages, a
warehouses, which were stocked with oil and other
place to sleep (though families were broken up and housed
combustible materials. The fire was blown eastward along the
separately), some clothing, and a limited amount of bread.
Thames and north into the city, burning thousands of houses,
Some starved to death. The concept was intended to make the
churches, and official structures. It was still burning the
workhouses as unappealing as possible so that the poor, who
following Tuesday, when the Royal Navy set charges around it,
were perceived as lazy, would be dissuaded from applying. And
hoping to starve it of fuel. Fortunately the wind dropped, and
if they did apply, it was by no means guaranteed that they
the strategy worked.
would be accepted; they might be told to go out and get a job.
It took more than 30 years to rebuild the city using
In desperation the poor sometimes saw no choice but to turn
noncombustible brick. This process lent the central part of the
to crime, usually theft. In the cities crime rates soared. Child
city a very different character from those sections that had
crime, especially pickpocketing, was prevalent. Many poor
been untouched by the fire. In the 18th century, the growing
women turned to prostitution, often hoping to save money so
middle and upper classes tore down more of the old wooden
that they might use it to start a business later on.
houses and replaced them with brick and, where possible,
stone terraces. In the 19th century, such constructions were
often stuccoed and painted, adding even more variety to the
London: Capital City of the visual character of the city. The remaining pre-fire structures
were centuries old, dilapidated, uncomfortable, and unsafe;
they became the homes of the poorest Londoners.
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Oliver Twist Study Guide Author Biography 3
couple ultimately separated in 1858, a year after Dickens fell in

a Author Biography love with actress Ellen Ternan. Dickens seems to have had a
happy ongoing relationship with Ternan, but he continued to
Charles Dickens was born on February 7, 1812, in Portsmouth, treat Catherine Dickens poorly. He even accused her of being
a busy naval port on the south coast of England where his mentally ill and claimed that she and their children were
father, John, worked as a navy payroll clerk. When Dickens happier apart. His daughter later said that Dickens ceased to
was four, his father was transferred to another naval town, care about his children after the breakup with their mother.
Chatham. He worked there for eight years. This is where young
Charles Dickens was arguably the superstar of the 19th
Dickens developed his love of the countryside. Those chapters
century. Audiences waited eagerly for installments of his
of Oliver Twist that describe Oliver's life with the Maylies
novels. He repeatedly toured Europe and America giving
reflect Dickens's happy memories of country life. Dickens
dramatic readings from his works. He died of a stroke on June
enjoyed reading and learning and delighted in school, which he
9, 1870, without having completed his 16th novel, The Mystery
began attending at age nine.
of Edwin Drood. In Westminster Abbey he is buried in Poets'
Dickens's happy childhood came to an end shortly after the Corner.
family moved to London in 1822. The Dickens family had
always been poor, but John Dickens had a taste for the finer
things in life and got into debt. To contribute to the family's h Characters
income, Charles was taken out of school at age 12 and sent to
work in Warren's boot-blacking factory. There he pasted labels
on jars of blacking (shoe polish). The conditions in the blacking
factory appalled the boy. It was full of rats; its wooden floors Oliver Twist
and stairs were rotting; and the air smelled of the dirty waters
of the nearby Thames. Despite the additional income, John The titular protagonist, Oliver Twist is orphaned at birth and
Dickens was soon imprisoned for debt in Marshalsea Prison in brought up by the parish under circumstances that amount to
Southwark. His family lost their home and, as was common at child abuse. Despite his ill treatment, Oliver is a kind, honest
the time, went to live with him at the prison. Charles Dickens boy who is quick to forgive. He is motivated by the desire to
roomed with a family friend. In 1824 Dickens left the factory help those in need and by gratitude to those who help him.
and went back to school. That early experience of being a Despite the abuse he receives at others' hands, he never holds
young boy trying to make his way alone in London, his a grudge and is always ready to give a person the benefit of
encounter with poverty, and his resentment of a system that the doubt. At the back of Oliver's mind is the desire to learn
kept the poor in poverty informed many of Dickens's novels, more about his mother. As a child he thinks about her watching
including Oliver Twist. over him and feels deeply that she must have been a good
person. It is her nature that Oliver has inherited, and no matter
After school Dickens became a law clerk and then a court and how much abuse and manipulation he experiences, he remains
parliamentary reporter. He later used his knowledge of the law true to his nature. In the end Oliver gathers around him a group
and government to great effect in his fiction. He sold his first of honest, kindhearted friends similar to himself.
short story in 1833 to the Monthly Magazine. The following year
he went to work for the Morning Chronicle writing stories under
the nom de plume "Boz." These stories were published in the Fagin
collection Sketches by Boz in 1836. In the same year, Dickens
began editing for Bentley's Miscellany. It was in this publication An old man with an ugly face and matted red hair, Fagin is a
that his first two novels, The Pickwick Papers and Oliver Twist, sort of criminal mastermind. He fences stolen goods, taking a
appeared in serial form. Oliver Twist appeared in the magazine large cut for himself. He looks and lives like a pauper, but he
in parts from 1837 to 1839. has plenty of money. He even owns more than one house.
Readers meet Fagin in his public persona of a jolly old fellow
Also in 1836 Dickens married Catherine Hogarth. Despite
taking care of his young charges, but the boys with him are
producing 10 children, the marriage was an unhappy one. The

Oliver Twist Study Guide Characters 4
really apprentice thieves. Fagin is a corrupter of the young, and considers her family (Bill and Fagin's boys) ultimately prompts
Dickens often refers to him as the devil. Fagin demands total her to sacrifice herself for them.u
compliance and does not hesitate about turning in to the police
anyone who crosses him or whom he perceives as a threat.
That way the police will do his dirty work for him by sending his Bill Sikes
enemies to the gallows. Fagin may seem charming, but he's as
evil as they come—the antithesis of Oliver Twist. Bill Sikes, an experienced housebreaker (burglar), takes his
loot to Fagin to fence. Fagin values Sikes's skills as a
meticulous planner and a reliable partner in crime. Sikes lives
Rose Maylie with Nancy and his dog, Bull's-eye. Bill Sikes is a bit of an
enigma. He shows little humanity in his words, but some of his
If anyone resembles Oliver's mother in character, it's Rose actions, such as his care of Oliver after the boy is shot, might
Maylie. Like Oliver she was orphaned as a child. She was then indicate that his habitual surliness is in part a defensive
raised by abusive foster parents. When Mrs. Maylie found posture. In the preface to the third edition, Dickens seems to
Rose, she was a ragged child, underfed and unloved. Mrs. suspect that Sikes's "gentler human feeling" is simply hard to
Maylie took her in and raised her as her niece. Rose is young find. He is the only character in the novel with a pet and is
but very caring and maternal. She puts the needs of others often indulgent of Nancy when she violently disagrees with
before her own. When Harry Maylie proposes, for instance, she him. After killing her when his temper gets the better of him, he
turns him down because she fears her origins would ruin his is almost completely incapacitated by guilt.
reputation and thus his career. Like the ideal mother, Rose
nourishes Oliver with food, knowledge, and love.
Mr. Bumble
Mr. Brownlow As parish beadle Mr. Bumble acts as a liaison between the
church, the workhouse, the baby farm, and other organizations
Mr. Brownlow is a gentleman through and through. When Jack for looking after the poor of the parish. He views himself as
steals his handkerchief and Oliver is accused of it, Mr. important and influential and resents any questioning of his
Brownlow doesn't assume Oliver's guilt, and in fact, he feels authority. Ultimately he gets his comeuppance in his marriage
more concern about Oliver's well-being than about his own and ensuing fall from power. Dickens uses Mr. Bumble to
loss. Mr. Brownlow is generous and impetuous. He takes illustrate the inadequacy of the poor laws and the hypocrisy of
Oliver, who is a stranger and possibly a criminal, into his home those who "care for" the poor, often putting words in his mouth
and nurses him. However, when Oliver doesn't return from an that highlight the neglect inherent in this "care."
errand, Mr. Brownlow is quick to believe that the boy may have
robbed him. Still his good heart wins out. As a born scholar, he
doggedly researches Oliver's identity.
Nancy
Nancy came to Fagin when she was just a few years old, and
he trained her well. Although never stated in the novel, Dickens
says in his preface to the third edition that Nancy practices
prostitution to make a living. She also deeply loves the burglar
Bill Sikes. Despite her upbringing Nancy shows as much
compassion and love as Rose Maylie. She takes to Oliver from
the start and wants to save him from a life on the streets. Her
commitment to protecting both Oliver and the people she

Character Map
Mr. Brownlow
Kind gentleman; takes
Oliver in and discovers
his identity
Mr. Bumble
Rose Maylie
Father/Adopted Parish beadle; makes
Young woman; believes
Son Oliver's childhood
in Oliver and helps him
miserable
Protector/ Troublesome
Aunt Orphan
Oliver
Poor, abused orphan
with heart of gold
Dangerous
Man
Protector
Nancy Bill Sikes

Potential
Prostitute; helps Oliver Housebreaker;
Former Money-maker
escape a life of crime lives with Nancy
Master/
Fence/
Apprentice
Thief
Fagin
Master criminal; tries
to corrupt Oliver
Lovers
Main Character
Other Major Character
Minor Character

Full Character List Bull's-eye Bull's-eye is Bill Sikes's dog.
Charlotte is the Sowerberrys'

Character Description Charlotte servant and Noah Claypole's
girlfriend.
Oliver Twist, an abused orphan, is
Oliver Twist
the protagonist of the novel. Tom Chitling is a member of Fagin's
Tom Chitling
gang.
Fagin is a fence who trains children
Fagin
to be criminals. Noah is Mr. Sowerberry's older
Noah Claypole
apprentice.
Rose is Mrs. Maylie's adopted niece
Rose Maylie
who lives with her. The workhouse matron, Mrs. Corney
Mrs. Corney is a widow who later marries Mr.
Bumble.
After Oliver is arrested for picking
Mr. Brownlow his pocket, Mr. Brownlow takes
Oliver in. Toby Crackit works as a burglar with
Toby Crackit
Bill Sikes.
Nancy Nancy belongs to Fagin's gang.
Jack Dawkins, also known as the
Jack Dawkins Artful Dodger, is a boy who's a
A colleague of Fagin, Bill Sikes is a
Bill Sikes member of Fagin's gang.
professional burglar.
Dick is a child at the baby farm and

Mr. Bumble is a parish official—a Dick
an early friend of Oliver.
Mr. Bumble beadle—who deals with the poor
being "cared for" by the parish.
Duff is one of the Bow Street
Duff officers who investigates the Maylie
Barney is a waiter at the Cripples
burglary.
Barney who also works with Fagin and
Sikes.
Mr. Fang Mr. Fang is a police magistrate.
Charley Bates is one of the young
Charley Bates
pickpockets living in Fagin's den. Agnes Fleming is Oliver's mother,
who dies shortly after his birth and
Agnes Fleming
whose identity is not discovered until
Mrs. Bedwin is Mr. Brownlow's
Mrs. Bedwin much later.
housekeeper.
Mr. Gamfield Mr. Gamfield is a chimney sweep.

Bet is a young woman in Fagin's
Bet
gang and is a close friend of Nancy.
The gentleman in the white
Gentleman in the
waistcoat is a member of the
Blathers is one of the Bow Street White Waistcoat
workhouse board.
Blathers officers who investigates the Maylie
burglary.
Mr. Giles Mr. Giles is Mrs. Maylie's butler.
The bookstall keeper witnesses Mr.
Bookstall Keeper
Brownlow being pickpocketed. Mr. Grimwig is an old and rather
Mr. Grimwig
pessimistic friend of Mr. Brownlow.
Mr. Brittles works for Mrs. Maylie
Mr Brittles
doing odd jobs. Kags is an associate of Toby
Kags
Crackit.

Oliver Twist Study Guide Plot Summary 7
Landlord of the
The landlord of the Cripples runs a
pub where the local criminals,
k Plot Summary
Cripples
including Fagin, congregate.
Oliver Twist begins with the birth of a baby boy in a workhouse
Mr. Limbkins is the chair of the in a town some 70 miles outside London in the 1820s. The
Mr. Limbkins
workhouse board. boy's mother dies, leaving her son to be raised by the parish.
Named Oliver Twist by the parish beadle, a minor official who
Mr. Lively is a shopkeeper and one helps oversee the orphanage, the boy grows up ragged and
Mr. Lively
of Fagin's customers.
undernourished at a baby farm, a place where a fee is paid for
the ongoing care of babies and children. At age nine he returns
A friend of the Maylies, Mr. Losberne
Mr. Losberne to the workhouse, where he picks oakum, unraveling strands
is a doctor in Chertsey.
from old ropes to earn his keep. One day after Oliver dares to
ask for more gruel, the astonished workhouse board decides
The magistrate, along with others of
Magistrate his kind, is called on to approve to find him an apprenticeship.
Oliver's indenture as an apprentice.
Oliver is apprenticed to the local undertaker, who trains him to
be a professional mourner at children's funerals. This
Mrs. Mann runs the baby farm where
Mrs. Mann promotion earns Oliver the ill will of the undertaker's older
Oliver lives as a child.
apprentice, Noah Claypole. One day Noah picks a fight with
Harry Maylie Harry Maylie is Mrs. Maylie's son. Oliver and ends up getting knocked down. Noah tells the
workhouse board that Oliver tried to kill him, the serving girl,
Mrs. Maylie is an elderly woman with and the undertaker's wife, and claims Oliver threatened to kill
Mrs. Maylie
a big house in Chertsey. the undertaker. Oliver decides to leave town before he falls
back into the board's clutches.
Monks is a colleague of Fagin who
Monks wants Fagin to turn Oliver into a Seven days later Oliver reaches London, where he meets Jack
criminal. Dawkins. Jack introduces Oliver to Fagin, an old man who
provides room and board to boys in return for their work. At
Mr. Slout Mr. Slout is the workhouse master. first Oliver believes the boys make handkerchiefs and
pocketbooks and thinks Fagin must be a very generous man to
Mr. Sowerberry is the parish help them. But two of the boys take Oliver out one day, and he
Mr. Sowerberry undertaker who takes Oliver as an
is shocked to see them pick a gentleman's pocket. They run
apprentice.
off, leaving Oliver to take the blame.
Mrs. Sowerberry is the undertaker's Oliver goes before a magistrate, but a witness exonerates him.
Mrs. Sowerberry
wife.
During the trial Oliver passes out from fever. The
pickpocketing victim, Mr. Brownlow, takes Oliver home with
The surgeon is a doctor paid by the
Surgeon him, where he notices the boy resembles a portrait of a woman
parish to attend to workhouse cases.
hanging in his house. Oliver is happy and grateful to Mr.
Brownlow and his housekeeper, Mrs. Bedwin. Oliver recovers,
Mrs. Thingummy acts as a nurse at
Mrs. Thingummy only to be sent on an errand, recaptured, and returned to
Oliver's birth.
Fagin.
The tinker, together with his two
Tinker dogs, joins the chase after the Egged on by a mysterious associate named Monks, Fagin
Chertsey burglars. concocts a plan to draw Oliver into a life of crime, and his plan
seems to be going well. Unbeknownst to Fagin, though, Oliver
longs to return to Mr. Brownlow and Mrs. Bedwin. It looks as if
his hopes will be dashed when Bill Sikes takes Oliver to help

out with a burglary. He needs a very small boy to fit through a adopts him, and Oliver and his friends all end up living happily
tiny window and open the front door. Just after Oliver enters in a country village.
the house, the inhabitants wake up and discover him, and
Oliver is shot. Sikes carries him away, but he is forced to leave
the boy unconscious in a ditch.
When Oliver comes to, he makes his way to the very house
where he was shot. There, Mrs. Maylie—the owner of the
house—and her niece, Rose, nurse him back to health with the
help of the local doctor, Mr. Losberne. The boy tells them his
life's story, and all three dedicate themselves to helping him.
The Maylies take Oliver to live in their country cottage, where

he grows strong and healthy. Rose, however, takes ill. Oliver
goes to post a letter to Mr. Losberne asking for his help and,
while on this errand, bumps into a stranger. Later Oliver sees
Fagin and the stranger outside his window.
Monks meets with Mr. Bumble and his wife, who is the
workhouse matron. She shows Monks a locket that was stolen
from Oliver's mother's corpse. Monks buys the locket and
throws it in the river. In the meantime Fagin has acquired a new
member for his gang: Noah Claypole. Noah earns his keep by
stealing from children and spying for Fagin.
Rose, Mrs. Maylie, Oliver, and Mr. Losberne are in London

when Nancy comes to Rose's hotel room and tells her that she
overheard Fagin talking with Monks and that Monks called
Oliver his brother. Rose takes Oliver to see Mr. Brownlow and
tells the old gentleman what she learned from Nancy. Rose and
Mr. Brownlow later meet Nancy near London Bridge, where
they ask her to turn in Fagin's gang. She refuses. The meeting
is overheard by Noah Claypole, who reports back to Fagin.
Fagin tells Bill Sikes that Nancy has ratted out the gang, and
Bill goes into a fury and kills her. He then goes on the run, and,
in trying to escape from pursuers, falls from a roof with a
noose around his neck and hangs himself. Based on evidence
from Noah Claypole, Fagin is arrested, tried as an accomplice
to murder, and sentenced to hang.
Mr. Brownlow captures Monks, gets him to disclose all his

machinations against Oliver, and has him sign a confession. It
turns out that Oliver's mother was the great love of Monks's
father, who was Mr. Brownlow's close friend. Monks's father
had hoped to marry Oliver's mother, but he took ill and died
before he could do so. He had written a will leaving most of his
money to Oliver, but Monks's mother made sure it was never
found. Oliver finally receives his inheritance, Mr. Brownlow

Plot Diagram
Climax
7
10 Falling Action
Rising Action
6
11
5
4 12
3 Resolution
2
1
Introduction
Introduction Climax
1. Oliver is born in a workhouse, and his mother dies. 9. Sikes kills Nancy; he's hunted down, falls, and hangs.
Rising Action Falling Action
2. Oliver asks for more gruel and goes before the board. 10. Oliver and Rose learn their true identities.
3. Oliver is apprenticed to an undertaker and fed meat. 11. Fagin is tried, condemned, and executed.
4. Oliver goes to London, where Fagin takes him in.
5. Oliver is arrested but goes home with Mr. Brownlow.

Resolution
6. Fagin recaptures Oliver at Monks's insistence.
12. Oliver and his new family live happily in the country.
7. Oliver is shot in a burglary, and the Maylies take him in.
8. Oliver's friends try to discover his true identity.

Timeline of Events
1820s
Oliver is born in a workhouse to an unknown woman who

dies after giving birth.
10 years later
Oliver asks for more gruel, so the workhouse board

apprentices him to an undertaker.
A few months later
An older apprentice, Noah Claypole, goads Oliver into a

fight and frames him for attempted murder.
That night
Oliver runs away to London, where he meets Jack

Dawkins (the Artful Dodger) and moves in with Fagin.
A few days later
Jack picks a pocket, but Oliver is arrested for the theft;

the victim takes Oliver home with him.
Several weeks after that
Oliver goes out to run an errand and gets nabbed by

Nancy and Sikes, who return him to Fagin.
A month or so later
Sikes takes Oliver on a job; Oliver is shot and nursed

back to health by the burglary victims.
The next summer
Nancy meets Rose and Mr. Brownlow to help them find

Oliver's true identity.
That night
Sikes kills Nancy; trying to escape, he falls off a roof with

a noose around his neck.
Soon after

Oliver visits Fagin on death row; Fagin tells him where to

find Monks's secret papers.

Oliver Twist Study Guide Chapter Summaries 12
c Chapter Summaries Analysis

Chapters 1 and 2 introduce the central mystery of Oliver
Twist—his identity and that of his mother—as well as several
Chapters 1–2 ongoing themes: poverty, criminality, and child abuse. They
also address the themes of hypocrisy and greed, especially in
the character of Mrs. Mann, whose desire to live well leads her
Summary to starve the children in her care while claiming that she
"couldn't see 'em suffer."
Mrs. Mann runs a baby farm. Under Hanway's Act of 1767,

Chapter 1 London's poor children under six had to be educated in the
countryside outside of the city, and London church parishes
Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse, attended by a doctor and
set aside a small weekly stipend per child for this purpose.
an old woman acting as a nurse. Oliver's mother, Agnes
Since the parishes were in charge of caring for the children,
Fleming, was found the night before lying in the street and was
they chose the cheapest means of doing so: lodging them with
brought to the workhouse. After Oliver's birth she takes her
individuals who contracted to provide care, maintenance, and
son in her arms, kisses him, and dies. Leaving instructions for
education. The system was flawed from the start. In its first 10
the baby to be fed gruel (a thin mixture of water and oats or
years, over 20 percent of the children placed in these baby
other grains) if "it" cries, the doctor notes that the dead girl
farms did not survive the experience.
wears no wedding ring and leaves to eat his dinner. The nurse
swigs from a flask before wrapping Oliver in a blanket. Children who survived the baby farm were then expected to
work. Some went to work in the factories; others, like nine-
year-old Oliver, went to the workhouse. Oliver is given the job
Chapter 2 of picking oakum. Old, tarry ropes had to be untwisted and the
threads, or oakum, picked out for reuse. It was a hard and
Oliver is transferred to a baby farm, where a fee is paid for the
painful task.
ongoing care of babies and children. Old Mrs. Mann, for
example, makes her living by raising poor orphaned children. At In his narration Dickens frequently creates verbal irony by
Mrs. Mann's baby farm, Oliver receives little food, clothing, having characters say the opposite of what they mean. For
care, or affection. He's lucky to survive, as several other instance the narrator says in Chapter 1 that being born in the
children do not. On Oliver's ninth birthday, the parish beadle, workhouse "was the best thing for Oliver Twist that could
Mr. Bumble, takes him back to the workhouse. possibly have occurred" because it forced him to overcome his
breathing difficulties on his own. In Chapter 2 Mr. Bumble tells
At the workhouse Oliver's job is to pick oakum, untangling old
Mrs. Mann that the parish has been unable to discover Oliver's
tar-covered ropes to make material used to seal a ship's
identity despite their "supernat'ral exertions"; however, it is
seams. Under new regulations the workhouse children are fed
clear that the parish leaders would not exert themselves on
three meals of gruel per day supplemented by occasional bits
behalf of any of the orphans.
of bread. After three months of this regimen, the children are
starving and desperate. Oliver and several others draw lots,
and it becomes Oliver's task to ask for more food. After
finishing his small bowl of gruel, he approaches the master and Chapters 3–4
says, "Please, sir, I want some more." Overcome by the
impertinence of this demand, the master calls for Mr. Bumble,
who informs the board. The board decides to offer Oliver as an Summary
apprentice, and one of them predicts, "that boy will be hung."

Gamfield and the workhouse board, during which Mr. Gamfield

Chapter 3
describes the best way to get a boy to come out of a chimney:
While waiting for an apprenticeship, Oliver is held for a week
alone in a dark room and taken out each morning to wash in "Young boys have been
cold water while being caned by Mr. Bumble. Every other day
he is taken to the dining hall to be whipped in front of the other smothered in chimneys before
boys. Every evening he is permitted to hear the boys pray they
now," said another gentleman.
will "be guarded from the sins and vices of Oliver Twist."
The first person to offer Oliver an apprenticeship is the

chimney sweep, Mr. Gamfield, a cruel man who, if one of his
"That's acause they damped the
apprentices gets stuck in a chimney, lights a fire at the bottom straw afore they lit it in the
to prompt them to "struggle to hextricate theirselves." Mr.
Bumble brings Oliver to meet Mr. Gamfield before the
chimbley to make 'em come down
magistrates, who must agree to the arrangement. But even the agin," said Gamfield; "that's all
old, shortsighted, and somewhat dimwitted magistrate can see
the terror on Oliver's face, and he asks the boy, "What is the smoke, and no blaze; vereas
matter?" Oliver begs not to go with the cruel-looking man, and
smoke ain't o' no use at all in
the magistrate—silencing Mr. Bumble's protests—refuses to
okay the deal. making a boy come down, for it
only sinds him to sleep, and that's
Chapter 4 wot he likes. Boys is wery obstinit,
Disappointed, the board instructs Mr. Bumble to look for a and wery lazy, gen'lmen, and
trading vessel that will take Oliver as a ship's boy, hoping the
there's nothink like a good hot
master of the vessel will flog him to death. But before the
beadle can set off on his mission, Mr. Sowerberry, the parish blaze to make 'em come down vith
undertaker, offers to take on an apprentice. Mr. Bumble brings
Oliver to the Sowerberrys that very night. There Oliver meets
a run. It's humane too, gen'lmen,
Mrs. Sowerberry, who orders that Oliver be fed the scraps that acause, even if they've stuck in the
had been put aside for the dog. Oliver, amazed by the offer of
meat, gobbles them up greedily. Mrs. Sowerberry then sends
chimbley, roasting their feet
him to sleep under the counter among the coffins in the shop. makes 'em struggle to hextricate
theirselves."
Analysis
To ensure he acquires Oliver as an apprentice, Mr. Gamfield
Few characters in Oliver Twist are fully developed; some are tries to show he treats his boys humanely by describing his
downright caricatures. This is in line with the somewhat cruelty in detail. This is another example of Dickens's use of
allegorical nature of the story, in which some characters characters in his social satire. In fact boys forced to work as
symbolize moral or political ideas, as well as with its chimney sweeps might be as young as three. Their masters
melodramatic, or emotionally extreme, aspects. starved them to keep them thin enough to go up and down the
chimneys, and it was extremely dangerous work. Many boys
One such caricature is Mr. Gamfield, the chimney sweep, who
died from falls or, if they got stuck in a chimney, of smoke
is unrelentingly greedy and abusive. Readers first see him
inhalation; if the boys survived the work, they often died of the
beating his donkey and realize this is exactly how he must treat
long-term effects of breathing soot.
his apprentices. There follows a discussion between Mr.

London, passing the baby farm on his way. In the garden he

Chapters 5–7 sees one of the young boys, Dick, who hugs Oliver and says,
"God bless you!" It is the first time Oliver has ever been
blessed, and he never forgets it.
Summary
Analysis
Chapter 5
Dickens makes frequent use of the literary device of authorial
After an uneasy night, Oliver wakes to the sound of someone intrusion: he stops telling the story and speaks directly to the
kicking the door. It is Noah Claypole, who also works for Mr. reader, often employing irony to satirize characters' words and
Sowerberry. They go to the kitchen, where Charlotte, the actions. For instance, in Chapter 5, he comments on Noah
serving girl, gives Noah "a nice little bit of bacon [she has Claypole's interest in bullying Oliver: "This affords charming
saved] from master's breakfast" and Oliver some stale bits of food for contemplation. It shows us what a beautiful thing
bread. Several weeks later Mr. Sowerberry decides that human nature may be made to be; and how impartially the
Oliver's "expression of melancholy" would make the boy an same amiable qualities are developed in the finest lord and the
effective mute—a professional mourner—at children's funerals dirtiest charity-boy." These sentences do not further the plot or
and takes Oliver along to an adult's funeral to learn about the describe Noah's character; instead Dickens directly shares his
undertaker's profession. private thoughts with the reader.
Food is a continuing motif in Oliver Twist and one that is tied to

Chapter 6 the pervasive theme of poverty. In the first two chapters, Oliver
is given only bread, gruel, and onions. As a result he is weak.
In a month Oliver's probationary period is at an end. As the However, Mr. Sowerberry, a middle-class professional, and his
town is experiencing "a nice sickly season," Sowerberry has a household (including Noah and Charlotte) eat much better than
lot of work. Oliver learns the trade quickly and is promoted to the paupers in the workhouse. Even though Oliver eats only
mute. Because Noah Claypole treats him badly, so does scraps that might otherwise be given to the dog, they are often
Charlotte. And because Mr. Sowerberry likes Oliver, Mrs. scraps of meat. It is also likely that he receives potatoes, some
Sowerberry does not. One day when Mr. Sowerberry is out, fresh vegetables, and possibly some fruit. Along with his diet,
Noah goads Oliver viciously about the younger boy's mother. his health begins to improve, and he grows stronger in body
Finally the older boy says that it's best "that she died when she and mind.
did, or else she'd have been hard labouring [in prison], or
transported, or hung; which is more likely than either, isn't it?" Noah comments that Oliver's mother was better off dead than
Oliver knocks the larger boy down. Charlotte cries out, drawing facing a worse fate. During the Victorian period, people who
Mrs. Sowerberry to the kitchen. The two women beat Oliver were convicted of crimes, even minor ones such as stealing
and lock him in the cellar and send Noah to fetch Mr. Bumble. food, could face tough sentences. Some were sent to prison
and forced to do grueling work, such as walking on a huge
treadmill. Another option involved being "transported," or sent
Chapter 7 to far-off Australia, a penal colony to which England
condemned thousands of prisoners. The third option was the
Noah tells the beadle an exaggerated version of events: Oliver most drastic: death by hanging, usually at a public execution.
has tried to murder Noah, Charlotte, and Mrs. Sowerberry and
has stated his desire to kill Mr. Sowerberry as well. Arriving at In Chapter 7 readers meet Dick, Oliver's friend, who is still
the undertaker's, Mr. Bumble shouts through the cellar door to trapped at the baby farm. Although Dick appears in the novel
Oliver, assuming that Oliver will be terrified by the sound of his only once more, he is mentioned frequently and assumes great
voice. But Oliver is not. The beadle explains that this insolence importance for Oliver. He represents one of the few kind
is caused by meat: they have fed Oliver too much meat. After people Oliver knew as a child and was the first person who
several more beatings, Oliver decides to leave and sets out for ever blessed him.

Chapters 8–10 Chapter 10

After spending many days picking embroidery and playing the
strange game, Oliver is finally allowed out with Charley and the
Summary Artful Dodger. He wonders what he will learn to make
first—handkerchiefs or pocketbooks. Instead he is startled to
see Charley swiping fruit and vegetables from market stalls.
Chapter 8 Then Jack spots a well-dressed gentleman at a bookstall and
reaches into the man's pocket, takes out a handkerchief, and
Oliver sees a milestone that indicates London is 70 miles away.
passes it to Charley. The two run off. Realizing where all the
He has only a crust of bread and a penny, both of which are
handkerchiefs and pocketbooks really come from, Oliver
soon gone. He tries begging but soon reaches towns that
begins to run. Soon a crowd is pursuing Oliver, joined by
outlaw begging and view strange children with suspicion.
Charley and Jack yelling, "Stop, thief!" A brutish fellow stops
Seven days after setting out, Oliver meets a boy his own age
Oliver with a fist to the face. The gentleman arrives and
who treats Oliver to a meal. This is Jack Dawkins, otherwise
identifies Oliver as the thief but shows concern for his injuries.
known as the Artful Dodger. Jack offers to take Oliver home
With the gentleman in attendance, a policeman leads Oliver
with him and introduce him to a "'spectable old gentleman" who
away.
will provide Oliver with a place to stay free of charge. Late that
night Jack leads Oliver through London to a dark, dirty
neighborhood full of unsavory smells and people. Finally the
Analysis
Artful Dodger pulls Oliver into a doorway and guides him up a
dark stairwell into a room where several other boys are In Chapter 8 Oliver meets Fagin, who will become the greatest
drinking and smoking. There, Oliver meets Fagin, "a very old threat in his young life. Oliver's initial impression—based on
shrivelled Jew, whose villainous-looking and repulsive face [is] Fagin's ugliness and dirtiness, and the general unpleasantness
obscured by a quantity of matted red hair." Fagin gives Oliver a of the neighborhood in which he lives—is negative. But the boy
supper of sausages and watered-down gin before putting him gives Fagin the benefit of the doubt because of his apparent
to bed. generosity to the boys he has taken in.
Victorian London had a substantial Jewish population, and

Chapter 9 England, like other parts of Europe, had a strong anti-Semitic
tradition. The Jewish fence was a common stereotype. Dickens
The next day Oliver finds himself alone with Fagin. Fagin takes
named Fagin after a boy he worked with in the book-blacking
a metal box from a hiding place and examines its contents,
factory, Bob Fagin, whose name is actually Irish. Fagin taught
which include a gold watch and some jewelry. When Fagin
him how to wrap and tie the pots of blacking, defended him
catches Oliver looking at him, he grabs a knife and demands to
against taunts from the other boys, and even tended him when
know whether Oliver was awake an hour ago. Satisfied with the
he was ill. Dickens never explained why he immortalized such a
boy's assurances that he was not, Fagin tells Oliver that the
kind boy by giving his name to a personification of the devil.
things in the box are his. Soon Jack returns with another of the
boys, Charley Bates. The two give Fagin pocketbooks and In Victorian London child criminality was common, and there
handkerchiefs. Fagin explains that the boys have made them. was much talk of criminal bosses who trained and ran gangs of
Oliver is puzzled when Charley laughs at this. Fagin and the young thieves and then fenced the goods the boys stole. In the
boys play a game that involves the boys trying to take things early 19th century these included the thief-trainer Thomas
out of Fagin's pockets without his noticing. Two friendly young Duggin; Charles King, who, like Fagin, headed a gang of
women arrive, have a few drinks, and leave with Jack and pickpockets; and Ikey Solomon, a notorious thief-trainer and
Charley. Then Fagin teaches Oliver how to pick the embroidery fence. Like Oliver the boys were usually orphans and runaways
from handkerchiefs. in need of a livelihood, and of course, the criminal bosses were
eager to improve their incomes by taking advantage of these
young boys. Dickens, in his usual manner, felt the need to draw

the public's attention to this human tragedy involving the young

and vulnerable children of London.
Analysis
Readers will notice throughout Oliver Twist that a character's
face tends to reveal his or her personality. Oliver's face is
Chapters 11–12 sweet and open. This is one reason Fagin believes he would be
a valuable asset if only he could be subverted; it is also part of
the reason Mr. Brownlow believes the boy must be innocent.
Summary Fagin's face, in contrast, is "villainous-looking" and "repulsive."
Mr. Fang's face is "stern" and "flushed," as if he drinks too
much; his expression and color may, of course, indicate that
Chapter 11 he's angry over the article he's reading. He is certainly short-
tempered with everyone in the court, including the victim, Mr.
At the police station, Oliver is locked in a dismal cell, and the Brownlow. Dickens based Mr. Fang, whose name implies that
gentleman contemplates why Oliver looks so familiar. Soon he has a nasty bite, on a real London magistrate named Laing,
Oliver appears before the police magistrate, Mr. Fang. The who was famous for being bad-tempered and rude.
gentleman whose handkerchief was stolen identifies himself as
Mr. Brownlow and says he cannot be sure Oliver was the thief; The belief that a person's features indicate their character is
he expresses concern that the boy is gravely ill. Oliver is in fact not a literary conceit. In the 19th century many people
so ill that he cannot answer any questions and soon passes subscribed to the centuries-old "science" of physiognomy.
out. Mr. Fang sentences Oliver to three months' hard labor. As Even the ancient Greeks believed they could read a person's
Oliver is being carried from the room, the bookstall keeper character in his or her head size or facial shape. The 18th
rushes in and testifies that Oliver's companions were the century Swiss writer and philosopher Johann Kaspar Lavater
thieves and that Oliver himself "was perfectly amazed and broke the face down into sections—eyes, nose, mouth,
stupefied" to see what they did. Mr. Fang voids his previous etc.—and discussed what different characteristics of each
decision and releases Oliver. When Mr. Brownlow and the section meant. Terms such as highbrow, lowbrow, and stuck-up
bookseller leave the station, they find Oliver lying in the street, originate with physiognomy. A related "science" is phrenology,
bathed in sweat and shivering. Mr. Brownlow calls for a coach, which can be traced back to Franz Josef Gall, an Austrian
and the two men depart, taking Oliver with them. doctor, and was based on his belief that the shape of the skull
reflects the shape of the brain and thus the intelligence and
character of the person. Phrenology was in vogue in Britain
Chapter 12 and America when Dickens was writing Oliver Twist.
Oliver wakes up in a clean, soft bed and is attended by Mrs. Oliver's brief trial takes place in a police court. The 1829
Bedwin, who is Mr. Brownlow's housekeeper. Oliver is in Mr. Metropolitan Police Act gave the power of prosecution to the
Brownlow's house. Three days later Oliver is strong enough to police. Petty criminals were therefore taken before a
be taken downstairs where he is fascinated by a portrait of a magistrate, or more commonly two magistrates, where they
young woman with a "beautiful, mild face." The way the eyes would act as their own defense against the accusation of their
seem to look at him "makes my heart beat ... as if it was alive, victim, who acted as the prosecutor. There was no jury, and
and wanted to speak to me, but couldn't." Mr. Brownlow looks decisions often were not formally recorded.
at Oliver and then at the portrait and realizes that the boy's
features and expression are the same as those of the young
woman. Chapters 13–14
After escaping with Mr. Brownlow's handkerchief, Jack
Dawkins and Charley Bates return to Fagin's. Charley finds the
whole thing riotously funny, especially how they chased Oliver
crying, "Stop, thief!" But Jack asks, "What'll Fagin say?"

possessions, and a home with a lock on the door. Nancy is one

Summary of the few characters in Oliver Twist who is layered and who
develops as the novel progresses. In Chapter 13 readers don't
yet know her very well, but it is clear that she is resilient and
Chapter 13 quick-thinking. In Chapter 16 readers will learn more about
Nancy's past and motivations. And her acting talents will stand
Jack Dawkins tells Fagin that the police have Oliver. Bill Sikes
her in good stead later, when she must hide her true intentions
arrives, followed by his dog, a canine version of his brutal
from those around her.
master. Sikes and Fagin worry that Oliver will say something
that will lead the police to them. They realize they must retrieve Dickens uses language carefully and effectively in his
Oliver, but neither the men nor the boys are willing to endanger characterizations. For instance in Chapter 13 Jack Dawkins
their freedom by doing so. Sikes then insists that Nancy go. asks whether Oliver is "to be kidnapped to the other ken"; a
When she returns Nancy reports that the gentleman took ken is a house. A few lines later, Fagin says, "He has not
Oliver to his house. Fagin sends Nancy and Jack to find Oliver peached so far"; to peach is to inform on someone. Both
and bring him back. characters use the vocabulary of crime; these words would be
out of place in the mouths of Mr. Brownlow or Mrs. Bedwin. In
his characterization of Mr. Grimwig in Chapter 14, Dickens
Chapter 14 repeatedly uses the idiomatic expression "I'll eat my head" to
emphasize that character's eccentricity.
When Oliver recovers Mr. Brownlow invites him to his study,
where they discuss Oliver's future. Oliver learns that the In these two chapters, the criminal world that Oliver has fallen
people Mr. Brownlow loves most are dead. Just as Oliver is into and the respectable, kind world he longs for have come
about to tell the story of his life, a visitor arrives—Mr. Grimwig, together. As the novel unfolds, the reader will find these two
an old friend of Mr. Brownlow. When Oliver leaves the room, worlds in continual conflict, with Oliver caught in between.
Mr. Grimwig asks archly whether Mrs. Bedwin tallies the silver,
finding it likely that some might turn up missing. Later Mr.
Brownlow asks Oliver to come to him in the morning to
continue their conversation, and Oliver, feeling scrutinized
Chapters 15–17
harshly by Mr. Grimwig, is slow to reply. Mr. Grimwig takes this
as an indication that Oliver is lying, which angers Mr. Brownlow.
Summary
A packet of books is delivered. Mr. Brownlow realizes they
have not been paid for and that he has books that need to be
returned. Oliver is dispatched to the bookseller's to attend to Chapter 15
these matters. Mr. Grimwig warns his friend that, with new
clothes, a parcel of valuable books, and money, Oliver will "join Fagin meets Bill Sikes in a pub to pay Bill for his latest haul.
his old friends the thieves, and laugh at you. If ever that boy Nancy arrives and tells the men that Oliver has been sick in
returns to this house, sir, I'll eat my head." The two men sit bed. She would say more, but a look from Fagin silences her.
waiting as night falls. Nancy and Bill leave to hunt for Oliver, and they soon find him.
The boy is on his way to the bookseller, lost in memories of his
workhouse friend Dick, when Nancy runs up and throws her
Analysis arms around him, crying out that Oliver is her brother, who ran
away, breaking their parents' hearts. Bill appears, grabs the
When Nancy acts the part of a woman looking for her little boy, and snatches the books out of his arms, accusing Oliver
brother, her habitual slightly soiled, untidy dress is masked with of stealing them. Egged on by several bystanders, Bill doles out
"a clean white apron," and her hair and "curl-papers" with a some punitive blows and calls on Bull's-eye to guard the boy.
straw bonnet. She also carries a basket and a door key. These Meanwhile, night has fallen, and Brownlow's household waits in
are the outward signs of respectability—cleanliness, tidiness, vain for Oliver's return.

turn. Nancy and Bill Sikes cannot know where Oliver will be, yet
Chapter 16
he runs straight into them. Later in the story, when he has once
Bill Sikes and Nancy return Oliver to Fagin's, where Oliver begs more escaped Fagin's grasp, it will again be pure coincidence
Fagin to return the books and money so that Mr. Brownlow and that enables the old man to locate him. These coincidences
Mrs. Bedwin will not think he has stolen from them. Fagin and may seem hard to believe, but without them the story could not
Sikes are congratulating each other on Oliver's fall from grace move forward. Despite the realism of the subject matter in
when Oliver makes a break for it. Fagin retrieves him and is Victorian novels such as Oliver Twist, the use of coincidence
about to beat him when Nancy grabs the club out of his hands was typical of the era.
and throws it in the fire. Nancy argues, "He's a thief, a liar, a
Mr. Brownlow lives in Clerkenwell, a part of London that was
devil, all that's bad, from this night forth. Isn't that enough ...
partly reconstructed in the 18th century. It is likely that he
without blows?" She then blames Fagin for making her into a
would have lived in a house in one of the Georgian terraces
thief to make her living on "the cold, wet, dirty streets" until she
built at that time. When Bill Sikes and Nancy capture Oliver,
dies. Distressed, Nancy faints. Oliver is stripped of his new
they lead him south into the old streets that escaped the Great
clothes and locked in the kitchen to sleep.
Fire of London, through Smithfield, and on to one of Fagin's
less-used houses.
Chapter 17
Mr. Bumble visits Mrs. Mann, where Dick asks to leave a dying Chapters 18–20
message for "poor Oliver Twist." To punish him for having
fallen under Oliver's sway, Dick is locked in the coal cellar. Mr.
Bumble goes to London on parish business. There he reads a Summary
newspaper announcement that Mr. Brownlow is offering a five-
guinea reward for information about Oliver Twist. At Mr.
Brownlow's Mr. Bumble tells Mr. Brownlow and Mr. Grimwig Chapter 18
that Oliver's parents were "low" and "vicious" and that Oliver
had always behaved with "treachery, ingratitude, and malice." After spending a week locked in the kitchen, Oliver is left alone
When Mr. Brownlow calls Oliver "an imposter," Mrs. Bedwin with the run of the house. The shutters are nailed closed, and
refuses to believe it. the place is dark and dirty. The house is old, and Oliver
imagines that people once lived there happily. One day Jack
Dawkins and Charley Bates come home, and while Oliver
Analysis polishes Jack's boots, the two boys try to convince him that he
can make a good living as a thief. Soon Fagin arrives, along
In Chapter 15 Bill Sikes and Nancy leave Fagin reading the with Tom Chitling and Bet, and they all pass the evening talking
Hue-and-Cry in the Cripples. The actual name of this about the benefits of a life of crime. After that Oliver's days are
newspaper was the Police Gazette, but it had originally been spent with Fagin, Jack, and Charley playing the old
the Public Hue and Cry. Every Saturday it was sent by the Bow pickpocketing game and listening to Fagin tell tales of his early
Street magistrates' court to mayors, magistrates, court clerks, career. His stories are so funny that even Oliver has to laugh.
prison officials, police and military officers, and other officials
throughout the United Kingdom concerned with law and
policing. The Gazette contained information about the Chapter 19
criminals, including details about convicts on parole, wanted
foreigners, military deserters, and the activities and locations Fagin visits Bill Sikes to discuss plans for a burglary at
of criminals. It also provided follow-ups on criminals it had Chertsey. Sikes explains that the servants cannot be bribed to
previously listed. let them in, but he offers to break in for a larger cut of the take.
All he will need is a drill bit and a small boy. Nancy suggests
When Oliver dashes out to the bookseller, books and money in Oliver as the boy for the job, and Fagin agrees. It's time, he
hand, it is an unplanned outing; moreover, he takes a wrong

says, for Oliver "to work for his bread." Bill expresses less environment?
confidence, but Fagin assures him that once Oliver has helped
rob the house, he will view himself as one of the gang. They
decide the robbery will take place two nights later. Bill drinks Chapters 21–22
until he passes out, and Fagin leaves, congratulating himself
that Nancy has forgotten her concerns for Oliver.
Summary
Chapter 20
Fagin tells Oliver that he will be going with Bill Sikes and warns Chapter 21
the boy to do what he's told because Bill is a "rough man."
Day breaks as Bill Sikes and Oliver make their way through
Fagin has given Oliver a book to read while waiting; it is a
London. They pass through Smithfield market; it's market day,
graphic true crime book, and it frightens Oliver so much that he
and Oliver is amazed at the commotion of people and animals.
soon puts it aside and starts praying to be saved from a life of
The pubs are open, but Bill passes them by. They travel all day,
crime. Nancy arrives and takes Oliver to Bill, who holds a pistol
sometimes walking, sometimes getting a ride in a cart. By
to Oliver's head and threatens to shoot him if he crosses him.
nightfall they have left London behind. Finally, at a distance
After a few hours' sleep and a quick breakfast, Bill and Oliver
from any town, Sikes leads the boy into "a solitary house: all
head out into the early morning hours.
ruinous and decayed."
Analysis Chapter 22
In Chapter 18 Fagin proves himself to be an adept
Inside the house Toby Crackit and Barney meet Bill Sikes and
psychological manipulator. He uses solitary confinement to
Oliver and provide them with food washed down by spirits.
make Oliver susceptible to a sort of brainwashing. This is a
They grab a few hours of sleep and rise again at 1:30 a.m. After
corruption of an experimental method being used on prison
dressing warmly in dark clothing and assembling their
inmates at the time Dickens was writing. Prisoners were left in
equipment, Bill and Toby lead Oliver out into the night, while
isolation with Bibles to read and occasional visits from the
Barney goes back to sleep. There's a dense fog and no moon,
prison chaplain. It was hoped that through reflection they could
making the night all the darker. The three walk through a
be rehabilitated.
nearby town and beyond it until they reach a house. The men
lift Oliver over the wall that surrounds it, and, suddenly
In the late 17th century, philosopher John Locke (1632–1704)
understanding their mission, he begs them to let him go. Bill
argued that the mind is more or less a tabula rasa, or blank
pulls out his gun, but Toby stops Bill from shooting and
slate. General principles of morality, logic, and so forth are
threatens to smash Oliver's head if he doesn't behave. Bill pries
learned (through sensory experience and reflection) rather
open a small window, instructs Oliver how to find and open the
than innate (something people are born with). However,
front door, and slips the boy through the window. Oliver, having
philosopher Gottfried Leibniz (1646–1716) felt that such
decided to run up the stairs and alert the inhabitants, moves
principles are innate, rather than coming from sources outside
forward.
the individual, such as experience. This opposition forms the
basis of the ongoing debate on nature (innateness) versus
Suddenly, Bill shouts, "Come back!" Oliver sees two men
nurture (tabula rasa).
appear at the top of the stairs. There's a flash and a loud noise.
Oliver has been shot. Bill drags him back through the window
Dickens places Oliver squarely in the midst of this debate.
and carries him off in the midst of more gunshots and shouting.
Clearly Oliver was born with a kind, sweet nature that
Oliver passes out.
somewhat insulates him from the wiles and meanness of Fagin,
Sikes, and the others. But for how long? Will his nature be
subsumed over time by an unremitting evil and criminal

pot of tea when Mr. Bumble stops by for a chat. They speak
Analysis about the greed of the paupers under their care. Mr. Bumble
moves closer to the widow and kisses her. Just then the
Chertsey is an old market town near the Thames, southwest of
message arrives that an old woman is about to die and has
London. It takes Bill Sikes and Oliver a very long day to reach
asked for the matron. Left on his own to wait for her return, Mr.
it, during which they walk or ride through many districts in the
Bumble expresses delight as he takes inventory of Mrs.
city and beyond. Because many of his readers would have
Corney's silver and furnishings.
been aware of each district, its location, and its character,
Dickens presents a litany of them in the expectation that
readers will follow the characters' journey in their minds. They Chapter 24
start walking in the dark old neighborhoods well to the east of
central London. It's getting light but is still foggy as they reach Mrs. Corney is brought to the dying woman, who turns out to
Smithfield market, where livestock—mostly cattle and be the nurse who attended at the birth of Oliver Twist. She
sheep—were sold and slaughtered; Dickens calls attention to confesses to the matron that after Oliver's mother died, she
the "reeking bodies of the cattle." This dark, confusing, and stole something made of gold from the body. But the old
threatening atmosphere contrasts starkly with the woman dies before she can say exactly what she took.
sundrenched "better" suburbs such as Kensington and
Chiswick, which they ride through later on their way west.
When they arrive in Chertsey, Sikes leads Oliver across a

Analysis
bridge built in 1780 to connect Chertsey with the London road.
To understand Mr. Bumble's actions in Chapter 23, readers
Again, Dickens's understanding of the geography of the area
should know that in the early 1800s when a woman married,
feeds the logic of events. Later Oliver will cross the bridge
everything she owned or earned became the property of her
again and recognize it.
husband. This would not begin to change until the first of
series of Married Women's Property Acts was passed in 1870.
During their travels, readers learn that Sikes, like Nancy, can
put on a pleasant face when necessary. He is agreeable with
Characters in Oliver Twist—especially lower-middle-class and
the two men who offer them rides. He also treats Oliver with
poor characters, as in Chapter 24—frequently drink gin, an
some care, allowing the boy to rest and sleep at times. This
alcoholic beverage. In the 1700s London, the heart of
may, of course, be purely practical; after all, he needs Oliver to
England's gin distilling, experienced a "gin craze," with
be awake and at his best when called on to perform during the
Londoners drinking on average 14 gallons of gin a year. It was
burglary. But it may also indicate that there is still a speck of
cheap and easy to find—cheaper than wholesome food—so it
humanity in an otherwise inhumane character.
was the preferred drink of the poor. Widespread drunkenness
was the root of much of London's high crime and death rates
"Flash" Toby Crackit is Sikes's partner in the housebreaking.
and low birth rates.
As with many characters, his name is a clue to his occupation.
In the early 1800s, crack meant "burglary."
Oliver has been immersed in a gin-soaked environment since
his arrival in London. Fagin provides plentiful supplies of it to
his boys and girls. And even the poorest of the poor find it
Chapters 23–24 available, including the kind old crones in the workhouse who
administer it to the dying woman. This tolerant attitude toward
and easy availability of gin poses yet one more threat to young
Summary Oliver as he strives to escape this world.
Chapter 23
Mrs. Corney, the workhouse matron, has just made herself a

provide an opportunity for them to join their "hearts and

Chapters 25–27 housekeepings," and they agree to marry. Mrs. Corney tells him
that the old woman has died, but she does not tell him what
she learned about Oliver's mother. Mr. Bumble goes to the
Summary undertaker's to order a coffin for the Mrs. Thingummy. When
he gets there, the Sowerberrys are out, and he finds Charlotte
feeding oysters to Noah, who has been drinking. When he
Chapter 25 hears Noah call Charlotte over for a kiss, the beadle berates
them for their lewd behavior.
In the Whitechapel house, Jack Dawkins, Charley Bates, and
Tom Chitling are playing cards. Fagin, meanwhile, appears
distracted and pays little attention. When the bell rings, Jack Analysis
goes to answer; Toby Crackit reports, alone. This worries
Fagin, and he shoos Charley and Tom out of the room while In Chapter 25 Fagin's boys are playing whist. Known under
Jack fetches Crackit. Toby says he hasn't eaten in three days other names since the Renaissance, by the 19th century, whist
and insists on doing so before telling his story. Fagin knows was an exceedingly popular card game. It could be played by
from the newspaper that the burglary failed, but he hasn't partners or, as in the chapter, individually. It was considered a
heard from Bill Sikes. Toby says he and Bill carried Oliver away, game of intellect, and the Artful Dodger's success at whist is
but they were being hunted by armed men and dogs and left another indication of how clever he is.
the boy in a ditch. Fagin cries out and runs from the house.
Before Fagin asks for Monks in the Cripples, readers have not
heard of him. But it can be inferred from Fagin's comments to
Chapter 26 Nancy about a "born devil" and his uneasiness when he finds
Monks waiting for him outside his door that Fagin has had
Fagin heads to the Cripples, asks after someone called Monks, dealings with him before and that Monks is one of the few
and leaves a message that Monks should visit him the next people Fagin fears. Their conversation deepens the mystery of
day. He then goes to Bill Sikes's room, where Nancy is sitting Oliver's identity. Why should Monks be so desperately
alone and distraught. In their emotional exchange, it becomes concerned about Oliver?
clear that Oliver is more valuable to Fagin than any of his gang,
all of whom he could send to the gallows with a word. He also In Chapter 27 Charlotte is feeding Noah oysters. Today
lets slip that he himself is bound to "a born devil that only oysters are expensive, but in Victorian times, they were eaten
wants the will, and has the power to, to—" but he catches by the working and middle classes. Since Mr. Sowerberry is an
himself before finishing his thought and doesn't go on. Having undertaker, the Sowerberrys are middle class. They can afford
made sure that Nancy did not notice his slip, Fagin heads some high-protein foods such as bacon and oysters, both of
home, where Monks confronts him. Monks is angry that Fagin which Dickens mentions as part of their diet. The working
has lost Oliver and wants Oliver transported, but under no urban poor had fewer options, and some never tasted meat.
circumstances dead—not if it can be tied to him in any way. When they did they might eat premature calves (called slink),
Suddenly, Monks cries, "What's that?" He has seen the shadow undesirable cuts of mutton (diseased sheep—called broxy—or
of a woman outside the door. But a search reveals nothing. sheep's heads), or even spoiled meat. The food fed to
workhouse inmates was even worse.
Chapter 27
Chapters 28–30
While awaiting Mrs. Corney's return, Mr. Bumble continues his
inventory of her belongings. When she finally arrives, she is in a
state, and the beadle pours her a teacup of liquid comfort,
finishing half of it himself. He tells her that the workhouse
master is close to dying, which will leave a vacancy—and

couple for several months before dying of a sudden illness in

Summary May 1837—just three months after the first installment of Oliver
Twist was published. Like Mary, Rose is a pretty, sweet-
tempered 17-year-old girl. Rose's sudden illness in Chapter 33
Chapter 28 also recalls Dickens' real-life loss. Like Harry Maylie (Chapter
34), Dickens was 25 at the time of Mary's death.
With their pursuers close on their heels, Toby Crackit and Bill
Sikes leave Oliver in a ditch. Their pursuers give up shortly In Chapter 28 Oliver has been given a second chance to
afterward and head for home. Several hours later Oliver wakes, escape the criminal environment imposed by Fagin and Sikes.
tired, cold, and weak with pain. He staggers along the road Dickens sometimes offered his young characters the
through the rain until he reaches a house—the same house opportunity to change their lives for the better and more than
they had tried to rob the night before. He knocks at the door once gave them second chances. Readers should note the
and collapses on the doorstep. The servants, the tinker, and chances offered to Nancy in later chapters and her response
the tinker's dogs go together to answer the door. Giles to those opportunities.
recognizes Oliver as the boy he shot during the break-in and
brings Oliver inside. Their young mistress asks them to fetch a Mr. Losberne is summoned to dress Oliver's wound and set his
constable and a doctor and to treat the boy kindly. broken arm. Dickens makes a point of saying that Mr. Losberne
is a surgeon but is referred to as "the doctor." He makes this
distinction because in Victorian England one became a
Chapter 29 surgeon through apprenticeship; in contrast, a physician
attended university and earned a medical degree. So only a
While at breakfast Giles fills Mrs. Maylie and her niece Rose physician could be called a doctor, while a surgeon was
Maylie in on the night's events. The doctor, Mr. Losberne, addressed as "Mr."—a form of address still used today.
arrives and goes upstairs, where Oliver has been installed in a
bedroom. After some time he returns and insists that Rose and The Bow Street Runners were a specialized force created in
her aunt accompany him to meet his patient. the mid-18th century by the Westminster court justice (and
novelist) Henry Fielding to apprehend criminals. In addition to
investigating crimes, the Runners patrolled major roads into
Chapter 30 and within London and testified at trials. Police offices modeled
after Bow Street were set up around the city, and in 1842, the
Rose and Mrs. Maylie want to help Oliver rather than turn him first professional detective force was established. Still the Bow
over to the law, and Mr. Losberne agrees on condition that he Street Runners were not viewed as an official force, and
question Oliver when he wakes to make sure the boy isn't a tricking them, as Mr. Losberne will in Chapter 31, would not
hardened criminal. Rose, who was an orphan Mrs. Maylie took have been considered illegal or even distasteful.
in and raised, clearly feels that she herself might otherwise
have ended up in Oliver's shoes. Oliver doesn't wake until
evening, but then he tells the doctor and the two women the
story of his life. Mr. Losberne goes to the kitchen, where he
Chapters 31–33
convinces the constable and the staff that Oliver is not the
same boy who broke in. At that moment the Bow Street
officers arrive. Summary
Analysis Chapter 31
In Chapter 28 readers meet Rose Maylie. Rose was the first of Two Bow Street officers—Blathers and Duff—arrive, examine
several young female characters in whom Dickens the scene, and interview Giles and Brittles. They determine that
memorialized his wife's sister, Mary Hogarth, who lived with the the servants were not involved in the crime and ask to
interview the boy. To buy time the doctor and the Maylies offer

them drinks, which the officers accept. Rose Maylie induces

Blathers to tell a long story about a previous investigation.
Analysis
Then the doctor takes the investigators to Oliver's sickroom,
Mr. Brownlow, readers learn in Chapter 32, has gone to the
where he explains that the boy was injured in an accident on a
West Indies. In 1837 the British Empire included a number of
nearby property and that Giles mistook him for the burglars'
islands in the Caribbean and Atlantic. These were important
boy. Oliver himself is too fevered to respond to questions. The
economically and militarily. Sugar was grown on plantations
two officers interview Giles and Brittles again and investigate
worked by slaves and processed in factories, and the islands,
the gun Giles used. They find that it is loaded with powder and
especially Jamaica, hosted important British naval bases. When
paper only—the doctor removed the ball while the officers sat
slavery was banned in British colonies in 1838, the economic
with the Maylies—and largely lose interest in Oliver, who
value of these holdings declined.
recovers and continues living happily with the Maylies.
In Chapter 32 the Maylies move with Oliver to their country
cottage. Dickens had spent the best years of his childhood in
Chapter 32 the countryside, and like Dickens, Oliver is happy there. The
country is everything the city is not—bright, colorful, and safe.
It takes some time for Oliver to recover from his broken arm
Through the activities of Rose Maylie, Oliver also learns about
and fever. When he does Mr. Losberne takes him up to
true charity, which differs drastically from the institutional
London. On the way Oliver points out the dilapidated house
mistreatment of the poor masquerading as charity that had
where he stayed in the hours before the burglary attempt. The
characterized his early youth.
doctor stops the carriage and pounds on the door. The
hunchback who opens the door claims to have lived there for Dickens does not specify what is wrong with Rose in Chapter
25 years. The interior of the house looks nothing like Oliver's 33, but it is miraculous that she should recover from so serious
description, and they leave, but not before the hunchback gets an illness. From the symptoms that Dickens describes and
a look at Oliver. Upon arrival at Mr. Brownlow's, they discover since Rose spends a lot of time outside, Rose may have
that the house is empty and for rent; Mr. Brownlow has moved contracted typhus. Rose's aunt, Mrs. Maylie, immediately
to the West Indies, taking Mrs. Bedwin and a gentlemen friend. realizes Rose is likely to die. But why is she so pessimistic?
Oliver feels disappointed as he hoped to let them know he is Today the use of antibiotics has made death from typhus rare,
not a liar or thief. Two weeks later the Maylies move—taking but Dickens was writing more than a century before antibiotics
Oliver with them—to their country cottage. There Oliver has a came into widespread use.
tutor who helps him improve his reading and learn to write. On
Sundays they attend church and engage in charitable activities.
Chapters 34–36
Chapter 33
In the summer Rose becomes gravely ill. Mrs. Maylie gives Summary
Oliver a letter for Mr. Losberne and asks the boy to take it to
the inn in the nearest market town; she gives him her purse to
pay for the letter to be carried to Chertsey as quickly as Chapter 34
possible. Oliver does this task, and he bumps into a man in a
long cloak as he's leaving the inn. The man curses at him, Giles has fetched Harry Maylie, who arrives shortly after the
demands to know what he is doing there, and then falls to the doctor has announced the good news. Harry reproaches his
ground in an epileptic fit. Oliver fetches help for the stranger mother for waiting so long before sending word that Rose was
and then goes home. That night Rose's condition worsens, and ill. Mrs. Maylie warns him against marrying Rose; she worries
she becomes delirious. Mr. Losberne arrives the following that later in life something may be discovered about Rose's
evening, but he does not hold out much hope. However, a day unknown past that would cause him to regret the marriage.
later, Rose passes the crisis and begins to recover. She says that she will not stop Harry from asking Rose to
marry him but implies that Rose herself may turn him down for

love of him. Rose continues to improve, and Oliver is happy. parliament did not receive a salary, so they had to be
One evening he falls asleep over his studies and dreams of extremely rich to be able to afford to serve. Typically, a group
Fagin talking about him with another man. He starts awake to of wealthy supporters, or nobs, would sponsor the political
find the two of them staring in the window at him, and the man career of a man who did not have the necessary means. But to
with Fagin is the same one he ran into at the inn. retain their support, the candidate had to meet their criteria.
For Harry, among other things, that meant having a wife who
was above reproach.
Chapter 35
Mr. Losberne and Harry Maylie leave in a post-chaise, a small
Oliver cries out, and the household comes running. Oliver carriage that held two passengers. It was called "post"
points in the direction Fagin took, and Harry Maylie runs off to because it was the only type of carriage besides a mail coach
find the old thief, followed by Oliver, Giles, and Mr. Losberne. or stagecoach that could change out its team of horses at
But they search in vain. Several days later, as Mrs. Maylie various stages of its journey. This meant that the vehicle could
foretold, Rose turns down Harry's marriage proposal because keep traveling rather than stopping for the animals to feed and
she does not want her low beginnings to damage his prospects rest. While most middle-class travelers would use a mail coach
in life. She does, however, admit that she loves him. Harry says or stagecoach, those with more money would travel in their
that he will ask her once more in a year's time. own or a rented post-chaise.
Chapter 36 Chapters 37–38

Oliver has breakfast with Mr. Losberne and Harry Maylie, who
are preparing to leave for home. The two men discuss Harry's
career prospects. He is to become a member of parliament Summary
before the end of the year. Before he leaves Harry asks Oliver
to write to him twice a month with news of the family. Unseen,
Rose cries as she watches the post-chaise, a small carriage Chapter 37
that holds two passengers, carry the men away.
Mr. Bumble has been married to the former Mrs. Corney for
two months, and things are not going well. He is depressed
Analysis over the loss of his status as a beadle, disappointed in the

material goods that came to him upon his marriage, and
The figure of Monks is reminiscent of a Gothic villain. His long decidedly henpecked. Even the paupers know his wife rules
cloak, which disguises his shape and identity, intensifies his the roost and have lost all fear of him. One day he takes refuge
mysterious and threatening nature, and his name, Monks, in a pub, where he meets a stranger in a long cloak. The
recalls the title of one of the best-selling of the original stranger wants to know what has become of Oliver's birth
romantic-era Gothic novels, Matthew Gregory Lewis's The nurse, and Mr. Bumble tells him she died in the winter but he
Monk ( 1796). Although Monks does not frequent the castles knows a woman who might tell him more. The man tells Mr.
and ruins typical of the Gothic genre, he often appears in dark, Bumble to bring her to him the next evening. Mr. Bumble
dangerous settings. Gothic novels also featured the dreamlike, rushes after him to ask his name; it is Monks.
eerie, and inexplicable. It is dreamlike when Oliver wakes to
find Fagin and Monks peering in the window at him and eerie
and inexplicable that his friends can find no trace of the two
Chapter 38
men afterward.
The Bumbles make their way to a rundown neighborhood near
At the beginning of Chapter 36, Mr. Losberne says to Harry the river, where they meet with Monks. His brusque disdain
that "the great nobs ... will get [him] into parliament at the intimidates even Mrs. Bumble at first. But she recovers and
election before Christmas." In Victorian England members of won't part with her information about Oliver until she's paid 25

pounds in gold. Monks pays, and Mrs. Bumble tells her story:
Chapter 39
Mrs. Thingummy took something from Oliver's mother's dead
body but died before she could say more. In her hand was a Bill Sikes has been ill for a long time, but he is finally on the
pawnbroker's ticket, and Mrs. Bumble redeemed it for a locket. mend. Nancy stops by Fagin's to pick up Bill's pay. While she's
Inside were two locks of hair, a wedding ring, the inscription there Monks arrives, and Fagin takes him upstairs to talk.
"Agnes," and a date one year before Oliver's birth. She gives Nancy silently follows. She returns and begins putting on her
these things to Monks, who drops them in the river. shawl just as the men return. Fagin gives her the money, and
she runs home. The next day Nancy doses Sikes with
laudanum and leaves him sleeping. She hurries across town to
Analysis a family hotel near Hyde Park to see Rose Maylie.
Chapter 37 offers some comic relief. As Dickens points out, Mr.

Bumble has always been a bully, and it is satisfying to see him Chapter 40
get his comeuppance, not only from his wife but also from the
pauper women. Soon, however, the comedy is over as Bumble Nancy meets with Rose Maylie and explains her role in Oliver's
enters a public house and meets an unexpected but—to life. She asks whether Rose knows Monks. Rose does not, but
readers—familiar character. Monks's extensive knowledge since Monks knows where Rose is staying, Nancy infers that
about the nurse at Oliver's birth and about Mr. Bumble makes Rose knows him under some other name. Nancy tells Rose that
him seem an even greater threat and deepens the mystery she has heard two conversations between Fagin and Monks,
surrounding Oliver's true identity. from which she learned that Monks paid Fagin to make Oliver a
thief and that evidence of the boy's identity lies on a river
Monks pays Mrs. Bumble 25 pounds in gold, the pound being
bottom. This left Monks with an inheritance that should have
the basic unit of currency in England. At that time the pound
gone to Oliver, whom Monks referred to as his "young brother."
coin was made of gold and was known as a sovereign,
Rose offers to help Nancy to safety, but Nancy refuses to
reflecting the fact that the coins were traditionally stamped
leave Bill. She agrees, however, that she will come to London
with the monarch's image. Although paper money—called
Bridge each Sunday night for an hour so that they can talk
notes—had long been in use in England, recent economic
again.
instability had made people uncertain that the notes would be
honored. And how much was 25 pounds worth? It would have
paid a typical lower middle–class rent for a year. Chapter 41
While Oliver Twist was being serialized, Fagin was referred to Oliver arrives and says he has seen Mr. Brownlow going into a
"the Jew" throughout. But while he was editing the first book house and has the address. Rose goes with the boy to see Mr.
version of Oliver Twist, Dickens received a letter from a Jewish Brownlow. She tells Mr. Brownlow Oliver's story, and Oliver is
acquaintance who pointed out that his constant use of this joyously received by Mr. Brownlow, Mrs. Bedwin, and even Mr.
term was a "great wrong" to Jews. The first 38 chapters had Grimwig. That evening Mr. Brownlow visits the hotel to confer
already been typeset and could not be changed. Still Dickens with the Maylies and Mr. Losberne about how they can
removed almost all mention of "the Jew" from the remaining discover Oliver's true identity and restore his inheritance. They
chapters. decide to meet Nancy the following Sunday to learn where
they can find Monks. In the meantime Mr. Brownlow will ask Mr.
Grimwig for his help, and Mr. Losberne will approach Harry
Chapters 39–41 Maylie.
Summary Analysis
Nancy doses Bill Sikes with laudanum so he'll sleep while she
goes out. Laudanum was commonly taken by rich and poor

alike in the Victorian era, mostly for medicinal reasons to treat Dodger has been arrested for pickpocketing, and Fagin
anything from insomnia to intestinal pain to tuberculosis. It expects him to be transported. Charley is uncharacteristically
consisted of 10 percent powdered opium, 90 percent alcohol, sad at the news, and Fagin convinces him that Jack Dawkins is
and spices for flavoring. Opiates, of which laudanum was the so clever that he'll have the courtroom in stitches with his
least expensive, were in wide use; although people knew they humor. Noah is costumed as a country wagoner and sent to
were habit-forming, no stigma was attached to their use. They attend the trial and report back on the outcome. At his trial
were even used to calm cranky infants and children. The sale Jack's confidence and wit keep the audience and even the
of opiates went unregulated until the second half of the 19th police laughing but don't prevent him being sentenced and
century. taken off to jail.
Rose Maylie's hotel is near Hyde Park. As readers of the day

would know, Hyde Park was a fashionable meeting place. Analysis
People strolled through the manicured gardens and rode
horses and carriages along the broad drives. The surrounding On their way into London, Noah Claypole and Charlotte travel
area, while not extremely wealthy, was very much middle and along the Great North Road, the main highway from the north,
upper class. Nancy would have looked and felt very out of and pass the Angel in Islington, an important coaching inn that
place, which explains her chilly reception by the hotel staff. dated to the early 1600s. The inn was a landmark, and readers
in Victorian England would have been able to place them
The female members of the hotel staff are less willing to hear
exactly. Readers would understand why Noah would not want
Nancy out. Her profession was probably clear to them despite
to stay at the Angel: not only would it charge more than he
her attempt to look respectable. Dickens refers to the young
wanted to spend, but he and Charlotte might stand out.
women as "the Dianas"—a reference to the goddess Diana, a
popular Victorian image of beauty. Ironically, Diana was the The conversation between Fagin and Charley Bates in Chapter
goddess not only of the hunt but also of fertility. 43 reflects the importance of the Artful Dodger to the
mythology of the group. Fagin hopes Charley will retain his
naïve sense of the fun, flash, and romance of being a thief—in
Chapters 42–43 line with the popular image of the dashing highwayman. Jack,
with his wit, humor, and endearing self-assurance, has helped
to brand Fagin's crew in this way. Now, with everything falling
Summary apart, Fagin tries desperately to hold on to this image.
Chapter 43 returns to the Victorian justice system. Fagin talks

about the gallows with Noah, who then watches Jack
Chapter 42 Dawkins's trial. Jack is tried at Bow Street, the main
magistrates' court in London. Dickens was familiar with the
Noah Claypole and Charlotte have stolen the money from Mr.
Bow Street magistrates' court because he had covered trials
Sowerberry's till and walked to London. There they get a room
there as a reporter. Jack performs and is sentenced to
at the Three Cripples. While they're eating dinner, Fagin spies
transportation just as Fagin predicted. Serious or habitual child
on them and learns that Noah wants to join a criminal gang and
criminals under 14 were generally not sentenced to death but
make his fortune. Fagin makes himself known and arranges for
to transportation. In the 1830s—the decade in which Oliver
Noah—who introduces himself as Morris Bolter and Charlotte
Twist appeared—some 5,000 young convicts per year were
as Mrs. Bolter—to meet someone the next day who can set
transported to Australia, where they were employed in
them up with a place to live and jobs in the gang.
construction and other manual labor.
Chapter 43
Noah Claypole and Charlotte move into Fagin's house, where
Fagin says that he has just lost his "best hand": the Artful

Chapters 44–46 Analysis

Fagin is generally a good judge of character; that's what makes
him such an effective gang leader. But somehow Nancy
Summary deceives him again and again. In this case he does not see that
she is suffering a deep moral dilemma; instead he assumes
she's having an affair and looks for a way to turn it to his own
Chapter 44 benefit. His faulty assumption coupled with his inability to
believe in Nancy's loyalty sets in motion the events that will end
Nancy gets ready to meet Rose, but Bill Sikes won't let her
Bill and Nancy's lives, as well as Fagin's own.
leave. Their altercation makes Fagin suspicious. When Fagin
leaves Nancy lights his way downstairs, and he asks her what
In Chapter 44 Sikes says he will "let [Nancy] a little blood,
the problem is. Fagin suspects that Nancy has a new boyfriend
without troubling the doctor." Bloodletting as a medical
and wants to meet the man and bring him into the gang. But
treatment for a variety of ailments dates back thousands of
Sikes would be a danger to the new man and, since he knows
years. Doctors used methods such as leeches, which would
so much about their activities, to the everyone in the gang.
suck the patient's blood, or phlebotomy, which involved
Could Nancy be induced to poison Sikes? This would rid Fagin
opening the patient's vein with a lancet or a handheld
of Sikes and bind Nancy to him more closely.
instrument known as a fleam. Barbers were often called in to
perform phlebotomies, so it is not surprising that Sikes might
do it himself. However, while bloodletting was not an
Chapter 45
uncommon medical procedure, Sikes's threatening nature and
capacity for violence suggest that he is not planning to heal
The next morning Fagin asks Morris Bolter (a.k.a. Noah
Nancy, but to harm her.
Claypole) to follow a woman and see whom she meets and
where and, if possible, find out what she says. For this he will
Rose and Mr. Brownlow repeat their desire to help Nancy
pay Bolter a pound. Six days pass before the opportunity
escape to live in "a quiet asylum." Prostitution was an
arises, but on the next Sunday night, Fagin takes Bolter to the
acknowledged problem in the cities of that time. In the
Cripples and points out the woman.
mid-1800s London may have been home to as many as
80,000 prostitutes. Concerned Victorians set up asylums to
help "fallen women," and in 1846 Dickens became involved with
Chapter 46
one called Urania Cottage. He insisted the women be taught
useful skills and treated compassionately.
Followed by Noah, Nancy arrives on London Bridge at 11:45
p.m. She finds no one there to meet her, but waits until past
midnight, when Rose and Mr. Brownlow arrive. The three talk
on the stairs leading down to the river; Noah hides nearby and Chapters 47–48
hears every word. Mr. Brownlow promises that Fagin and his
gang will not come to harm as long as he can talk to Monks,
who will never know how they found him. Nancy tells them that Summary
Monks frequents the Cripples and when they can find him
there. She describes Monks, and from the description Mr.
Brownlow thinks he knows him. Once again, Mr. Brownlow and Chapter 47
Rose offer to help Nancy, but she refuses.
Bill Sikes comes to Fagin with the loot from his latest burglary,
and Fagin and Noah tell him about Nancy's conversation the
night before with the gentleman and young woman. Bill is
infuriated. When he gets home he tells Nancy he knows all
about her meeting, and she says that he must know that she

didn't betray him, and she begs him to leave their criminal life Sikes desperately tries to conceal his identity and realizes he
behind and come away with her. He knocks her down and can only avoid capture if he no longer has the dog with him.
beats her to death with a club. Bull's-eye is an extension of Sikes, and Bill's decision to kill him
can be seen as an unconscious decision to commit suicide.
Like Sikes, in Chapter 48 Bull's-eye evades capture and
Chapter 48 "execution," but later he will, in effect, commit suicide in order
to stay with his master.
Sikes leaves in the glare of the morning sun and wanders
aimlessly around north London. That evening he stops for a
meal in a village pub, where he feels safe until a peddler grabs
his hat to demonstrate his stain remover. Bill grabs it back
Chapters 49–50
angrily and leaves. He comes upon the mail coach from
London and overhears people talking about the "dreadful
murder" of a woman. Bill starts walking north, imagining Summary
Nancy's corpse following him. While trying to sleep in a shed,
he awakens to shouting. A farm is on fire, and Bill joins people
in fighting it. After working among them all night, he hears the Chapter 49
rumor that the murderer has fled to Birmingham and decides
Mr. Brownlow, Mr. Losberne, and Harry Maylie bring Monks to
no one would think to look for him in London. So he heads
Mr. Brownlow's house. Readers learn that Monks, whose real
back to lie low at Fagin's. Realizing that Bull's-eye might be
name is Edward Leeford, is the son of Mr. Brownlow's long-
recognized, he gets ready to drown the dog, but Bull's-eye
dead friend. Mr. Brownlow's friend had been ordered to marry
senses his master's intention and runs off.
an older woman; the marriage was unhappy, and the two
parted—but not before having a son, Edward. Some years later
Analysis Edward's father met the daughter of a widowed naval officer

and fell in love. Soon after he became ill and died. His
Dramatic irony occurs when the reader knows something the estranged wife destroyed his will so that all his money passed
character does not. Dickens creates dramatic irony twice to to her and Edward. But they knew that there was another child,
tragic effect in Chapter 47 when Fagin leads Sikes to believe who, it turns out, was Oliver. After meeting Oliver Mr. Brownlow
Nancy has agreed to inform on them; the reader, however, had gone to the West Indies to look for Edward Leeford, but
knows that is not what she said—or what Noah reported. Leeford was in London, posing as Monks. Mr. Brownlow makes
Subsequently Bill tells Nancy he knows what she said, and she clear that he knows everything Monks has done, and Monks
of course knows that she refused to give them up and speaks agrees to sign a confession and to give Oliver his portion of
with him based on that knowledge. She cannot know what their father's estate.
Fagin has told Bill, but the reader knows that Fagin has misled
him and deliberately placed Nancy's life in jeopardy.
Chapter 50
After the murder Bill, so skilled at creating fear in others,
Tom Chitling pays a visit to Toby Crackit and his associate
becomes frightened himself. His crime colors the world around
Kags. Chitling gives the latest news: Fagin and Bolter (Noah)
him, and he vividly imagines Nancy as a phantom following him
have been arrested. Bet went to identify Nancy's body and
wherever he goes. Bill describes his experience of Nancy's
went crazy with grief; she has been locked away in a mental
ghost in hair-raising sensory language: "He could trace its
hospital. Others in the gang have been taken as well, and the
shadow in the gloom, supply the smallest item of the outline,
police are lying in wait at the gang's usual haunts. Tom says he
and note how stiff and solemn it seemed to stalk along. He
saw Fagin taken away, covered in blood and surrounded by
could hear its garments rustling in the leaves, and every breath
police, who were defending him from onlookers. He expects
of wind came laden with that last low cry." For him there is no
Bolter to testify against Fagin and speculates that Fagin will
escape from his crime.
hang within the week as an accomplice to murder. Bull's-eye,

who's in bad shape, jumps in the window, and the men are glad
to see Bill Sikes isn't with him. Several hours later, though, Chapters 51–53
Sikes arrives, too. Grudgingly, Toby says he can stay and that
they won't turn him in. But Charley Bates soon arrives and,
upon seeing Sikes, calls him a murderer, says he will turn him Summary
in, and, shouting for help, attacks the larger man.
A search party comes for Sikes, led by a man on a horse. As Chapter 51

the searchers try to enter the front of the house, Sikes takes a
rope, goes to the roof, and prepares to climb down the back. Oliver, Rose, Mrs. Maylie, Mrs. Bedwin, Mr. Brownlow, and a
The man on horseback offers 50 pounds to anyone who can sixth person travel to the town where Oliver was born. Oliver
capture Sikes alive. Sikes makes a loop in the rope, and he's looks forward to seeing Dick, whom he plans to bring to live
about to lower himself from the roof when he again sees with him. Mr. Grimwig meets them at the best hotel in town.
Nancy's eyes looking at him. He cries out, staggers, and falls That evening Oliver meets his brother and is shocked that it is
from the roof, hanging himself. Bull's-eye jumps to reach Bill the man he'd bumped into at the inn and later seen with Fagin.
but misses and is killed in the fall. The true story of his parentage is revealed: Mr. Brownlow's
friend wanted to marry Oliver's mother, Agnes Fleming, but he
died before the wedding. He did, however, leave a will, which
Analysis gave 800 pounds each to his wife and her son, Edward, and
left the rest of his fortune to be divided between Agnes and
Victorian readers expected a novel to be wrapped up tidily, her son—provided her son reached adulthood without
which occurs in the last five chapters of Oliver Twist. In engaging in any criminal acts. It is also revealed that Rose is
Chapter 49 Dickens explains many of the mysteries, including Agnes's sister. Harry Maylie arrives and again asks Rose to
that of Oliver's identity. The author also provides an answer to marry him. However, she still feels that her sister's history
the question of nature versus nurture: Oliver is innately virtuous would bring shame on him. Harry tells her he has decided not
because his parents loved one another and his mother was to make a career in parliament, has renounced any friends who
good and selfless; Monks is innately immoral because his would not accept her, and has become a vicar. The two can
parents did not love one another and his mother, who marry after all. Oliver is sad, though, having learned that Dick is
destroyed her dead husband's will, was greedy and selfish. dead.
Chapter 50 begins with social criticism: Dickens comments on

the dangerous conditions in which the poor live. Several of
Chapter 52
Fagin's gang members meet in a ruined house on Jacob's
Island in Southwark on the south shore of the industrially On a Friday Fagin is found guilty and condemned to hang on
polluted Thames. Jacob's Island had been a thriving area, with the following Monday. After his sentencing Fagin sits in his cell
most people employed in the timber industry and shipbuilding. in the dark, remembering the faces of all the men he has seen
But when that industry moved downriver, closing a local water hung, until someone comes to stay with him. He waits through
mill, the population sank into poverty. A lead mill took over from the weekend, counting down the hours he has left to live.
the water mill in the 1830s, quickly adding its poisons to the Around midnight on Sunday, Mr. Brownlow and Oliver come to
waste-filled Folly Ditch, which supplied the inhabitants' water. see Fagin. As they go in, they hear the scaffold being built.
When they reach his cell, Fagin is rambling, talking to people
Sikes does not live to stand trial, but he hangs for his crime
who aren't there. Mr. Brownlow wants to know the location of
nevertheless. Just as in the police courts, where criminals are
some papers Monks gave him; Fagin whispers the location to
brought face to face with their victims, Bill looks into Nancy's
Oliver. Oliver offers to stay and pray with him all night, but
eyes one last time, and then "justice" is done. However, it is
Fagin wants the boy to help him escape. His jailers pull him
unlikely that Nancy, who was so selfless, would have wanted
back, and he screams. Outside, the crowd gathers around the
Bill to hang under any circumstances, as she made clear in
gallows.
Chapter 16.

Oliver Twist Study Guide Quotes 30
Chapter 53
g Quotes
Harry and Rose marry, and Mrs. Maylie goes to live with them.
Mr. Brownlow adopts Oliver and moves his household to the
village where the Maylies live. Mr. Losberne also goes to live
"The old story ... no wedding-ring. I
there, where his new friend, Mr. Grimwig, frequently visits him. see. Ah! Good night!"
Giles and Brittles help in all three households. In the church a
white marble tablet has been engraved with the name "Agnes."
— Surgeon, Chapter 1
Oliver and his brother have split their father's remaining estate
equally between them; Monks moves to "a distant part of the Oliver's identity is the great mystery in Oliver Twist. In Chapter
New World," quickly spends his inheritance, returns to crime, 1, the surgeon who delivers Oliver is curious and asks the nurse
and is clapped in prison, where he dies. Noah Claypole what she knows. The nurse only says what she has surmised
becomes a professional informer; the Bumbles end up as from the young woman's condition when she arrived. He then
paupers in the workhouse; and Charley Bates decides crime looks for a wedding ring and draws his own conclusion that
doesn't pay and becomes a livestock farmer. she is unmarried. The surgeon then leaves the nurse alone with
the body, and she steals the locket that holds a clue to the
child's true identity.
Analysis
At the end of Oliver Twist, most of the characters get what
"Please, sir, I want some more."
they deserve: The criminals and hypocrites are punished, and
the virtuous live happily ever after. The only flaw in Oliver's
happiness is that Dick is dead. But since Dick told Oliver in — Oliver Twist, Chapter 2
Chapter 7 that he looked forward to going to heaven, the

reader must assume that Dick also finds happiness. With this request Oliver sets in motion the events of the novel.
By asking for another bowl of gruel, he dares to challenge the
Fagin, who has taken such pains to keep himself safe, winds up
system by which the poor are kept down. To rid themselves of
being sentenced to the gallows. The gallows have thrown their
this troublemaker, the workhouse board places him in an
shadow across the entire book, beginning with the comments
apprenticeship, and his journey begins.
of the gentleman in the white waistcoat, but not until Chapter
52 do readers see the gallows for the first time. The scaffold
stands in the rising sun surrounded by a crowd of people
gaming, fighting, and joking to pass the time before the
"I dream so much of Heaven, and
execution. In the end the gallows is a means of entertaining the Angels, and kind faces that I never
masses rather than a vehicle of justice.
see when I am awake."
After Dickens's many comments about the hypocrisy of
Christians, readers may be surprised to find him espousing — Dick, Chapter 7
Christianity in the final chapter. Dickens was not conventionally
religious, but he once wrote that he believed in moral goodness
and crafted his good characters to encompass the qualities As he leaves the town of his birth, Oliver stops at the baby
promoted in the New Testament—humility, true charity, farm to say goodbye to his young friend Dick, who is dying,
faithfulness, and willingness to forgive. probably from lack of proper nutrition and care. Dick believes
he will be with his sister in heaven and will be happy, which is
not possible on Earth. Oliver never forgets Dick and, once he
has come into his inheritance, plans to take Dick to live with
him. Unfortunately, by then Dick has died.

"What a fine thing capital was the same. The expression

punishment is! Dead men never was, for the instant, so precisely
repent; dead men never bring alike, that the minutest line
awkward stories to light." seemed copied with startling
accuracy!"
— Fagin, Chapter 9
— Narrator, Chapter 12
Fagin worries a great deal about what other people know of his
activities. Thinking Oliver is asleep, in this scene Fagin
This is the first real clue to Oliver's identity: how much he
congratulates himself that several of his associates have gone
resembles Agnes Fleming, the woman Brownlow's dear,
to the gallows without giving him away. Ironically, he will
deceased friend loved so much. It is this resemblance that will
ultimately hang as a result of just such as betrayal when Noah
lead Brownlow to the West Indies, where he will begin to
Claypole gives evidence against him.
assemble clues toward the solution of the mystery.
"Although Oliver had been brought

"We put the sick paupers into
up by philosophers, he was not
open carts in the rainy weather, to
theoretically acquainted with the
prevent their taking cold."
beautiful axiom that self-
preservation is the first law of — Mr. Bumble, Chapter 17
nature."
Mr. Bumble often pontificates on how the poor are treated,
always claiming that their mistreatment is for their own good.
— Narrator, Chapter 10 While it is unlikely that any real person in his position would
speak so openly on this topic, the self-righteous sentiment
Dickens refers to the "philosophers" who raised Oliver, rings true.
including those at the baby farm and the workhouse. Their
treatment of the poor was based on experimental philosophy:
they experimented to see how little the poor could be given "Anything but his death, I told you
before they would get too discouraged to come asking for
help. Despite their example Oliver is not by nature this sort of
from the first. I won't shed blood;
"philosopher," while Charley Bates and Jack Dawkins are. As a it's always found out, and haunts a
result it is Oliver who is arrested for pickpocketing and not the
real culprits. man besides."
— Monks, Chapter 26
"He pointed hastily to the picture
above Oliver's head, and then to Monks and Fagin are talking about the burglary and the
shooting of Oliver. Monks is terrified that Oliver will die and
the boy's face ... The eyes, the that he will be blamed. Like many of the criminals in Oliver
Twist, Monks draws the line at murder. He can't know, of
head, the mouth; every feature

course, that he is predicting what the future holds for Bill Sikes them all. Moments later he kills her, and the opportunity for
and Fagin. repentance is gone.
"Dignity, and even holiness too, "'It was all Mrs. Bumble. She would
sometimes, are more questions of do it,' urged Mr. Bumble; first
coat and waistcoat than some looking round to ascertain that his
people imagine." partner had left the room. 'That is
no excuse,' returned Mr.
— Narrator, Chapter 37
Brownlow. 'You were present on
Now that he is workhouse master, Mr. Bumble has lost the the occasion of the destruction of
cocked hat that told the world he was the parish beadle.
Without it he feels he has lost his dignity and power. Dickens,
these trinkets, and, indeed, are the
like Shakespeare, is fond of pointing out that "the apparel oft more guilty of the two, in the eye
proclaims the man" (Hamlet, Act 1, Scene 3).
of the law; for the law supposes
that your wife acts under your
"You would serve me best, lady ...
direction.' 'If the law supposes
if you could take my life at once ...
that,' said Mr. Bumble, squeezing
It would be something not to die in
his hat emphatically in both hands,
the hell in which I have lived."
'the law is a ass—a idiot. If that's
— Nancy, Chapter 40 the eye of the law, the law is a
bachelor; and the worst I wish the
When Nancy seeks out Rose Maylie in her hotel room, Rose
law is, that his eye may be opened
wants to help her escape from her life of crime, but Nancy will
not leave Bill Sikes. Still, she deeply regrets all she has done by experience—by experience.'"
and hates the life she must return to. It is one of the many
times Nancy implies she has a premonition of her impending — Mr. Bumble, Chapter 50
death.
The Bumbles are one of three couples described in the book

who have miserable marriages. (The other two are the
"It is never too late to repent."
Sowerberrys and Monks's parents, the Leefords.) Now that Mr.
Bumble is no longer working on behalf of the law, he is quite
— Nancy, Chapter 47 willing to point out its inadequacies.
When Bill Sikes attacks Nancy, she begs him to come with her
to see Rose Maylie and Mr. Brownlow so that she can plead
with them to offer to help Bill as well. It must sound like
madness to Bill because he believes she has "peached" on

Oliver Twist Study Guide Symbols 33
l Symbols Dirt and Dilapidation
Darkness Dirt and dilapidation represent poverty. But as with obesity, dirt
and dilapidation link to a darker theme as well—criminality. The
baby farm children are seldom washed, which stems from Mrs.
Mann's neglect. The thieves wear dirty clothes and live in
In Oliver Twist, darkness is associated with crime and evildoing. dilapidated surroundings; it is true that this stems from poverty,
Criminals' work is best done at night; their crimes are planned but other characters in Oliver Twist are both poor and clean.
in smoky rooms with boarded-up windows, and they scurry Thus a character's level of cleanliness can be seen as a
through the city along narrow, fog-filled passages. The measure of that person's virtue and strength of spirit.
darkness of the setting reflects the darkness of their thoughts
and deeds.
m Themes
Countryside
Virtue versus Evil
In contrast to the dark streets of the poor quarters of London,
the countryside is bright with sun-drenched open spaces and
colorful flowers. In Oliver Twist it is a place of health, Dickens portrays true virtue as invincible even in the face of
happiness, and security, while the city is a place of disease, desperation and compelling evil. Oliver Twist is innately
desperation, and danger. virtuous; he remains selfless, honest, and compassionate
throughout the trials and temptations set in his path. The
selfish, devious, and ruthless Fagin is his evil nemesis, a
corrupter of children and adults alike who hides behind a mask
Obesity of charm.
The conflict between the two recollects the tradition of

"progress" as referenced in the novel's subtitle, The Parish
In contrast to the hunger and leanness of the poor, the
Boy's Progress. John Bunyan's instructive yet entertaining 17th
comfortably off are "portly," "fat," or "by no means slim." In
century allegory The Pilgrim's Progress was popular reading in
many cases, as with Mr. Bumble and the members of the
Dickens's time. It traces Christian Everyman's journey to the
workhouse board, obese people are also greedy and pompous,
Celestial City, during which he, like Oliver, meets and
but readers should recognize that Mr. Losberne, Giles, and
overcomes a series of temptations, including promises of
Brittles are overweight, too. Dickens even points out that Oliver
money, physical comforts, and power. Just as Christian
becomes healthy and gains weight once he has moved in with
recognizes the evil behind these temptations, Oliver sees
the Maylies. Obesity ultimately is a symbol of membership in
through Fagin and Jack's rosy portrayal of a life of crime and
the prosperous middle class, indicating a condition in which
refuses to succumb. Conversely, Hogarth's famous series of
people have more than enough. As with the poor, the middle
engravings A Rake's Progress illustrates its protagonist's
class encompasses both the virtuous and the evil.
journey toward self-destruction—from inheritance and
debauchery to debt, imprisonment, and madness. Readers
might see reflections of Hogarth's rake in Oliver's half-brother,
Monks.

Oliver Twist Study Guide Suggested Reading 34
Poverty Child Abuse
Deeply affected by his own poverty as a child, Dickens In Oliver Twist, child abuse is both individual and institutional.
addresses this theme in Oliver Twist by closely observing its Children are regularly beaten as punishment; Oliver is beaten
effects on Oliver and those around him—effects that include by both the parish beadle and his master after Noah Claypole
malnourishment and death. He comments bluntly on the accuses him of attempted murder. In Victorian England, a
treatment of paupers in workhouses and on the hypocrisy that common punishment for child criminals was a public whipping.
often characterizes the organizations (and their Dickens seems to find the practice abhorrent. The "good"
representatives) who are tasked with their care. people in the novel never punish Oliver at all. (It must be noted,
however, that he never does anything deserving of
Dickens also describes in detail the atrocious and sometimes punishment.)
deadly conditions in which the poor must live. Housing is often
dirty and unsafe, and certain environments, such as Other abuses of children also take place in the novel: they are
housebreaker (burglar) Toby Crackit's neighborhood, are locked in dark places, publicly shamed, and starved. For poor
contaminated with toxins. The strong development of the little Dick, this institutionalized abuse proves fatal.
theme of poverty and its consequences through much of Oliver
Twist reflects Dickens's social consciousness and his lifelong Other dangerous and harsh activities such as child labor also
interest in correcting a major social ill of his period. put children at risk, even though they may not have been
looked upon as child abuse during the Victorian era. Oliver's
long hours picking oakum and the effort to assign him an
apprenticeship as a chimney sweep are just two examples of
Criminality tasks that modern readers would consider abusive.
Closely tied to the ideas of virtue, evil, poverty, and hypocrisy is Nature versus Nurture
the theme of criminality. When all else fails, the poor may be
driven to crime, especially petty theft. But this is far from the
only type of crime Dickens explores in Oliver Twist. He shows
how greed leads to petty theft as with Mrs. Corney, to picking Much of Oliver Twist considers the struggle between nature
pockets as with Fagin's boys, to fencing as with Fagin, and to and nurture. Fagin constantly attempts to corrupt Oliver and
housebreaking and even murder as with Sikes. And while turn him into a criminal against his true nature, which is to be
Fagin's role in taking in boys and training them in criminality kind and good. Dickens also examines how nurture can triumph
may not be strictly illegal, it certainly corrupts these young over nature in characters such as Mr. Sowerberry and Nancy,
characters and leads them to lives of crime. both of whom have basic decency at their cores but who give
in to temptation and outside influences.
Darker forms of criminality are clearly delineated from theft.
Although punished harshly by the authorities, pickpocketing
and other forms of thievery seem to be accepted by many of
the characters as a way of earning a living. However, most of e Suggested Reading
those same criminals find betrayal and murder detestable.
Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist: A Norton Critical Edition. Ed.
Fred Kaplan. New York: Norton, 1992.
Flanders, Judith. The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens'

London. New York: St. Martin's Griffin, 2015.

Oliver Twist Study Guide Suggested Reading 35
Hibbert, Christopher. Charles Dickens: The Making of a Literary

Giant. London: St. Martin's Griffin, 2009.
Horne, Phillip. "Crime in Oliver Twist." Discovering Literature:

Romantics and Victorians. British Library, n.d. Web.
"Some Discussions of Dickens's Oliver Twist." The Victorian

Web. The Victorian Web, 28 Aug. 2015. Web.

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Oliver Twist

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early 19th-century English society.

a Author Biography ..................................................................................... 3

e Suggested Reading ............................................................................. 34 The Industrial Revolution

insurance agents, shopkeepers and merchants, managers and

hours under unregulated and often dangerous conditions. 1715: 630,000

Interested in promoting economic growth, the government 1760: 740,000

to unionize. As the century progressed, however, conditions 1901: 6.5 million

for passersby, scavenging, or begging. The truly destitute

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couple ultimately separated in 1858, a year after Dickens fell in

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Nancy Bill Sikes

Other Major Character

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Full Character List Bull's-​eye Bull's-​eye is Bill Sikes's dog.

Charlotte is the Sowerberrys'

Dick is a child at the baby farm and

Mr. Gamfield Mr. Gamfield is a chimney sweep.

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The Maylies take Oliver to live in their country cottage, where

Rose, Mrs. Maylie, Oliver, and Mr. Losberne are in London

Mr. Brownlow captures Monks, gets him to disclose all his

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Rising Action Falling Action

4. Oliver goes to London, where Fagin takes him in.

5. Oliver is arrested but goes home with Mr. Brownlow.

8. Oliver's friends try to discover his true identity.

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Oliver is born in a workhouse to an unknown woman who

Oliver asks for more gruel, so the workhouse board

A few months later

An older apprentice, Noah Claypole, goads Oliver into a

Oliver runs away to London, where he meets Jack

A few days later

Jack picks a pocket, but Oliver is arrested for the theft;

Several weeks after that

Oliver goes out to run an errand and gets nabbed by

Sikes takes Oliver on a job; Oliver is shot and nursed

The next summer

Nancy meets Rose and Mr. Brownlow to help them find

Sikes kills Nancy; trying to escape, he falls off a roof with

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Oliver visits Fagin on death row; Fagin tells him where to

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c Chapter Summaries Analysis

Mrs. Mann runs a baby farm. Under Hanway's Act of 1767,

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Gamfield and the workhouse board, during which Mr. Gamfield

The first person to offer Oliver an apprenticeship is the

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London, passing the baby farm on his way. In the garden he

Food is a continuing motif in Oliver Twist and one that is tied to

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Chapters 8–10 Chapter 10

Victorian London had a substantial Jewish population, and

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the public's attention to this human tragedy involving the young

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possessions, and a home with a lock on the door. Nancy is one

Full Character List Bull's-eye Bull's-eye is Bill Sikes's dog.