Book Review: Oliver Twist

Originally published on Yahoo Voices

In the late 1960's I enrolled in a home study course in short story writing at Famous Writer's School in Westport, CT. I did not complete the course due to financial issues. I completed only half of the course. However, I learned one important lesson. If you want to become a good story writer, you should study the techniques of the masters. I don't think anyone would question the assertion that Charles Dickens was one of those masters. And it is very evident in his timeless novel Oliver Twist.

Yet, you may doubt my words about studying the masters when you realize that the character Oliver doesn't seem real. His personality doesn't come to life like the other characters in the novel do. At least, not in the first few chapters. I think this was deliberate. Other than Oliver, characterization is a strong point in Charles Dicken's novel. Every character has his or her own set of issues. And the climax of the story blossoms out of the nature of the characters. That's good story writing.

If you love kids and you read the first several chapters orally, your eyes may tear and your feelings may pour out. The very first chapter reads like a protest. If you don't know about the orphans of Dicken's time, it may seem inhumane. And inhumane it was during the time of Charles Dickens.

The first chapter is about Oliver's birth and his mother's death. Dicken's illustrates the view of orphans by referencing the new born child as the one whose name was mentioned in the chapter heading. He ends the chapter with a statement that if Oliver as an infant was aware of what he was in for, he would have cried much louder. The girl who gave birth to this child had no identification on her. Hence Oliver was eventually sent to a workhouse.

The children in workhouses were abused and neglected. They were orphans and as such were looked down on, fed very little food and worked like slaves. Many young children died from malnutrition before they reached the age of twelve. The adults who ran the workhouses thought that feeding the kids too well raised a spirit of rebellion in the children.

Mr Bumble is the beadle of the orphanage. He has worked his way up to this status. Mr Bumble enjoys big meals while the letting the orphans starve. Although his character is amusing, his treatment of the children is reprehensible. He really does not care if the children live or die.

Of course, the unforgettable scene in the book is the one where Oliver and other children cast straws to see who should ask for more porridge. Oliver is the unlucky one who goes and asks for more. And that is the beginning of the search for a way to rid the workhouse of Oliver.

Oliver is the helpless one in this book. He suffers abuse after abuse. He is indeed the innocent one. Mr Sowerbury purchases Oliver from the workhouse. He runs a funeral service and has Oliver lead the funeral procession. His worker Noah Claypole is jealous of Oliver and insults Oliver's mother. Oliver attacks him and is punished. Then Oliver escapes.

But his escape is like going from the fat into the frying pan. Oliver is befriended by a kid nicknamed the Artful Dodger. That kid is a thieve trained by an old man named Fagin. The Artful Dodger has a personality unlike the other characters in the book. He is cocky and somewhat comical. He is the best pick pocket of all the kids employed by Fagin. He introduces Oliver to Fagin.

The character of Fagin comes alive in the book. The ominous introduction to Fagin in the book is another technique of good story writing. Fagin is a style of speaking that allows you to know when he is speaking. You don't have to read the words "Said Fagin." to know that Fagin is speaking. Fagin is only interested in one thing: money. It is his motivation for turning Oliver into a thief. He sends his boys out every day to pick pockets and for their work, he provides them with a roof over their heads, clothes, food and a bed to sleep in. He pays Bill Sikes for house robberies with money. He is a charming, yet despicable character. Fagin keeps the kids in line with threats of death and with the fear that they will end up hanging if the gallows if they go to the authorities.

Eventually the tragic character of Nancy is introduced. She instantly takes a liking to Oliver. Nancy was taken in by Fagin when she was nine years old and trained to pick pockets. And she does not want Oliver led down the same path. Her boyfriend Bill Sikes is a ruthless house robber. He abuses Nancy. Nancy feels trapped in her situation and after learning the reasons behind Fagin's interest in Oliver decides to risk her life to save Oliver from a life of crime.

Mr Brownlow is a kind gentleman who takes Oliver in after Oliver is falsely accused of pick pocketing him. He cares for Oliver while Oliver is sick. He sends Oliver to return a book to the library. But Oliver is grabbed by Nancy and Bill Sikes. They return Oliver to Fagin.

Noah Claypole eventually gets employed by Fagin.

Monks is a mysterious character who has an interest in Oliver. He offers Fagin money if Fagin succeeds in turning Oliver into a thief.

Don't think you know the story because you've seen the musical Oliver!. That musical doesn't tell the complete story. Oliver's early years are presented in fairy tale form rather then the somber tone set by Charles Dickens. And the ending of the movie is nothing like the ending in the book. Half of the book is missing from the movie.

Bill Sikes forces Oliver to participate in a house robbery. During the robbery, Oliver is shot. The residents of the house use their dogs to track down the fleeing robbers. Oliver is abandoned in a ditch during the escape.

At this point Dickens leaves you hanging by switching scenes. He leaves you racing through 50 or 60 pages trying to find out what happens to Oliver. The romance of Mr Bumble provides some comic relief. The theft and plotting that took place at Oliver's birth is detailed in these pages. The reader learns that certain items were disposed of to hide the identity of Oliver.

The next morning, the weak Oliver who could barely stand makes his way to the house he and Bill Sikes attempted to rob the night before and collapses at the front door. This may not make much sense except that Oliver was in great pain and had lost much blood from the bullet wound and knew of no other place to go. One of the residents recognizes Oliver as the boy involved in the house robbery and wants to turn Oliver over to the authorities.

If you are interested in writing fiction, I recommend that you study the methods of character development used by Charles Dickens. I agree that his sentences were long at times, making it somewhat difficult to understand. But for me, the characters came alive. I did not read this book in one sitting.