Oliver Twist

Dickens has always been a bit beyond me; I could comprehend the writing, but I couldn't enjoy it. I did wrestle my way through David Copperfield; I got 2/3 through A Tale of Two Cities; and my mom read Great Expectations aloud to me a few years ago. But I never truly enjoyed those books. So, with much trepidation, I approached Oliver Twist.

I'm glad I did. I enjoyed this book immensely, even if it wasn't the most wonderful book I've ever read. It was worth the time I spent grinding through the slow parts, and crying over the sad parts. (Well, okay, I didn't actually cry, but I did sigh and shake my fist.)

We've probably all seen a movie adaptation of Oliver Twist, and so we pretty much know the story, right? A little boy joins a bunch of merry thieves who dance around in an attic singing, "Consider yourself part of the furniture." Isn't that how it goes? Not exactly! There's far more depth and complexity to this well-written book than movies gives it credit for. The story is really about an abused child before it was called abuse; a victim of the twisted 18th century "justice" system; and the mires of social status in the heart of England.


Plot

You may be surprised at the story line if you have a movie version in mind while you read. Instead of a happy-go-lucky plot about "honest thieves," with just a dash of malice in the form of Bill Sikes, it's the dark, poignant tale of young Oliver, who goes to F-a-gin's house because he was starving and homeless, and quickly realizes that he can't steal and lie and cheat like the rest of the boys do. He is taken in two times by kind, well-to-do families, only to be snatched away by F-a-g-i-n's gang, who are consumed with getting this little boy and keeping him for good in their coils of evil. The conflict of love and hate that Oliver receives at the hands of the people who take him in climaxes at the end in a showdown of the two benevolent families and the menacing thieves.

The story is profoundly dark, a far cry from modern perceptions. It will introduce you to the horrors of the utter despondency and vice of England's poverty, and show you a frankly bleak view of an innocent little boy trapped inside the ugly world he was born into, of all the people who want to keep him there, and of the government system that wants nothing to do with him except to throw him in jail. The caring families were almost too good to be true, and in reality there would have been no rich noble to bail Oliver out of the pain and cruelty of his life. The cases like his which actually happened ended with their protagonists in prison, on a gallows, or as miserable beggars. But this would have been a bit TOO depressing, and I'm content that Dickens sacrificed realism for optimism. After all, we hear stories of abused children with unhappy endings every day, and it is tremendously inspirational to read about a child who was taken in and loved in the end. Even if it's only fiction.

Well, that's the sermon of the day. On to more technical details…The pace and sequence were exaggerated in their slowness, to thoroughly acquaint you with the situations and emotions. There were perhaps some unnecessary scenes that weighed down the plot (this is what the movie versions generally cut out), but they do contribute to the mood and setting of the story. Feel free to skim through the boring parts, and focus in on the more important parts of the book. (It's not cheating, it's surviving.)


Characters

Oliver Twist, even minus the adorability of the little kids who play him in the movies, will creep his way into your heart. He is arguably Dickens' most famous character, with a mixture of childish wisdom and touching naivety. His one longing is to have a home and security...and isn't it the same today? Underprivileged children often having no home to speak of and no security to depend on, no warm family to take care of them. The story really hasn't changed much over the centuries, making young Oliver that much more heartbreaking. He is an admirable character even though he is so young; he always tries to do the honorable thing and only does bad under compulsion. And in this story, the compulsion is injury to body or life, which is significant enough to make anybody do bad.

There is a slew of memorable characters in Oliver Twist that you should recognize; F-a-gin, Bill Sikes, Nancy, and the Artful Dodger. But be prepared to get reintroduced to all these familiar faces – they have been woefully misrepresented by the movies and plays. F-a-gin (this stupid Epinions content filter doesn't let me write the name!) is in fact fiendish and contemptible; selfish, greedy, depraved, and not at all that jolly old codger who's "good at heart" that we seem to remember. Bill Sikes is of course his normal evil self, except here he is especially malevolent and loathsome, unspeakably dreadful in his wickedness. Nancy? You mean she isn't a sweet, cheerful gal in a shawl and boots, committed to seeing Oliver in a good home? There goes another treasured memory. It's quite disillusioning to find Nancy a sly, ignorant hussy who sometimes helps Oliver and sometimes doesn't.

But the real stinger is the Artful Dodger. Ah, the gorgeous Elijah Wood character with the cutest dimples in his smile and a protective friendship towards Oliver? All down the drain! He's a mean, jeering bully who has no friendly feelings for Oliver at all. Ouch.

A number of other characters dot Oliver's landscape, and some of them are rather important, but I don't have time to talk about each one specifically. All the characters are quite exquisitely created, and evoke a very specific opinion in the mind of the reader. Characters are probably Dickens' finest accomplishment in Oliver Twist; they are exceptionally fascinating and multifaceted. Dickens portrays them very vividly with his ingenious use of words and phrases that make his characters appear to spring to life on the page. While I can't say that they're realistic (I don't know anyone like Bill Sikes, do you?), they seem to be accurate portraits of 18th century London people. Even if they aren't, what the hey; they're interesting and clever and they intrigued me.


Writing style

We all know Dickens for his sometimes very long sentences (and for muttering in English class, "Well, Dickens got away with breaking the rules."). Oliver Twist isn't really like that though; it's as if Dickens had younger readers than just adults when he wrote it. I wasn't interested in this book as a child, but some kids might enjoy hearing it read aloud to them; it's the right kind of book to share aloud with the family.

The writing style is more streamlined and less intricate than Dickens usually is. Not to say that it's all easy going; there is still quite a bit of complexity to his writing in Oliver Twist; but it's approachable and satisfying reading overall, not a chore. The writing has a somewhat dry, old-fashioned flavor yet is understandable and even fairly enjoyable by today's standards. A certain drollness and ridiculousness keeps the outmoded style manageable, and also keeps the book from being depressingly heavy.

While I tend to enjoy lavish, opulent writing with a touch of humor, I didn't find the style in Oliver Twist as bad as I thought it would. It's prosaic and not at all romantic, but it has that definite touch of humor, so I'm happy with it overall.


Message

Wow. Impressive stuff. A young boy's unwitting struggle against the corrupt judicial system and the ruthless crime of 18th century England? Oliver's got some serious chops even today. While this message doesn't match perfectly to the struggles of modern society (different times, different crimes), the issues it addresses are as relevant as today's newspaper. Middleclass citizens of America can forget that there are powerless, poverty-stricken people with no life to turn to except one of crime, abuse, and pain. Oliver Twist is a good wakeup call reminding readers to thank God for their blessings and to help those less fortunate. This book is brutally honest about the circumstances of the poor at the time, showing the reader a blunt picture of England's less privileged. You'll also find some interesting depictions of human nature in Oliver Twist from the absurd to the horrid to the awe-inspiring.


Enjoyment

Although the story meandered at time, I overall was very pleased with the book and was entertained by its premise. More importantly, Oliver caused me to think, and it reminded me of the less beautiful aspects of the world that can be made beautiful if we work at it. I was surprised at some of the personalities and events in this book that aren't usually shown in film versions; this helped to liven the familiar story line considerably. And the story itself really affected me emotionally; I felt for Oliver like I haven't felt for a lot of book characters. I got mad when he was mistreated, and I smiled when he was loved. So, is it too simple to say that I liked this book? Because I did.

It was a little bit of a challenge to actually finish it, but you know I love a challenge. ;-) Fast-forwarding through the slow parts helped the process and didn't take away anything from the story; I actually felt better about doing that with Oliver than I do with other books that I feel I should read very thoroughly. You may find this to be true, but whatever you do, don't deploy halfway through. Just keep going, and finish this remarkable book.


Final thoughts

After reading Oliver Twist and actually liking it, I might try some of Dickens' other books again. (NOT Great Expectations, because I loathed it so much, but maybe A Tale of Two Cities.) Oliver was quite an experience. The writing style was intriguing, the characters superb, the message solid; in short, it was an all-around good book. The story and narrative parts weren't as tight as they could have been, thus the four stars, but I unreservedly recommend Oliver Twist to anyone exploring English literature and the classics. Because it truly is a classic.