Dickens' Oliver Twist: Social Critique and Female Characters

Victorian Stereotypes and Dickens' Response

Victorian stereotypes about the poor asserted that poverty and vice were fundamentally connected, and that both were hereditary traits. The poor were supposedly bad from birth. How does Dickens approach such stereotypes?

Charles Dickens, in Oliver Twist, criticizes the Victorian idea that the poor were naturally destined to live in desperation and bad conditions. He satirizes characters who espouse these views, such as Mrs. Sowerby, who declares that children like Oliver are born to be murderers and robbers from their very cradle. Characters like Nancy and Oliver are also depicted as being born without knowing right from wrong. At the end of the novel, Oliver is revealed to come from a wealthy background. The reader could interpret the novel as suggesting that Oliver's innate goodness is inherited from his wealthy family.

Female Characters in Oliver Twist

Comparing Nancy, Rose Maylie, and Agnes Fleming

Consider the female characters of Nancy, Rose Maylie, and Agnes Fleming. How are the three women different? How are they similar? What do their differences and similarities suggest about Dickens' ideas about women?

The primary differences between the three women lie in their social standing and experiences. Rose is a young lady of good breeding and purity. Nancy, in contrast, is a girl raised on the streets and works as a prostitute. Agnes is a young lady of good breeding but who committed a sexual indiscretion in her affair with Mr. Leedford. She stands between Rose, who represents purity, and Nancy, a model of sin. Furthermore, Rose and Agnes belong to the upper class, while Nancy is from the lower class.

However, what they have in common is that all of them sacrificed themselves for a reason, primarily to protect Oliver. Nancy sacrificed her life for Oliver's sake. Agnes gave her life to save her family from her ill repute. Rose made a great sacrifice when she refused to marry Harry Maylie. Dickens held the ideal that women should be prepared to live and die for others. However, he also established that these 'fallen' women were still human beings who deserved forgiveness and redemption.

The Criminal Justice System in Oliver Twist

Justice and Social Status in 19th Century England

Discuss the portrait of the criminal justice system presented in Oliver Twist.

In early 19th Century England, justice often took into account social status, gender, and age when judging. The legal system portrayed in Oliver Twist, however, is clearly in favor of middle-class and upper-class people. The magistrate who judged Oliver was blinded by his society's stereotypes about the poor. The system itself was blind and unable to see the interests of the poor. Oliver's trial for stealing a handkerchief also highlights the precarious position of the poor in the eyes of the law.