Book Review: Oliver Twist

Writing is something that is very personal. It comes from the author's soul. Writing is ultimately a form of self-expression. One would be foolish to write about things that they don't know about. In most novels, the author's opinion is expressed all throughout. Charles Dickens' heart-wrenching tale, Oliver Twist, is a prime example.

Dickens was someone who was enraged with English society in the 1800'a. He made sure he pointed out everything that he despised about English culture. During that time period, children were orphaned, abused and treated like second class citizens. Oliver Twist was an orphan who was treated horribly by the unkind Mr. Bumble. Mr. Bumble told vicious lies about Oliver. He didn't care what happened to Oliver. Nobody cared if Oliver were to live or die until he met Mr. Brownlow. Most orphans in 19th century England were not as fortunate as fictional Oliver was. There were very few people who would believe a child over an adult back then. Dickens's was outraged by this.

In Literature, the author a lot of times presents to characters who are opposite from each other in order to prove a point. This happens to be the case In Oliver Twist, a classic tale about an orphan, written by Charles Dickens. Mr. Brownlow and Mr. Bumble are the polar opposites. They share none of the same qualities or values. One is the token good guy and the other is the bad one.

Heroic, kind, and generous characters have always been represented in writings whether it is Greek mythology or contemporary. Mr. Browlow is practically the definition of the "good guy". He takes in poor Oliver without knowing anything about him. Oliver Twist felt more secure than he ever had when he lived with the kind-hearted gentleman. No one could ever call Mr. Brownlow cruel. The same cannot be said about a lot of the characters in the novel. Oliver could have suffered miserably in a workhouse after being accused of pick pocketing but fortunately, he found his hero.