A social reformer, Charles Dickens employs the characters
and situations in his novel, Oliver Twist, to expose the hypocrisy
and flaws of government institutions and laws such as the Poor Laws of 1834 which dealt
great injustice and suffering. For, these laws mandated that people who could not
support themselves live in workhouses, where they were mistreated and underfed. The
object of this plan was to make public assistance so unattractive that people would try
to find jobs or refuse assistance. Instead, it created a terrible underbelly to English
society as people turned to crime in order to support
themselves.
Thus, Oliver Twist, while a poignant and
interesting narrative, acts as an expose of the social ills, especially the plight of
the orphaned. Fleeing poorhouse and apprenticeship, Oliver makes his way to London in
hopes of a better life, only to be kidnapped by the heinous Fagin, who exploits him by
forcing Oliver into being a thief. An interesting point is made by J. Hillis
Miller,
Fagin's den is both a dungeon and a place of
refuge. It is...absolutely shut off from the outside world, but it is also a parody, at
least, of a home, that place where one live safely...Fagin's den [says Dickens] is a
'snug retreat,' and inside its walls we find a society leagued for common protection
against the hostility of the outside
world.
Without question, like
so many of Dickens's day, Oliver Twist is a poor boy struggling against the inhumanity
of his government. Indeed, Dickens' novel shows to his country the worst shades of the
land.
No comments:
Post a Comment