Workhouse

Workhouse. Orphanage in which Oliver Twist is confined when the novel opens.
Located approximately seventy-five miles north of London, the workhouse plays an
important role in the mood, atmosphere, and plot of the story. The dingy, poor,
hard-edged conditions of the workhouse and town make these places appear to be
characters in their own right. Oliver spends many of his early years in the
workhouse as a frail, malnourished lad in worn work clothes. His condition
represents the conditions in the workhouse and the town. In English society, the
workhouse and its inhabitants were at the lower end of the class scale.

The caretakers of the workhouse, Mrs. Mann and Bumble, are above the workhouse
children in status. They are oblivious to the hardships and death around them in
the workhouse. Alcoholism, a part of the life of poor English people, is rampant in
the workhouse. Furthermore, the weather in the town is very dramatic, ranging from
hail, freezing rain, snow, and bracing winds to the occasional bright sunshine.
These extremes symbolize the changes that occur in Oliver�s life. Because of the
adverse conditions of the workhouse, Oliver finally runs away and walks for seven
days before reaching the outskirts of London.

*London

*London. Capital and greatest city of Great Britain. After arriving in a suburb of
London, Oliver meets Jack Dawkins, known as the Artful Dodger, who leads Oliver to
the east side of London. Before long, Oliver finds himself part of the London
underworld, a world overseen by the sinister Fagin. The deserted streets, alleys,
old dirty buildings, dark back streets, dim rooms, smoke, fog, and pitch-black
nights of east London provide the proper atmosphere for Fagin�s gang of thieves.
They lurk in the crumbling ruins, which are symbolic of the political injustices of
English society. The numerous evidences of neglect and decay in the surroundings
closely correspond to the decadent human qualities that were running rampant in the
hearts of the people. As in the workhouse environment, slime and filth prevail in
much of London.

The general mood of terror and extreme brutality that exists in London can be
directly correlated with the frequent rain and extremely cold weather. Rooftops and
corridors that interconnect the dirty, crumbling buildings provide Fagin�s thieves
with escape routes that reflect the squalor of their occupation. Bill Sikes, the
leader of Fagin�s band of trained pickpockets, is a lower-class alcoholic, who
makes his living by robbing people at night. A significant portion of the action in
the novel occurs during the nighttime, a time for darkness, criminals, and
corruption.

*Chertsey

*Chertsey. Quiet village along the River Thames. Oliver is exposed to a completely
different world when he is rescued, first by Mr. Brownlow, and later by Mrs. Maylie
and her adopted daughter. It is only in these settings that brightness and sunlight
occur for any length of time in the novel. This setting expresses hope in moral
values that make a positive difference in the quality of human life. Mr. Brownlow
and Mrs. Maylie live in country homes in Chertsey, a community providing a
pleasant, mellow atmosphere, where well-heeled members of English society lived.
When Oliver moves to Mr. Brownlow�s home, his worn, tattered, second-hand clothing
is exchanged for a new woolen suit. The transition represents the progress Oliver
has made from a harsh, unpleasant life of poverty to a comfortable, peaceful
lifestyle. From the abuse and social injustice of the workhouse and the world of
Fagin, Oliver has escaped, having relied on his moral character to bring him up
from dire circumstances to find happiness and peace in Chertsey.