Oliver Twist

Chapter 1-5
By Charles Dickens (1837)

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BACKGROUND INFORMATION - BIOGRAPHY
 Charles Dickens, the second child of John and Elizabeth Dickens, was born on February 7th, 1812 at
Portsea. When he was twelve, his family fortunes were on the decline owing to his father's incapacity
to manage his financial affairs.
 When his father was arrested and sent to the debtor's prison at Marshalsea, Charles was sent to work
in a boot-bleaching factory and to board with other unwanted children in Mrs. Roylance's house. Young
Charles found life miserable as he walked daily from the factory to the boarding house.
 A timely inheritance of money relieved his suffering. After studying for a few years at Wellington
House, he entered a Solicitor's Office as a freelance reporter at the office of the Doctor's Common,
the Parliament and the Morning Chronicle.
 His literary career started in 1836 with the publication of "Sketches by Boz." Around the same time, he
got married to Catherine Hogarth. In 1837, "Pickwick Papers" was published. Soon his other novels
were in print. With "David Copperfield" he reached the zenith of his literary career.
 Dickens travelled a good deal around the world. In 1838, he instituted public reading of his own books
on a professional basis and this venture proved to be an outstanding success.
 With the pressure of work and mounting activities, his health began to suffer. In 1870, when he died
from a cerebral stroke, he was remembered as the most popular novelist his country had never known.

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LITERARY/ HISTORICAL INFORMATION
 "Oliver Twist," the saga of a boy who passes through the trials and tribulations of life to emerge stronger
from it, first appeared as a monthly serial in "Bentley's Miscellany" in 1837 and later was published as a
book.
 The novel fictionalizes the experiences of the writer and reflects the social evils prevailing at that time.
 As a boy Dickens suffered economic insecurity and humiliation. At the tender age of twelve, he was sent
work at a blacking factory to earn six shillings a week. He was also sent to board with other unwanted
children to Mrs. Roylance's house.
 In the words of Kenneth Hayens, "Those few months were for Dickens a time of utter misery, humiliation,
and despair, the memory of which, as he later confessed, he could never quite shake off." These childhood
experiences of Dickens have been transferred into the early pages of the novel and Oliver portrays the
feeling of despair that the author had experienced as a child.
 In nineteenth-century England, there was a great shift in movement from the villages to cities because of
rapid industrialization. The migrants, who were unemployed and lived in dirty streets, often took to crime.
 Dickens had come across such people living in the streets of London as he was familiar with every section
of the city. He was also aware of the conditions of the paupers living in workhouses managed by the parish.
 He thus comes down heavily on pompous bureaucratic boards and corrupt parochial organizations of his
times by attacking the Poor Laws in "Oliver Twist.

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 Chapter 1
 The novel opens in the first-person voice of the narrator who vaguely mentions a workhouse in
which Oliver Twist was born on a day and date not mentioned by him. The narrator comments that
the condition of the infant was delicate at the time of his birth since he lay gasping for breath due
to a respiratory disorder.
 The narrator also notes that Oliver's birth in a workhouse had its advantages as Oliver was able to
fight against nature all alone and could prove the winner. The infant lets out a loud and lusty cry
to announce his arrival in the world.
 The story now passes into the hands of an omniscient narrator who relates the details following
the birth of the child.
 10/02/2021 Oliver's mother who lay dying, expresses a desire to hold the baby in her arms. When
the doctor complies, she imprints a kiss on the forehead of the infant and drops down dead.
 The conversation between the surgeon and the nurse reveals that unfortunate woman was an
unwed mother who was brought into the workhouse the previous night after she was found lying in
the street.
 No information about her past or origin is given. The infant is taken change of by the attendants
who announce his arrival into the workhouse by sticking a badge and ticket on him.

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 Analysis – Ch 1
 In the first chapter itself the reader gets a taste of Dickens' irony. As the narrator relates the
condition of Oliver following his birth, Dickens hints at the plight of the orphans and their
instinct for survival.
 The author also highlights the status of these unfortunate creatures living in a workhouse by
mentioning the dress, badge, and ticket assigned to Oliver as an inmate of the institution. The
infant loses his identity by being labelled.
 The chapter is also significant as it not only introduces the protagonist but also hints at his
struggle for existence in the subsequent chapters.
 The way Oliver fights for his life and overcomes the ordeal indicates his instinct for survival and
his existence in a harsh world.

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 Vocabulary
 Chapter 1
 Prudent - wise
 Refrain - avoid or prevent
 Inestimable - cannot estimate the value
 Indubitably - cannot be doubted
 Pauper - poor person
 Unwonted - not usual
 Articulate - spoken
 Buffet - pushed around

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 Chapter 2
 Oliver is shifted from his birth place to a branch work house because the management becomes aware
of the inadequacy of the female staff in the institution to care and nourish the infant.
 The conditions in this farm workhouse are no better than the ones prevailing in the other institution.
It is looked after by an elderly woman called Mrs. Mann who pockets the greater part of the weekly
stipends allotted to each child. The infants under her care are malnourished and neglected.
 Oliver completes nine years in this workhouse. On his birthday Mr. Bumble, the beadle, arrives at the
place in the morning to take Oliver back to the parent institution. The child is washed and scrubbed
before being presented to the beadle.
 He is also given a piece of bread and little butter as a parting gift. Oliver is happy to leave the dreary
place.
 However under instructions from Mrs. Mann, he feigns regret at parting. The first part of Oliver's
childhood ends with exit from this place.
 Oliver is presented before the board on reaching the workhouse. This august body, after asking for his
name, informs him that he is an orphan.
 They ask him to recite his prayers like a good Christian and advise him to behave like one. They also
inform him that he would be educated and initiated into the business of picking oakum from the next
day.
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 Chapter 2
 When the board realizes that the paupers are happy about the conditions prevailing in the
house, they lay down stringent laws by means of which the rations for the inmates are cut to
the minimum.
 Oliver undergoes the torture of living under these conditions for six months. However, when
he and the children experience the pangs of hunger, they become frustrated.
 They choose Oliver to represent them to demand for more food. That evening as usual the
boys take their place to have their share of food. After gulping down the little gruel given to
them, they nudge Oliver to make his demand.
 The boy goes forward to the master cook and asks for more. The man is astonished and hits
Oliver with a ladle for his impudence.
 He also reports the matter to the board who decide to punish the boy by sending him to
solitary confinement.
 The authorities paste a bill outside the gate "offering a reward of five pounds" to anyone
who was interested in taking the boy as an apprentice in their trade.

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Analysis – Ch 2
 Dickens shows his outrage at injustice by describing the condition prevailing in the workhouse.
During his time such institutions for the poor were badly administered and the authorities
were blind to the feelings of its inmates.
 Corruption too prevailed. The management pocketed a good share of the allowance meant
for the paupers. Mrs. Mann and Mr. Bumble are representatives of this group who would starve
the infants and enjoy a glass of beer themselves.
 The board expresses concern when the paupers look happy in the workhouse. They bring new
rules (The Poor Law Amendment Act 1834) under which the poor would remain hungry most of
the time.
 When Oliver asks for more food the management punishes him instead of understanding his
needs. Dickens denounces the parochial management in this chapter.

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 Vocabulary

Chapter 2
 Appropriated - used, took
 Stipend - amount of money given
 Parochial - related to church organization
 Remonstrance - protest, formal complaint
 Luxuriant - rich
 Diminutive - small amount
 Beadle - minor church official with non-religious responsibilities
 Choleric - easily angered
 Emanated - came from, source
 Mollify - soften, appease, calm down
 Feint - pretense
 Oakum - fibers untwisted from old ropes that were used to make caulking for ships
 Surly - sour
 Sage - wise
 Voarcious - very hungry
 Implied - understood indirectly
 temerity
ENGL 412 - foolishness
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 Chapter 3
 Oliver is confined to a dark and secluded room. He gives vent to his feelings out of fear and
hunger. Mr. Bumble makes a visit to the room every morning to inspect the boy's activities and
at the slightest pretext canes him mercilessly.
 Poor child, he bears the onslaughts of Mr. Bumble severity and the chill of the air. For no fault
of his, he is beaten, chastised, and asked to repent for his sins.
 One morning Mr. Gamfield, the chimney sweeper, happens to read the bill pasted outside the
gate of the workhouse. He meets the gentleman in the white waistcoat and expresses his desire
to enroll Oliver as his apprentice.
 He is taken to meet the members of the board who question him about his profession and his
ability to look after Oliver. His answers fail to satisfy the board and they refuse his offer.
 However, when he agrees to lower the price for Oliver, the members give their consent. On the
next day Oliver is brought before the magistrate who asks him for his opinion about becoming a
chimney sweeper.
 The boy refuses to work under Mr. Gamfield, much to the disappointment of Mr. Bumble. The
magistrate dismisses the case and Oliver is once again sent back to the workhouse.

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 Analysis – Ch 3

 In this chapter also Dickens focuses attention on the parochial order who act in an
arbitrary manner, unmindful of the feelings of the paupers.
 The mercenary attitude of the board is revealed through the incident where its
members accept the offer of Mr. Gamfield only after he reduces the price for Oliver.
 Neither the board nor Mr. Bumble bother about Oliver's feelings. The beadle warns
Oliver against refusing the offer of Mr. Gamfield and when the boy expresses his
opinion, Mr. Bumble curses him.
 This chapter brings a ray of hope to Oliver in the midst of gloom, in the form of the
magistrate who takes pity on the boy and considers his request.

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 Vocabulary
 Chapter 3
 Ablutions - cleansing ritual
 Auspicious - promising
 Cogitate - think
 Sanguine - cheerful
 Imprecation - curse
 Peruse - read or look at carefully
 Mirth - joy
 Converse - talk
 Audible - able to be heard
 Extraneous - extra, not of core importance
 Imputation - accusation, considered the cause of
 Pompous - display of importance, has a connotation of overdone or inflated belief in one’s importance
 Palpitate - wild, fast, or irregular beat
 Intimate - indicate See Word Study in the Unit Study
 Stupefy - to stun, or put out of one’s senses with shock
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 Chapter 4
 Oliver is treated as a burden in the workhouse and the board thinks of ways and means to
dispose of the boy.
 One morning Mr. Sowerberry, the undertaker, arrives at the workhouse. When Mr. Bumble asks
him to suggest the name of a person who would be prepared to take Oliver as an apprentice, the
undertaker agrees to take charge of the boy himself. Mr. Bumble accepts his offer and takes him
before the board.
 The members give their consent and Mr. Sowerberry is given the responsibility of taking care of
Oliver for the next five years. Once again the boy is asked to state his opinion.
 Reeling under the pressure of fear and rejection, Oliver agrees to become an apprentice to Mr.
Sowerberry.
 On the next morning Oliver accompanies Mr. Bumble "to a new scene of suffering" where he is
put under the chair of Mrs. Sowerberry. She gives him bits and pieces of food before taking him
to his bed surrounded by coffins.

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 Analysis – Ch 4
 This chapter has symbolic overtones. Oliver, who displays an uncommon endurance
and a desire to survive, is made to work under the shadow of death.
 The innocent boy fights against the harsh realities of life in order to live but
accompanies the undertaker to continue his existence.
 Dickens reveals through irony that death is a matter of joke and a subject of
interest to both Mr. Bumble and Mr. Sowerberry. Deaths and coffins are a means to
better their business.
 The chapter also highlights the plight of poor and the helpless who are treated like
pests to be abused and discarded.
 The work house officials, in order to get rid of Oliver, are too happy to sell him to
the undertaker.
 Mrs. Sowerberry treats Oliver like a dog by throwing him leftovers of good and
pushing him into a dark rook filled with coffins.

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 Vocabulary
 Chapter 4
 Undertaker - made coffins and buried people after death
 Gaunt - very thin
 Jocosity - joking manner
 Cordial - friendly
 Dignitary - important, dignified person
 Erect - standing straight and tall
 Tremulous - trembling from fear
 Malignity - malignant, mean manner
 Agony - extreme pain
 Vixen - female fox
 Deferential - show respect, or defer all decisions to another
 Slattern - shabby, unkept, immoral
 Coarse - rough
 Auguries - predictions, from the word augury (divination)
 Meek - very quiet
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 Chapter 5
 Finding himself alone in the undertaker's shop, Oliver surveys the scene around him. Coffins of
different sizes and shapes are scattered in the room.
 The whole place smells of coffins. The poor boy feels depressed and lonely. He wishes he were
laid down in one of the coffins and buried in the ground of the churchyard.
 In the morning he is woken up by the sounds of kicking outside the shop door and a loud voice
ordering him to open the door.
 Noah Claypole enters the room to taunt Oliver about his status and to assert his superiority over
the newcomer. He is favored by both Mrs. Sowerberry and Charlotte.
 However, Mr. Sowerberry displays a liking for Oliver and decides to train him as a mute for
children's funerals.
 He takes the boy with him to attend a pauper's funeral. Oliver encounters death for the first
time and understands the sordid nature of an undertaker's job. He doesn't like his situation but
feels helpless to get out of it.

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 Analysis – Ch 5
 This chapter highlights the innocence of Oliver. Noah's wickedness only enhances Oliver's
goodness.
 Dickens throws light on our make-believe world where pretence and hypocrisy become its
integral parts. Oliver is trained to be a mute to play the part of a child in grief to march
alongside the coffin.
 The boy accompanies Mr. Sowerberry to the house of a dead woman to take the measurements
for her coffin. The mother of the deceased laments the death of her dear daughter before
asking Mr. Sowerberry for a cloak to be worn at the time of the funeral and a loaf of bread, a
cake, and wine to be consumed before the burial.
 To keep up appearances Mr. Bumble thrashes a few boys to create an atmosphere of gloom
before the burial. After the burial service, "The grave- digger shovelled in the earth; Stamped it
loosely down with his feet; shouldered his spade; and walked off, followed by the boys, who
murmured very loud complaints at the fun being over so soon."
 Dickens also points out at the contradictions prevailing in the world by painting a picture where
a few experience sorrow and mourn while others make merry.

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 Vocabulary
 Chapter 5
 Dismal - gloomy, sad
 Impetuous - cause, driving force
 Dexterity - physical ability, flexibility
 Mute - someone who can’t talk
 Acquiescence - agreement
 Atrocity - very bad act
 Tenant - a person who rents property
 Denote - indicates, shows
 Squalid - severe poverty
 Abode - dwelling

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 Study Questions
 What are some features of Dickens’ style in this chapter?
 What are some unpropitious circumstances of Oliver’s birth?
 What do we learn about Oliver’s mother? (ch- 1)
 Against what circumstances of Oliver’s life is Dickens’ sarcasm directed?
 What do we learn of Oliver’s character? Of the nature of workhouse life? (ch-2)
 https://www.britannica.com/event/Poor-Law
 Do you think Dickens’ portrait of life in a workhouse was true to life?
 How does Dickens seem to use names? Are the names in this book appropriate? What are features of the illustrations
by George Cruikshank? (ch-3)
 What do we learn of the character of Mr. Gamfield? From what occupation has Oliver been saved, and how? [the use
of children as chimney sweeps had been outlawed due to the high incidence of deaths]
 What motives the board members in deciding the fate of the children in their charge? To whom is Oliver eventually
apprenticed?
 How is Noah Claypole’s character represented, and what effect does he have on Oliver’s life? What seems the nature
of his relationship with Charlotte? (ch-4)
 What scenes does Oliver witness in his role as apprentice to a funeral director? What roles is he expected to play?
(child mourner and mute) (ch-5)
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