In writing Oliver Twist, it is clear that Charles Dickens' main literary aim was to expose the plight of the poor in Victorian London. Oliver's story is comparable to other Victorian novels, such as Jane Eyre, in its strong didactic message regarding the oppression of a certain demographic. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Brontë pleads for the recognition of women's rights while in Oliver Twist, Dickens gives a voice to the most deprived. Through difficult but realistic scenes, the author reveals what was really happening to the poor and who was responsible for this dark reality. The theme that permeates the novel is that the poor continue to be destitute, not because of the nature of their birth, but because the upper classes fail to appropriate the help for which their position has made them responsible . Dickens suggests that those who possess wealth have a duty to the poor. This duty, for most of the novel, is evaded, thereby perpetuating the problems of the poor – including Oliver Twist. Only when the rich use their resources to take care of those who have none will the conspiracy be resolved. With this conclusion, Dickens addresses his readers, boldly declaring that the poor will remain poor until the rich change their behavior. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Although the rich are his primary target, Dickens also places the blame for the existence of poverty on capitalism. He describes free trade as an entity that, while favorable to some, leaves many people destitute through no fault of their own. It also allows - and even encourages by encouraging ambition - to leave the poor in poverty, despite so many others. In the novel, when Oliver accompanies his first master, an undertaker, to a poor part of town to collect the body of a deceased woman, we find that the place is full of closed shops. “A lot of the buildings had storefronts; but these were well closed and in ruins: only the upper rooms were inhabited” (Dickens 30). The woman died of starvation, a fact that leaves her grieving husband (who considers her death unjust and unnecessary) angry and bitter. Dickens uses this situation to suggest, once again, that poverty should not be blamed on those who experience it. It is safe to assume that the couple's livelihood was compromised by the arrival of the Industrial Revolution, leaving them with little choice but to starve. Dickens uses characters as the primary means of representing the harsh reality of class relations. Dark images and vivid descriptions of physical locations as well as its characters help create a strong dichotomy between evil and good, between poverty and wealth. In an article discussing the domestic themes of Oliver Twist, KC Frederick notes that "images of deprivation, misery, and malevolence extend through most of the novel, while goodness is subordinated until the final sections... His Contacts with gentleness and peace alone provide no real antithesis. to Oliver's homelessness” (Frederick). By using such strong, vivid language in his descriptions of the poor and evil, Dickens demands the reader's attention. The pleasant scenes seem surreal, while the difficult scenes that make up the majority of the novel seem very real. The workshop scene is particularly dark and serves as a shocking elucidation of the hypocrisy of the middle class in its false efforts tohelp the people. poor. The hospice is intended to be a place of help and relief for the poor, but it inflicts on them all the illnesses from which it claims to protect them. Before entering the home, families are divided according to the belief that petty and crude characteristics are inherently possessed by the poor and passed on to their children. Children are taken from their parents to be raised by the state in hopes of saving their souls. It is not difficult to see the harm in this practice, as it creates orphans and erases any sense of identity children may have had. Dirt is something that the inhabitants of the work centers are supposed to be protected from when they are taken off the streets, but in Oliver's workshop, the power does not care about the hygiene of the workers (at unless of course there is an inspection which could jeopardize their employment). In addition to unsanitary living conditions, the poor living in the workshops suffered a famine similar to that from which they suffered on the streets. While people are starving every day, those who receive money for missing food are living well – a sad irony. Furthermore, the portly, self-satisfied members of the board of directors, who are responsible for the state of the shop, preach about the value of a meager diet. This image is reminiscent of the owner of Lowood School in Jane Eyre, who often preaches that the girls at the school should have as little as possible to prevent them from becoming materialistic. As a result, the girls have to make do with inadequate clothing and food, while the owner's wife and daughter dress excessively. Another ironic scene shows the board members discussing what to do with the little boy who asked for more, Oliver Twist. . They plan to send him to serve in places where they know he won't survive long. This is ironic because the death they plan to send Oliver to is exactly the fate they are paid to protect him from. In general, the workshop, supposed to be a place of freedom, more closely resembles slavery: workers are underclothed, undernourished, forced to perform difficult tasks, and punished if they do not appear happy and grateful. . “Do not make your eyes red, Oliver, but eat your food and be grateful,” said Mr. Bumble, in a tone of impressive pomp” (Dickens 17). To add insult to injury, Dickens introduces the board of directors of the workshop. as a group of men who sincerely believe, or at least have convinced themselves, that the workshop is a pleasant place. "It was a regular place of public entertainment for the poorer classes; a tavern where there was nothing to pay; a public breakfast, dinner, teas and supper all year round; an Elysium in bricks and mortar, where everything was at stake and no work” (Dickens 9) It is this conclusion that leads the board of directors to reduce the rations authorized in the workshops, making them personally responsible for each case of famine. This is a clear depiction of the upper class's willful ignorance of the conditions that the poor must endure. The reason Dickens offers for the hostility that the upper class shows towards the lower class is epitomized by Noah Claypole, a. fellow apprentice at the undertaker The young man abuses Oliver out of insecurity, making him feel more important as he darkens the line that separates him from those below him. he. Dickens even notes the irony that Noah's behavior causes him to exhibit qualities similar to those of noble lords. There 27 (1966): 465-470