For my independant novel study, I am reading Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, one of his most famous novels. The protagonist of the story is, no suprise here, Oliver Twist himself. He is a young orphan child living in 1830's England. Although the novel starts off when Oliver is a baby, the main action of the novel takes place when he about 9 years old. Its a story of his life, troubles and morals, and about the era when the world was accustomed to poverty and crime. Oliver is a very small boy for his age which is mostlikely caused by malnutrition in his early childhood, he is quite frail, slim and tiny. Oliver is also very emotional, crying when he knows something is about to change. Perhaps he is simply used to unfortunately having things change for the worst in his sad life. One of the many unfortunate things to happen to Oliver would be being sold to Mr. Sowerberry as an apprentice. There he meets Noah, another one of Sowerberry's apprentices, but Noah is not very fond of Oliver, as jealousy emmits from his speech. There is a quarrel between the two as Noah comments on Oliver's lack of a mother, and although Oliver simply stands up for himself, he is punished by Mrs. Sowerberry. This part in the novel is showing how Oliver's life is filled with punishment and torment, and I think that is why he is so pure and good in nature. Oliver is a very innocent soul and is shocked when he is exposed to thievery and people being cruel to one another. He acts with more age then he has, showing his maturity.
So far the book is very addicting. Oliver's pain and suffering flow out of the pages and I just can't put the book down.
I especially like the last few sentences of your first paragraph. This somewhat reminds me of those situations where people are making some sort of satirical comment and one person is excluded because s/he's "too innocent to understand." I think this might be one modern day similarity between Oliver and a high school student today.
ReplyDeleteBut if we're looking at the overall picture of his character, I think his personality and the conflicts that shape it can reach out to people of various social classes and wealth. Remember how our socials teacher told us about the number of street children in B.C.? And maybe even the most fortunate people deal with the internal conflicts you're hinting at.
Hannah I agree with so much of what you say about Oliver Twist. I too have read the novel and found it extremely hard to put it down. I loved the novel because it's a story of a boy's troubles and morals in his life. How he faces and gets through it all. It opened my eyes to the poverty in the world, especially in children. It amazed me that such a mistreated boy with such a sad life could rise up from it all, and be above it. I feel as if I can relate to him in being emotional. I've realized that most of the time throughout my life things have changed for the worst and so now I sometimes expect them to. But like Oliver, I am an innocent soul. I try to rise above it like he does through all of his struggles. I try to be a good person, no matter what. I think that the challenges he has to face are what made him so mature and good. I think that the challenges we face, whether it be poverty or just hardships in our lives, all make us stronger and better people in the end.
ReplyDeleteI haven't read this book yet but from what I just read, you made this book seem it is really living up to it's reputation. In your paragraph, I can feel your sincerity about Oliver's troubles and struggles as an orphan child. Being sold as if he was a cheap piece of furniture, and also being starved to the point of malnutrition, this has truely brought my attention about the way children just like Oliver Twist are being treated during ninteenth century in England.
ReplyDeleteI've heard good comments about this book before but I haven't felt the yearning to read it until now. From your paragraph, I can tell this story will make my heart ache for Oliver Twist. I think seeing how he's grown and the type of person he becomes based on the hardships that he face in his life will really be worth reading for. I strongly believe in the quote "what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger" and I'd love to see how Oliver rises and deals with all of the troubles that he must face. Above all, I think this story will really open my eyes to poverty in our world. Thank you for such a nice description of Oliver Twist! This is definitely a book I'll consider reading. :)
ReplyDeleteOliver Twist is a character I know quite well, yet I have never read the entire book. I was in a musical at Gateway theatre where I played the Artful Dodger, a friend of Oliver's. Your passion for Oliver is believable because in essence he is still a child, yet being exposed to much negativity has surprisingly not turned him into an antagonist. He remains as you said "pure and good in nature" replacing what would potentially be a child steered down the wrong path with innocence and maturity. Great observations Hannah Banana!
ReplyDelete:)