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Oliver Twist: My Thoughts
The book “Oliver Twist” by Charles Dickens is one of the most challenging books to think about, especially with an essay to write about what Dickens was trying to say. Eventually I thought of this: Oliver’s beginnings or the dark times in his life didn’t just define him, but they shaped him. That is my thought on what he was trying to confer to the readers: Your beginnings or the dark times in your life don’t define you, they also shape you. Oliver was a boy, who could have been shaped into a good man or a evil man. But, luckily, Oliver’s experiences shaped him for the better.
From Oliver’s beginnings with the parish, to the Sowerberrys, Oliver was in misery. But this doesn’t mean he is dark from the beginning. Rather, he still is a little boy, saddened by his experiences so far, such as being put up for simply asking for more food, to hearing insults about his mother from Noah, Oliver would have been even more miserable, and he was. But his whole life changed when he ran away from London, where he would have dark times again, but he would have good times as well. Oliver’s darkest times in London could have gotten him in trouble, but for the most part it didn’t. His good times with the Brownlows also strengthened him.
Second, Oliver still remained humble, even with his experiences. As you see in the book, Oliver never gets arrogant or cocky in the book, always remaining humble, even when in dark times. Oliver could have chosen to be arrogant or cocky or self-obsessed, but due to his lifestyle and his upbringing in a parish, he was probably taught to be humble in all he ever did or will ever do. Some people with Oliver’s past sometimes grow angry, but Oliver chose to just be humble. Oliver’s humility helped shape him to the better. He remains humble and not arrogant when he is with the robbers, and he still remains humble to the end of the book. He always says “please” and “thank you” (probably because of his upbringing).
Throughout Oliver’s life, both the good and the bad, the experiences of being poor helped him to appreciate the things he earned in life. Oliver was probably used to being poor and desolate his whole life, and being abused by both the Sowerberrys and Noah never helped. But when he went to London, he became mixed up with Fagin and his gang, where he could have ended up a villain, but when he was with the Brownlows, he was appreciative of what he had. Thus he feared to return to Fagin, when he was happy at the Brownlows. Oliver’s upbringing also had a deal in Oliver’s appreciation, as the parish was probably low on things considered fun and hence hardly anything good would come out of the parish. But, Oliver, through that, learned to appreciate his blessings.
My thought on the book was how interesting from beginning to end was how Oliver was a good boy and his past experiences didn’t define him. And of course I thought of the reasons why they didn’t define him, was that he might have been down, but they didn’t keep him down, he was humble throughout his life, and that he appreciated what he had cause of his experiences.
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Well, that was my report. Next post will probably be by me on "A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" and I will be recapping Part I.
Nathaniel
