Oliver Twist pdf by Charles Dickens or, the Parish Boy’s Progress as its formerly called is Charles Dickens’s second novel, was published as a serial from 1837 to 1839, and as a three-volume book in 1838.Born in a workhouse, the orphan Oliver Twist is sold into apprenticeship with an undertaker. After escaping, Oliver travels to London, where he meets the “Artful Dodger”, a member of a gang of juvenile pickpockets led by the elderly criminal Fagin. Oliver Twist unromantically portrays the sordid lives of criminals, and exposes the cruel treatment of the many orphans in London in the mid-19th century. The alternative title, The Parish Boy’s Progress, alludes to Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress, as well as the 18th-century caricature series by painter William Hogarth, A Rake’s Progress and A Harlot’s Progress.
In an early example of the social novel, Dickens satirizes child labor, domestic violence, the recruitment of children as criminals, and the presence of street children. The novel may have been inspired by the story of Robert Blincoe, an orphan whose account of working as a child laborer in a cotton mill was widely read in the 1830s. It is likely that Dickens’s own experiences as a youth contributed as well. This article will give you free access to download pdf of Oliver twist by Charles Dickens as well as do the following:
Summary of Oliver twist pdf by Charles Dickens
Starved and mistreated, empty bowl in hand, the young hero musters the courage to approach his master, saying, “Please, sir, I want some more.” Oliver Twist’s famous cry of the heart has resounded with readers since the novel’s initial appearance in 1837, and the book remains a popular favorite with fans of all ages.
Dickens was no stranger to the pain of hunger and the degradation of poverty. He poured his own youthful experience of Victorian London’s unspeakable squalor into this realistic depiction of the link between destitution and crime. Oliver escapes his miserable servitude by running away to London, where he unwillingly but inevitably joins a scabrous gang of thieves. Masterminded by the loathsome Fagin, the underworld crew features some of Dickens’ most memorable characters, including the juvenile pickpocket known as the Artful Dodger, the vicious Bill Sikes, and gentle Nancy, an angel of self-sacrifice.
A profound social critic, Dickens introduced genteel readers to the problems of the poor in a way that had rarely been attempted before. This tale of the struggle between hope and cruelty continues to speak to modern audiences.
About the author of Oliver Twist- Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 near Portsmouth where his father was a clerk in the navy pay office. The family moved to London in 1823, but their fortunes were severely impaired. Dickens was sent to work in a blacking-warehouse when his father was imprisoned for debt. Both experiences deeply affected the future novelist. In 1833 he began contributing stories to newspapers and magazines, and in 1836 started the serial publication of Pickwick Papers. Thereafter, Dickens published his major novels over the course of the next twenty years, from Nicholas Nickleby to Little Dorrit. He also edited the journals Household Words and All the Year Round. Dickens died in June 1870.
Information about the book Oliver Twist pdf (Amazon)
- Publisher : Dover Publications; 1st edition (December 30, 2002)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 368 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0486424537
- ISBN-13 : 978-0486424538
- Reading age : 18 years and up
- Lexile measure : 530L
- Item Weight : 9.6 ounces
- Best Sellers Rank: #475,533 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #6,692 in Coming of Age Fiction (Books)
- #8,833 in Contemporary Literature & Fiction
- #13,088 in Classic Literature & Fiction
- Customer Reviews: 4.5 out of 5 stars 6,713 ratings
Major characters in Oliver twist by Charles Dickens
- Oliver Twist
The novel’s protagonist. Oliver is an orphan born in a workhouse, and Dickens uses his situation to criticize public policy toward the poor in 1830s England. Oliver is between nine and twelve years old when the main action of the novel occurs. Though treated with cruelty and surrounded by coarseness for most of his life, he is a pious, innocent child, and his charms draw the attention of several wealthy benefactors. His true identity is the central mystery of the novel.
- · Fagin
A conniving career criminal. Fagin takes in homeless children and trains them to pick pockets for him. He is also a buyer of other people’s stolen goods. He rarely commits crimes himself, preferring to employ others to commit them—and often suffer legal retribution—in his place. Dickens’s portrait of Fagin displays the influence of anti-Semitic stereotypes.
- · Nancy
A young prostitute and one of Fagin’s former child pickpockets. Nancy is also Bill Sikes’s lover. Her love for Sikes and her sense of moral decency come into conflict when Sikes abuses Oliver. Despite her criminal lifestyle, she is among the noblest characters in the novel. In effect, she gives her life for Oliver when Sikes murders her for revealing Monks’s plots.
- · Rose Maylie
Agnes Fleming’s sister, raised by Mrs. Maylie after the death of Rose’s father. A beautiful, compassionate, and forgiving young woman, Rose is the novel’s model of female virtue. She establishes a loving relationship with Oliver even before it is revealed that the two are related.
- · Mr. Brownlow
A well-off, erudite gentleman who serves as Oliver’s first benefactor. Mr. Brownlow owns a portrait of Agnes Fleming and was engaged to Mr. Leeford’s sister when she died. Throughout the novel, he behaves with compassion and common sense and emerges as a natural leader.
- · Monks
A sickly, vicious young man, prone to violent fits and teeming with inexplicable hatred. With Fagin, he schemes to give Oliver a bad reputation.
- · Bill Sikes
A brutal professional burglar brought up in Fagin’s gang. Sikes is Nancy’s pimp and lover, and he treats both her and his dog Bull’s-eye with an odd combination of cruelty and grudging affection. His murder of Nancy is the most heinous of the many crimes that occur in the novel.
- · Mr. Bumble
The pompous, self-important beadle—a minor church official—for the workhouse where Oliver is born. Though Mr. Bumble preaches Christian morality, he behaves without compassion toward the paupers under his care. Dickens mercilessly satirizes his self-righteousness, greed, hypocrisy, and folly, of which his name is an obvious symbol.
- · Agnes Fleming
Oliver’s mother. After falling in love with and becoming pregnant by Mr. Leeford, she chooses to die anonymously in a workhouse rather than stain her family’s reputation. A retired naval officer’s daughter, she was a beautiful, loving woman. Oliver’s face closely resembles hers.
- · Mr. Leeford
Oliver and Monks’s father, who dies long before the events of the novel. He was an intelligent, high-minded man whose family forced him into an unhappy marriage with a wealthy woman. He eventually separated from his wife and had an illicit love affair with Agnes Fleming. He intended to flee the country with Agnes but died before he could do so.
- · Mr. Losberne
Mrs. Maylie’s family physician. A hot-tempered but good-hearted old bachelor, Mr. Losberne is fiercely loyal to the Maylies and, eventually, to Oliver.
- · Mrs. Maylie
A kind, wealthy older woman, the mother of Harry Maylie and adoptive “aunt” of Rose.
- · Harry Maylie
Mrs. Maylie’s son. Harry is a dashing young man with grand political ambitions and career prospects, which he eventually gives up to marry Rose.
- · The Artful Dodger
The cleverest of Fagin’s pickpockets. The Dodger’s real name is Jack Dawkins. Though no older than Oliver, the Dodger talks and dresses like a grown man. He introduces Oliver to Fagin.
- · Charley Bates
One of Fagin’s pickpockets. Charley is ready to laugh at anything.
- · Old Sally
An elderly pauper who serves as the nurse at Oliver’s birth. Old Sally steals Agnes’s gold locket, the only clue to Oliver’s identity.
- · Mrs. Corney
The matron of the workhouse where Oliver is born. Mrs. Corney is hypocritical, callous, and materialistic. After she marries Mr. Bumble, she hounds him mercilessly.
- · Noah Claypole
A charity boy and Mr. Sowerberry’s apprentice. Noah is an overgrown, cowardly bully who mistreats Oliver and eventually joins Fagin’s gang.
- · Charlotte
The Sowerberrys’ maid. Charlotte becomes romantically involved with Noah Claypole and follows him about slavishly.
- · Toby Crackit
One of Fagin and Sikes’s associates, crass and not too bright. Toby participates in the attempted burglary of Mrs. Maylie’s home.
- · Mrs. Bedwin
Mr. Brownlow’s kindhearted housekeeper. Mrs. Bedwin is unwilling to believe Mr. Bumble’s
Major themes in Oliver twist by Charles Dickens
Thievery and Crime
Oliver Twist is, among other things, a meditation on the nature of criminality in 1830s England: an examination of who commits crimes; of the spectrum of crimes (from petty thievery to murder); and of the idea of criminality as a learned behavior or an innate quality. Oliver is born a poor orphan; he is raised in a workhouse and makes his way to London, where is “rescued” by a group of young thieves controlled by Fagin. Thus Oliver, according to Victorian ideas about the link between poverty and criminality, is seen as being “naturally” predisposed to crime, because he was brought up poor, and was not school educated. Oliver is also at risk of learning criminal behavior from Fagin, Charley Bates, the Artful Dodger, and Sikes.
One of the novel’s great questions, therefore, is: will Oliver succumb to this “natural” predisposition and learned criminal behavior, or will he retain his innate virtue? Dickens presents a full range of criminality as a means of describing English criminal society at the time of his writing. Sikes and Fagin are both shown to be “natural” criminals—meaning they are men for whom crime is an organic outgrowth of their innate badness or evil. But although Dickens is clear in his disapproval of Sikes and Fagin, he nevertheless reserves a certain amount of room for moral complication as regards the “criminality” of other characters in the novel. Dickens acknowledges that Nancy has been forced to commit crimes, but Dickens has a certain amount of sympathy for Nancy’s condition, as she was forced to work for Fagin from a young age. The Artful Dodger and Bates are entertaining and funny characters, and there is a despair Dickens ascribes to their condition, as Fagin’s servants and partners in crime (not out of choice, but out of necessity). The Dodger ends up going to a penal colony, and Charley decides he ought to find honest work, and begins a series of menial jobs after renouncing his life of crime. Monks is given part of his inheritance by Brownlow, in the hopes that he will change, but he, too, returns to crime.
Oliver’s purity and strength of spirit are never compromised throughout the novel; it is implied that his “gentlemanly” parentage makes it more likely that he will end up part of a stable family structure, and that he will become educated and find legal employment. Thus Dickens seems to indicate that criminality is, after all, a mixture of moral disposition and of circumstances. Bates transcends his circumstances to live a “legal” life, but his rewards are few, and his job training poor. Oliver is virtuous and strong, but also aided by the help of members of the middle class, and by the fact that he is of noble birth.
Individualism and Social Bonds
Oliver Twist presents, also, an inquiry into the nature of “individualism” in 1830s England, and in the social bonds that must be formed and sustained by individuals if they are to prosper. One of the novel’s most notable scenes is Fagin’s speech, to Noah, arguing that one must look out both for “Number One” (oneself) and “the other Number One,” or Fagin. The thieves Fagin controls all look out for themselves, since they would probably not work for Fagin if they were able to earn their living elsewhere. But Fagin argues that, since he is in command of this band of thieves, he is truly their Number One, or the figure they must obey if they are to continue living.
Fagin’s organization of the group is based primarily on fear; if the thieves do not rat one another out, they will be saved from the courts and hanging. Dickens shows that this is not a strong enough social bond to keep the boys safe. Bates eventually leaves his life of crime; the Dodger is taken into court, and the boys are encouraged to believe that the Dodger will long be remembered for his defiance in the courtroom. Sikes hangs himself by mistake, and Fagin is tried and sentenced to death on the scaffold.
Oliver, however, is an example both of the importance of a strong individual work ethic and of social bonds. Oliver leaves Sowerberry; braves the criminals of Fagin’s gang in London; escapes to Brownlow; is recaptured by Fagin; survives a gunshot to his arm and dodges Sikes; and finally educates himself under Brownlow’s tutelage. If it weren’t for Oliver’s goodness and his drive to better himself, he would have remained at Sowerberry’s for the rest of his life. But Oliver also benefits greatly from the love he receives from Brownlow, Rose Maylie, Mrs. Bedwin, Mrs. and Harry Maylie, and Mr. Losberne. Dickens praises these social bonds above all—the bonds of love and of a family-like atmosphere.
Social Forces, Fate, and Free Will
In the novel, “fate” is revealed to be an interaction of social forces or pressures on one’s life, and one’s decisions as an agent possessing free will. Oliver is an orphan and a pauper, meaning his “fate” is more or less sealed from birth: social forces appear poised to keep him in a “low” position forever. But Oliver, as it turns out, is the illegitimate son of a gentleman, and his father has inherited enough money to be able to pass some on to Oliver. Thus Oliver has a competing fate: that of a son who realizes his fortune later in life. The grand question of the novel, then, is which fate will determine the course of Oliver’s life: the fate of the pauper, or the fate of the gentleman?
Other characters have their fates set up and determined in interesting ways. Monks, also the son of a gentleman (he and Oliver are half-brothers), seems not to be able to “realize” his fate as a gentleman himself—he become a criminal, and even after inheriting half of his father’s money, he dissipates it away and returns to crime. Fagin and his crew—including the Dodger—are mostly fated to remain criminals. Although Fagin does everything he can to avoid detection, it is not a surprise when he is captured at the novel’s end, and sentenced to death. Similarly, the Dodger, despite his skill in thievery, accepts that it is his fate to be sent to a penal colony. Sikes understands that, after he kills Nancy, he is a hunted man, and that he can never recover the “normalcy” of his life-in-crime before the murder.
Rose and Harry, too, seem fated to be together. When Harry first proposes to Rose, Rose rejects his offer of marriage—not because she does not love him, but because Harry is poised for a brilliant career, and she comes from a disgraced family. But Harry implies that he is willing to alter the trajectory of his career, to take over the modest life of a country parson, in order to “level” his social relationship to Rose, and therefore to facilitate their marriage. Thus the novel shows that, although there are many strong social forces appearing immutably to “fate” characters to certain destinies, characters can, through exceptional strength of character, determine their own paths in life.
Quotes from Oliver twist pdf by Charles Dickens
“Dignity, and even holiness too, sometimes, are more questions of coat and waistcoat than some people imagine.”
“Upon this, the parish authorities magnanimously and humanely resolved, that Oliver should be farmed.”
“Please, sir, I want some more.”
“What have paupers to do with soul or spirit? It’s quite enough that we let ‘em have live bodies. If you had kept the boy on gruel, ma’am, this would never have happened.”
“That it won’t do; so it’s a no use a-trying it on, Fagin.”
“I confess I have yet to learn that a lesson of the purest good may not be drawn from the vilest evil.”
“Such is the influence which the condition of our own thoughts, exercise, even over the appearance of external objects.”
“Why everybody lets him alone enough, for the matter of that. Neither his father nor his mother will ever interfere with him. All his relations let him have his own way pretty well.”
“To do a great right, you may do a little wrong; and you may take any means which the end to be attained will justify”
Where to buy Oliver twist pdf by Charles Dickens
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Read reviews on Oliver twist by Charles Dickens
Editorial reviews about the book
Please sir, may I have some more?”
“Dickens was a master of the written word, not just because he wrote well but because his words carried so much emotion that they evoked a response in even the most hardened souls. Although his books contain much prose to admire, most of his books are recognized by one phrase each. For Oliver Twist, that phrase is: “Please sir, may I have some more?” Such simple words, yet they convey so much. These are words chosen by a boy who knows he is addressing the masters of his food and his fate. He is aware their station in life is well above his, so much so that he cannot even assume to be given more gruel than his measly allotment.
Every phrase, every dialogue uttered by the characters in Oliver Twist is true to that character’s background, education, history, and station in life. Dickens had the unique ability to convey dialects through his writing. For those unaware of the skill, it is a highly specialized ability that involves writing an accent just as it is spoken. Suppressing sounds where the speaker does and almost creating an echo in the reader’s mind. Dickens was a master of dialects, and as such, his writing is fantastically expressive. For the same reason, his readings were immensely entertaining. In recent years, this style has been seen in the writing of Hagrid’s dialogues in the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling and the cockney accent by Jennifer Worth in Call the Midwife.- Stacy(bookseriesrecaps.com)
Oliver Twist is a book written by the massively talented Charles Dickens back in the late 1830s and still remains one of the most famous books till date. With the Phrase “Oliver Twist” becoming a metaphor to describe someone who shows lack of disrespect or is someone who requests more than what was given to them. The book focuses on an orphan who went through a lot of hardship following his mother’s death at childbirth and the mysterious absence of his father. He is forced to go through a lot of challenges and has lots of experience that a boy of his age, personality, and character shouldn’t have to go through. In the end, after everything he faces, the main character (Oliver Twist) ultimately finds light at the end of tunnel and lives the rest of his life as a happy and well taken care of lad. Let’s dive into my book review of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and go on the rough and almost unbearable journey through life with Young Oliver. -imagineforest.com
“Oliver Twist is a novel written by Charles Dickens (1812-1870), a man who had a difficult life. He had worked since he was a child and he had no money. He gave Oliver , the protagonist, those characteristics.
The story is about a child, whose mother had died, that was sent to a workhouse. Oliver was an innocent and pure boy. When he was eleven, he was tried to be sold from the workhouse as an apprentice, but he escaped from there. In his way to London, he met a boy called Artful Dodger and then ended up with Fagin, the leader of a gang of thieves, who taught children how to steal. Luckily, Oliver also found people who took good care of him and helped him with some problems he had had. In my opinion, the novel is very entertaining and it makes you want to read more. I liked the fact that Fagin and Sikes tried to change Oliver, but he continued to be an innocent good boy.
My favourite character is Mr. Brownlow, who took care of Oliver and loved him despite the things he had done, and his past; and my favourite part is when he is accused of a robbery he hadn’t committed and Mr. Brownlow took him to his house because he was sick. I liked the end, and I wouldn’t change anything in the book. – Maria Gauto (Macmillianreaders.com)
Reviews from Amazon for Oliver twist by Charles Dickens
Bilbo Fredericks
5.0 out of 5 stars My go-to when my kids complain about dinner
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
If my kids don’t like what’s on the table, I simply point out that Oliver Twist would eat the whole thing, ask for more, and get it without so much as a thought about assault by soup ladle. So far it hasn’t worked, but I’m thinking that a more immersive old-timey London experience might do the trick. Therefore, I’ve started a chimney sweeping business to make use of their tiny stature and instill some of that good old fashioned work ethic and gratitude. Please sir, may I have some more.
NYteacher
5.0 out of 5 stars Introduction to the Classics
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2016
Verified Purchase
Read this aloud to low-performing fifth graders in an afterschool academic intervention class. They loved it, shared it with others, read it on their own, and were ready to read other Illustrated Classics from our shelves. Some argue that those who read these simpler versions will never read the original books. This may be true, but not necessarily. What I noticed, besides the cheers for our receipt of this additional copy was how surprised and thrilled the students were when they noticed allusions in other books to lines such as, “Please, sir, may I have more?” and similar character names used in other books for kids. What I really DON’T like in these books is the illustrator! The drawings are crude woodcuts. Why? Anyway, the student were amused that I didn’t like them, and they therefore felt free to express their opinions about Oliver Twist. Every one of them looked forward to hearing the next chapter, groaned over every new cliffhanger, and hoped to get a copy in their own hands.
VINE VOICE
5.0 out of 5 stars Pleas sir…May I have some more?
Reviewed in the United States on April 18, 2020
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Have not read this 18th century tome in a long while but still it brings back all the overly sweet disposition of young Oliver and the dastardly machinations of Fagin and his crowd. The book is full of middle English phrases that leave the reader wondering what on earth Mr Dickens wanted to say. Words such as Cupidity and Opprobrious will have us running to the dictionary time and again. Mr Dickens loves to draw out attention to the nastiest parts of old England where the theft of a crust of bread could have you thrown into a workhouse, or worse. Also every paragraph seems find someone in tears…years of joy, sorrow, remembrance or some stay thought will bring about the breaking of the waterworks. But it’s a classic read everyone needs to experience. I find it humorous that the language of the lowlife , and all the other characters ( for the most part) sounds more like Harvard English majors having a discussion…so very formal. Oliver Twist….. nice kid but easily seduced.
Pete
5.0 out of 5 stars From Twittiture back to Literature
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2021
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Dickens ability to weave complex stories through the compilation of myriad words available in the English language is what elevates his work to that of classic literature. The plight of Oliver Twist is as vivid as Cinemax with Dolby sound yet is accomplished without any of the electronics and written, no doubt, longhand with paper and pen by candlelight. He captures a time and place in history not only as a reporter but as a time capsule containing it. I’m so pleased that these works of art are preserved and re presented in our most modern digital format. Better to be Kindleized and preserved for the modern reader than memorialized on the back shelves of print museums. The Audible version is extremely well done as well and the two works together provide the reader with a full and sensuous experience.
Timothy M. Moran
5.0 out of 5 stars I haven’t read it
Reviewed in the United States on August 18, 2020
Verified Purchase
I haven’t actually had the time to read Oliver Twist, but I’ve heard this Dickens fellow is a pretty decent writer. And folks have thought highly enough of this work to convert it into plays and movies, so there is that. I have recently read Great Expectations by the same author, and he does seem to have a way with words, characters and plot. So I’m guessing that Oliver Twist is probably a very good read, and I look forward to getting to it. Another reason to give the novel an excellent review is the Kindle price, which if I recall, was 99 cents. At that price, even waifs like Oliver Twist could afford to give it a read.
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