Riassunto
Riassunto di Oliver Twist
A chi è rivolto
For readers who love a strong plot, vivid villains and a social conscience, and anyone curious about Victorian London.
Che cos’è questo libro
Oliver Twist is the second novel by Charles Dickens. It first appeared in monthly installments in a magazine called Bentley's Miscellany, starting in 1837, and came out as a book in 1838. Dickens was in his mid twenties and already well known for The Pickwick Papers. Here he turned from comic travels to something darker: the life of a poor child in England.
The book follows a boy born in a workhouse, a place where the poor were housed and fed under harsh rules. Oliver has no family, no money and no protector. He is starved, sold, beaten and sent out into the world. Then he reaches London, where thieves, kind strangers and cruel officials each want something from him. Dickens wrote it partly as an attack on the Poor Law of 1834, which made relief for the poor as grim as possible.
You get a story of hunger, crime and rescue, full of sharp humor and unforgettable villains. You also get a picture of Victorian poverty drawn by a man who had known some of it himself. Let us begin where Oliver does, in the workhouse, with the first key point.
In questo riassunto
- 1A child is born into the workhouseFree
- 2Hunger drives one boy to ask
- 3Sold, mistreated, and pushed to run
- 4London offers Oliver the wrong kind of friends
- 5Fagin teaches theft as a game
- 6Mr Brownlow offers a short taste of home
- 7Sikes and Nancy drag Oliver back down
- 8Poverty, law and goodness are the real subjects
- 9How Dickens tells it: satire, contrast and suspense
Punto chiave 1 di 9
A child is born into the workhouse
The story opens in a workhouse in an unnamed market town, some way from London. A young woman is brought in, weak and alone, and gives birth to a boy. She dies soon after, and nobody knows who she was or where she came from. The only clue to her past is a small piece of jewelry she wore.
The baby is given a name by the parish beadle, Mr Bumble, who is proud of his own power. Bumble names children in alphabetical order, and it is the turn of the letter T. So the boy becomes Oliver Twist. Dickens uses this small joke to show how little care the system has for any child it handles.
Oliver is sent to a branch workhouse a few miles away, where infants are looked after by Mrs Mann. She is paid a small sum for each child, and she spends most of it on herself. The children are kept thin and cold, and some do not survive. Dickens describes this with a dry, mocking tone that makes the cruelty sharper.
Oliver grows up there until he is nine. He is small for his age and pale, but he has a stubborn spirit. Nobody has taught him kindness, yet he seems to carry some sense of it inside him. This gift becomes the central puzzle of the book. Where does goodness come from in a child who has never received any?
At nine, Oliver is taken back to the main workhouse, where the poor are treated as a problem to be managed. Mr Bumble walks him there, puffed up with importance. The boy is bewildered and very small. Here Dickens sets the foundations of his story, a child with nothing but his own nature to rely on.
That’s 1 of 9 key points.
The rest of the summary, written and spoken, and the whole book: free to start.
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Who’s who
- Oliver Twist
- A gentle orphan raised in a workhouse, Oliver seeks kindness while adults struggle to control his future.
- Fagin
- A receiver of stolen goods, Fagin trains young pickpockets and wants Oliver to join his gang.
- Bill Sikes
- A violent burglar and Nancy's companion, Sikes uses fear to force Oliver into criminal service.
- Nancy
- A young woman connected to Fagin's gang, Nancy feels torn between loyalty to Sikes and pity for Oliver.
- Mr Brownlow
- A kindly gentleman, Mr Brownlow offers Oliver shelter while trying to understand the boy's circumstances.
- Mr Bumble
- The self-important parish beadle, Mr Bumble helps oversee Oliver's harsh treatment under the workhouse authorities.
- The Artful Dodger
- A confident young pickpocket working for Fagin, the Artful Dodger introduces Oliver to the gang.
- Rose Maylie
- A compassionate young woman, Rose Maylie helps her guardian shelter Oliver when he needs protection.
About this edition
Every format is free to start, and print and large print are at cost.
- LengthAbout 162,000 words
- Reading timeAbout 10 h 50 min
- FormatseBook, large-print eBook, audiobook, 15-minute summary
- LanguagesEnglish and 13 other languages
Questions about Oliver Twist
What is Oliver Twist about?
It follows an orphan born in a workhouse who runs away to London and falls among thieves. Kind people try to save him, while villains try to use him. It also attacks the cruelty of poor relief in Victorian England.
Who is Fagin in Oliver Twist?
Fagin is an old man who leads a gang of young pickpockets in London and receives their stolen goods. He takes in Oliver and trains him as a thief. He is one of the central villains of the book.
Is Oliver Twist a true story?
No, it is a work of fiction. Dickens published it in installments from 1837, and the book form followed in 1838. It is based on real conditions, especially the workhouses created by the Poor Law of 1834.
Is Oliver Twist hard to read?
The plot moves quickly, the scenes are vivid and the humor helps. Many readers find it easier than later Dickens novels.
What is the main message of Oliver Twist?
Dickens argues that a society must care for its poorest children rather than punish them for being poor. He also shows that kindness and decency can survive even the worst treatment, and that law and charity should serve people.