Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is a very famous novel. Many people who have
not read the book itself have likely seen film or stage adaptions. Others may
be familiar with the story just from hearing and reading what others have said
or written about it. Although this is a reread for me, it has been a very long
time since I last read this book.
For those unfamiliar with the tale, this is a chronicle of the
early years of Oliver’s life. Oliver is an orphan. The book opens with his
mother’s death in childbirth. The novel’s protagonist spends his first nine
years in a workhouse and for a short time apprentices to an undertaker. During
this time, he is subjected to both physical and mental abuse meted out by
various malevolent characters. Unable to take the cruelty any longer, Oliver
runs away to London. There he meets a band of young thieves controlled and led
by the nefarious Fagin.
Oliver also encounters various benevolent people, including the
wealthy and compassionate Mr.
Brownlow and the virtuous young girl, Rose Maylie. These people show him affection and try to help him. Much of the narrative
concerns itself with Fagin and his malicious friends holding Oliver against his
will or trying to kidnap him away from the decent people for their own evil
purposes.
Because this work is so famous and is often read by children, I
think that people tend to underestimate just how original and imaginative it
is. A fresh reading of this book reveals its strangeness. I use the term strange in a good way. The
world that Dickens creates here is a feast for the imagination. This is a
surreal novel. Both characters and locations are described as grotesque,
bizarre and extreme ways,
The initial description of Fagin is a good example. He is painted
as,
“very old shriveled… whose
villainous-looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red
hair. He was dressed in a greasy flannel gown, with his throat bare”
The word “phantasmagoric” is often used to
describe the world that Dickens builds. Having read more than a few of his
books, this effort seems the most over the top in this novel. I find the entire effect to be a marvel of
creativity.
There is a lot going on in this work. So much has been said about it. I want to
write a few words about one particular aspect.
There is something that is present in multiple Dickens novels. It
is an observation that there is great pain and suffering in the universe.
Furthermore, death is inevitable. Death, however, can seem almost a comfort. At
one point, after some particularly arduous experiences, Oliver drifts off to
sleep.
“Gradually, he fell into that
deep tranquil sleep which ease from recent suffering alone imparts; that calm
and peaceful rest which it is pain to wake from. Who, if this were death, would
be roused again to all the struggles and turmoils of life; to all its cares for
the present; its anxieties for the future; more than all, its weary
recollections of the past! “
Similar passages can be found throughout the narrative. The pain
of life is compared to the peace of inevitable death. However, Dickens is no nihilist.
He finds a source of hope in a world full of suffering and death.
Mr. Brownlow is an older man. At one point, he observes how the people that he has loved most in the world are dead. Though saddened by this reality, he takes comfort and solace in the act of helping others. He observes that he will help Oliver, despite the fact that people in similar circumstances have taken advantage of his kindness,
“I have been deceived, before, in
the objects whom I have endeavoured to benefit; but I feel strongly disposed to
trust you, nevertheless; and I am more interested in your behalf than I can
well account for, even to myself.
The persons on whom I have
bestowed my dearest love, lie deep in their graves; but, although the happiness
and delight of my life lie buried there too, I have not made a coffin of my
heart, and sealed it up, forever, on my best affections. Deep affliction has
but strengthened and refined them.' “
This is a line of philosophy that manifested itself in other
Dickens novels. The world is a cruel and nasty place. Death awaits everyone.
However, solace can be found in helping others. Charity and altruism can
counteract the darkness.
I wrote more about this tendency Dickens’s novels here.
I want mention the fact that this book has been called anti-Semitic.
In his time, Dickens was accused of being bigoted against Jews for his portrayal
of Fagin. Again and again, the criminal is referred to as “the Jew.” This was
laid on so heavily that it did strike me as anti-Semitic. Dickens denied the
allegations. In response, he subsequently spoke out against anti-Semitism
throughout his career and had the word “Jew” omitted in some versions of the
book. Furthermore, in his work of In Our Mutual Friend, he attacked anti-Semitism
and tried to highlight the plight of Jewish people exposed to it. I think one
can conclude that Dickens did show ugly bias when he wrote this book. It seems
that he came to regret this and made serious efforts to make up for it.
There was a time that I had mixed feelings about Dickens and his exaggerated world views as well as his over
use of one-dimensional characters and coincidences. However, I have come to realize that he was
not the kind of writer, such as Jane Austen or Anthony Trollope, who tried to
portray the human condition in a realistic way. Instead, I have come to
appreciate the surreal, exaggerated picture of people and reality that he
creates. As he builds this image of the world, he does so with equally
flamboyant prose. Dickens created a unique fictional world that was fantastic
and original. In some ways, this book can be seen as a kind of fantasy. His
books also include his important social commentary and insightful philosophy as
well as very entertaining stories. Thus, I have come to see him as a writer who
was brilliantly creative. Oliver Twist
is among his most vividly brilliant creations.
