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Oliver Twist Book Review

Oliver Twist is a social drama novel by Charles Dickens. First published in 1838, it is one of the best-known books by this famous author and it’s truly an outstanding work.

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“There are books of which the backs and covers are by far the best parts“

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This book was extremely popular back when it was first published as were most Dickens works. When it comes to its current reception, many would harshly criticize it for its minor flaws, which is unfair. Even more unjust are the critiques that it is anti-Semitic or problematic in any other social depictions, which is obviously ludicrous to state about a 19^th century story. For me, it is a tremendous literary work in spite of its smaller issues and Dickens deserves so much credit for his enormous skills as a storyteller first and foremost.

When you think about the Victorian era, you would hardly ever think of social outcasts in literature in particular, which is why this work was so potent and powerful back then while now it is an important historical artifact. It really needs to be read to really understand just how atrocious living as an orphan or on the streets of London was back in this period and Dickens painted that lifestyle with so much meticulous, graphic detail that made the read quite disturbing at times, but again highly necessary.

The novel showcases that “charity” in 1838 London was not the way to go for those less fortunate. Even living in the streets was better than in those orphanages and similar institutions. Dickens was especially adept at depicting the utter hatred disguised within the gentlemanly and ladylike demeanor that so many of these undertakers exhibited toward the poor. The classism as depicted here was amusingly literal at times, but the dialogue still remained firmly realistic given the era that it portrayed.

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The author also paints the picture of the soul breaking that happens to these outcasts, which in a truly ironic and heartbreaking unbreakable circle will eventually turn into the very criminals that these stuck-up higher-class people would constantly describe them as. This is something that still happens in some more violent and impoverished corners of the globe, so this honest depiction made the novel timeless. Dickens was accused of depicting the countryside in an overly idealized manner, but he is actually right in that depiction. Yes, it is not that black-and-white in real life, but clearly cities are much more populous than villages, so it is only obvious that it would host more criminals and other shady characters.

When it comes to the characters, they are all magnificent except for the titular hero. I’ve had many issues with Oliver’s depiction and his overall story. The book could have been called any other way as Oliver himself is really just a side character in his own story. He has no agency to speak of as others decide his faith every step of the way. He also speaks in an overly emotional, dignified and proper English manner when in reality he could never speak as such given his problematic upbringing.

His backstory is also flawed. The ending is infamous for its twists and turns where it turns out that the kid hailed from a rich background all along. It was too convenient to cap the story off like that and it would have been much more potent had he been just a regular orphan all along. However, as is the case with all older literature, you should put it into the historical perspective.

Putting it as such, it makes a lot of sense that Dickens would portray Oliver in such a manner. By making him sweet and dignified, the book would become much more emotionally effective to the prejudiced audiences of the time, so this was actually a very clever decision from the author that obviously paid off in spades. And despite the issue of convenience, I actually found that story of hidden identities and complex family trees riveting as it was written in a thrilling and engaging way.

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No matter what you think of the titular character, it is difficult to imagine anybody disliking the other personalities in this story. Dickens wrote his characters with so much vivid imagination and detail that they felt so alive, whether they are of the more complex or simplistic variety. The villains are particularly amazing here. Fagin is an instantly iconic villainous creation as he’s both memorable and menacing. His arc ended quite darkly, which was also unforgettable.

But Bill Sikes is an even bigger villain. Even he has remorse toward the end, but what he does in that final stretch is not only unforgivable, but deeply disturbing. That event made this novel unexpectedly brutal and unflinchingly realistic. What happened to his dog throughout was also heartbreaking and the author actually depicting violence toward children and animals alike was hugely important, though obviously proving to be very difficult to read.

Reading through Oliver Twist in its first half, I’d started to expect that the author won’t include any strong female characters, but he eventually proved me wrong with Nancy, who is by far the most complex character of the bunch. She is on Sikes’ team and is fiercely loyal to him, but she did retain at least some kind of decency and compassion, which ultimately proved to be her undoing. She is certainly the most tragic figure of the story.

Other highlights include the instantly memorable Artful Dodger, the most important child character after Oliver himself, and of course the Bumble couple. Mr. Bumble is such a delightful idiot that following his every action was a whole lot of fun. Mrs. Bumble proving to be so fierce was unexpected and that dynamic between the two was just hilarious.

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And that is one point that most fail to bring when discussing this work – its effortlessly charming comedic tone. The black comedy as it was exhibited here was masterfully written, especially in observational and highly amusing dialogue. The author’s writing was at its best when dealing with humor and when describing places and people as his descriptive power is unparalleled. The world that he created here was incredible and how he interconnected each and every person within the tale was truly brilliant. There were some lapses in overly melodramatic and emotional speeches, but other than those, the writing is just impeccable. The attention to detail was astounding while the mixture of the darker and more comedic tones was deftly handled as well.