An Exploration of Poverty and Social Injustice in Oliver Twist

This essay provides an in-depth analysis of Charles Dickens' novel, Oliver Twist, examining its enduring relevance in the context of social issues. The essay begins by highlighting the universality of themes such as humanity, peace, and justice in world literature, setting the stage for a discussion of British literature and its role in addressing societal problems. It then focuses on Dickens as a social critic, emphasizing the significance of Oliver Twist as a reflection of the Victorian era's struggles, particularly the plight of the poor and orphaned. The essay delves into the story of Oliver's journey, from the workhouse to London's underworld, to illustrate the harsh realities of poverty, corruption, and exploitation. It emphasizes how Dickens portrays the distinct realms of Victorian London, contrasting wealth and poverty, and draws parallels to contemporary issues like hunger, human trafficking, and refugee crises. Through Oliver's experiences, the essay explores the impact of these societal conditions on children, highlighting Dickens' optimism and faith in humanity, where love and kindness ultimately triumph.

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In the history of world literature, there are certain themes that emerge time and again.
Irrespective of timeline, region and language barrier, issues such as humanity, peace, justice,
identity etc. have found their place at the heart of the literature. British literature, since the era of
European Renaissance, has been a powerful sect of world literary fraternity. Since then, several
authors have tried to address pertinent societal issues through their writings. And these excellent
writings also serve as an access to the specific time, helping the readers understand the problems
and sufferings that the people went through at that time. Some of the literary works surpass the
others by their merit of depicting timeless issues, which readers of the later generations can also
relate with (Reiss 19). Such a novel is Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist.
Charles Dickens, one of the greatest authors of the Victorian era, was not only a novelist,
but also a proficient social critic. His works, which gained unprecedented success in his lifetime,
are also enjoyed by numerous readers and literature enthusiasts all over the world, even after
almost 200 years of his death. Novels such as A Tale of Two Cities, David Copperfield, Great
Expectations, A Christmas Carol are the most widely read and popular works of Dickens. And

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most importantly, in all these novels, the class of economically and socially backward people
have found a special place (Mengham 28).
Similar to these, Oliver Twist remains as one of the Dickens’ most celebrated works,
which have been later adapted to numerous theatres and films as well as translated into several
languages afterwards. Although the story of the novel revolves around the journey of an orphan
child named Oliver and his series of struggles and misfortunes, the central theme of the novel
remains the sufferings of the poor people. Oliver, an orphan boy who was born in a workhouse,
was severely malnourished, overworked and tortured until he was nine years old. Following the
inhumane torture, he escapes to London with the hope of a better life. In the course of his
journey, he meets a number of people who were willing to give him safety and shelter. However,
as the story unfolds, the readers could see the adults, who otherwise appear to be kind and
benevolent, have vested interests in treating the child well. Mr. Sowerberry, the old Jew who
gave shelter to Oliver, is the one who taught him to steal. Further, Oliver was forced to work for
Faggins as a pickpocket and thief, as he struggled to survive. He was even shot and left to die.
However, towards the end of the novel, Oliver was indeed saved by some kind people. This
indicates Dickens’ strong optimism and faith in humanity, where he suggests love and kindness
conquers in the end.
The novel brings into light how the orphans and paupers were to live in the Victorian
London, the world’s center of wealth and prosperity. Usually, we are accustomed to view crimes
and criminals in a negative light. However, through this novel, Dickens explores the horrible
social condition of London’s underclass and orphan children, and how they suffer from poverty,
corruption and oppression. Among all the problems these children faced, surviving seemed to be

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the biggest challenge at times. For just a loaf of bread, they were forced to beg, steal and commit
other crimes.
“…he was desperate with hunger, and reckless with misery [and said,] 'Please sir, I want
some more.” (Dickens 15)
This is not only a problem in Dickens’ time in London; rather it is still a burning issue across the
world. Hunger and poverty, muddled with corruption and exploitation, pushes a great many
people to take the route of crime. Our societal system dictates us to treat criminals as something
to be looked down upon, as something to be afraid of. Hence, we rarely think of the people who
are forced on to this path just to make ends meet. This is all the more concerning for the children
who suffer under such circumstances. With the growing trend of human trafficking and refugee
crisis across the world, we can only think what they may go through to survive.
Through Oliver’s journey, Dickens also paints a picture of two staggeringly distinct
realms of a single city. In London, there were mansions and family homes on one side, while
there was the underworld and slums (Pope 15). In the modern day world, the distinction of
wealth and poverty is still the same, where one class of people enjoy luxury and abundance,
while another cannot even feed their own children. And this is true for both developed and
developing nations.

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References
Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist or the parish boy's progress. Strelbytskyy Multimedia, 2017.
Mengham, Rod. Charles Dickens. Oxford University Press, 2018.
Pope, Ged. Reading London's Suburbs: From Charles Dickens to Zadie Smith. Springer, 2015.
Reiss, Timothy J. The meaning of literature. Cornell University Press, 2018.