5 min read ⌚ 

Being thrown in dark and corrupt surroundings does not mean one must become bad himself.

Read our summary of “Oliver Twist” and find out a few things about the destiny of one of the best-known orphans of the fictional world.

Who Should Read “Oliver Twist”? And Why?

Oliver Twist tells the story of an orphan boy who was put in a bad place from the very start, but did not let the corrupted surroundings corrupt his soul, which finally led him to a happier “tomorrow.”

We recommend it to everyone.

Seriously.

We believe that no person would not enjoy this book.

Charles Dickens Biography

Charles Dickens was an English writer of the Victorian era who penned one of the best books ever written and created some of the best-known characters in the literary world.

Plot

Oliver Twist is a boy who lost his mother just after his birth on the streets of 1830s England.

He is taken to a baby farm where he spends the first nine years of his life under the supervision of Mrs. Mann. He is there taken care of poorly, and as a matter of fact, the whole farm is run the same way.

On his ninth birthday, Mr. Bumble takes him to a workhouse for adults, and he remains there for half a year.

The boys living there are all under-fed, and in one such instance when they feel desperately hungry they come up with the idea to draw lots, and the loser of the game must go and ask for another portion of gruel.

Of course, the task is given to Oliver, and he comes forward on the next meal, trembling, and asks for more gruel.

Everyone gets upset, and the board that is running the workhouse offers £5 to anyone who would want to take the boy and make him his apprentice.

A brutal chimney sweep is the first one almost to claim him, but at the end an undertaker working for the parish by the name of Mr. Sowerberry claims him.

Oliver enjoys better treatment in his service, although the wife of his owner looks down on him, and whenever she can, mistreats him. Oliver works as a mourner at kids’ funerals.

The turning point in his stay, and in this book, is the instance when one of the much bigger boys Noah, decides to bait Oliver and insults the memory of his mother, after which Oliver assaults him.

Mrs. Sowerberry stands in Noah’s defense and lets him beat the boy, and then she even compels Mr. Bumble and her husband to beat him again and teach him a lesson.

Beaten and hurt, Oliver is sent to his room, and that will be the last night he spends there.

He escapes the following morning.

His destination is London, believing he will find a better life there. On his way, he meets a pickpocket known by the nickname of Artful Dodger and his sidekick Charley Bates.

However, Oliver fails to see dishonesty in these boys, accepts the free meals that he is given, and follows the boys to the place they promise him he will be taken care of, without needing to give anything in return.

The place he is taken to is the residence of Fagin, the infamous Jewish criminal, who leads a gang of juvenile pickpockets.

He lives in ignorance believing they make wallets until one day he is taken to the boys’ “workplace” and understands their real “occupation.”

The boys pick a man’s pocket, and run away, while Oliver, not knowing what happened stays behind. So, when the assaulted man Mr. Brownlow turns around, he sees him running away and believes he is the pickpocket.

Oliver is then caught and brought before the magistrate, but Mr. Brownlow starts having doubts about the boy’s real nature and then is proven to be right about his innocence when a bookstall holder comes up as a witness and clears his name.

By this time, Oliver is ill, and he faints during the trial. Then, Mr. Brownlow takes him to his place and provides him with care.

He lives in bliss for some time under Mr. Brownlow’s care, until the day that Mr. Fagin decides to bring him back to his residence.

He uses one of the girls that live there named Nancy, to trick him into coming back.

There, he is treated badly again and is even forced to participate in a house burglary.

During the burglary, something goes wrong, and he ends up with a shot in his left arm.

Everyone runs away, and he stays in the care of the people he was supposed to rob.

They come to like the boy, and he spends a nice summer with them in the house.

But then, a mysterious man appears named Monks who starts plotting with Fagin to crush Oliver’s reputation. We know that Monks is related to Oliver somehow, but we still do not understand how.

However, while he tries to conspire, Nancy eavesdrops on Monks and decides to inform Oliver’s benefactors of this situation, worried about his safety and ashamed that she was the one who lured him back into crime.

Sadly, she tries to be righteous and takes her to death.

Oliver Twist Epilogue

In the meantime of all of these twists and turns Mr. Brownlow forces the truth out of Monks about who he is and what connects him to Oliver. He finds out that he is Oliver’s half-brother and that he tried to get rid of him to get all of the inheritance in his father’s will.

Knowing this, he persuades Monk to give Oliver his share and later adopts Oliver, with whom they live happily.

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“Oliver Twist Quotes”

Our Critical Review

The first time I read “Oliver Twist” was in high school. I always liked it, but this is one of the books that I enjoyed more on the second reading.

I think that the first time, I was not ready for the emotional rollercoaster that this story actually is.

Reading about children having a hard time is never something one can easily do, without feeling one’s heart get heavier.

But, I guess that is how one knows a story is great: it takes you places, whether you like it or not. And although I did not like the dark world that Oliver Twist took me to, I couldn’t help it but love the book.

Emir Zecovic

Emir is the Head of Marketing at 12min. In his spare time, he loves to meditate and play soccer.