Oliver the orphan among thieves and murderers

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	• Oliver Twist (Penguin Classics) Charles Dickens Penguin Classics, 2003 - 608 pages average customer review:based on 139 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

A tale with a twist

Any aspiring writer has, no doubt, read those writing books where it goes into great detail about how, in order to make a story interesting for the reader, they must throw obstacles in their protagonist's path. After reading the first few chapters of this book, I was cursing Dickens thinking, "How many more obstacles are you going to throw in this poor boy's way? Hasn't he taken enough?"

I actually wanted to wrap my arms around Oliver and tell him that somebody cared about him (another poor boy, Dick, did that for me as Oliver ran away to London, Dickens having redeemed himself).

In this edition, Edward Le Comte of Columbia University stated that Oliver's troubles stemmed from the surrogate fathers he had in his life (Fagin, Sikes, etc.) and got love from his surrogate mothers (Rose, Mrs. Maylie, even Nancy). How true. Oliver flourished under Rose and Mrs. Maylie, even Nancy felt a maternal instinct towards the boy. To me, it was this surrogate maternal love that kept Oliver going and held out hope for his future.

The part of this book that rocked me was the very end, as Mr. Brownlow, who eventually adopted Oliver as his own son, extracted the truth from Oliver's half-brother Monks. Throughout the book, Dickens did not even hint at the fact that Oliver's father (who is Monks's father) was Mr. Brownlow's dear friend (Oliver came across Mr. Brownlow as his pocket was being picked by the group of thieves Oliver unknowingly came upon as he sat by himself upon his arrival to London from the cruel life he experienced in the country).

What are the chances of picking the pocket of a stranger who just so happens to be your father's best friend?

It was nice to see the gang of thieves get theirs in the end (although too bad for Nancy that she suffered the end that she did).

An enjoyable read. Very anxious to see Roman Polanski's take on the book, with his movie coming out at the end of this month.

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Oliver the orphan among thieves and murderers

The classic tale of Oliver Twist, who's mother died the night he was born leaving him an orphan in the care of the parochial workhouse - a place where paupers were sent and generally given only enough food to keep them working and alive (and oftentimes not even that much!). But when young Oliver dares to ask for "a little more" it is determined that the workhouse can no longer keep such an ungrateful child. He is sent to work as an apprentice for the undertaker, but due to some very rude treatment he runs away, eventually finding himself in London in the care of Fagin. Fagin is a cunning and hideous old man who runs a gang of thieves and pickpockets, and is intent on teaching Oliver the art and making him a member of the gang.

So begins Dickens' classic story of Oliver's struggle to shake off the miserable circumstances placed upon him at birth and find his place in the world. Initially very depressing, with it's forceful depictions of the sorry state of the poor in mid 19th century England, the writing is throughout rather sarcastic, which was probably meant as a social commentary on the various classes. But there is humor and happiness along with the sadness, as various events coincide to help Oliver along his way. And while Dickens is sometimes criticized for a business-like approach to his writing, it's obvious why this book is still considered a classic so many years after it was written. A thoroughly enjoyable book and well worth the time.

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movie or book?

The book Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens and the movie Oliver Twist directed by David Lean have many similarities and differences. I think the movie was great but the book sometimes wandered away from the main storyline and Oliver but overall it was great.
The book and the movie were very different. In the book, Sikes commits suicide and hangs himself before they could catch him but in the movie a person shoots him off the roof when he tries to escape with Oliver. I think the book's version is better because it was much more dramatic. Another difference is that in the book Fagin is hanged but in the movie he is spared. I think that the movie is better because Oliver saw that Fagin wasn't that evil but was just too greedy. Oliver Twist helped free Fagin from the authorities. Another big difference is that in the book Monk is a mysterious figure that is one of Oliver's enemies that woks with Fagin but in the movie, Monk isn't even mentioned. I think that the movie's version was better because monk was too mch of a shadowy character. He dragged the book on and on with boring scenes. As you can see, the movie and the book are very different.
The movie also had many similarities. In both of them, Oliver's mother and father are unknown characters and Oliver Twist is sent to a parish workhouse. In both movie and book, he asked for more gruel. The leaders of the parish workhouse did like that and thought that signified that Oliver Twist was greedy. They sent him away to be an apprentice of a coffin maker. After he was teased about his mother and been to his first funeral, Oliver decided that he didn't like it there so he ran away. He joined a street gang in London. This happen in both book and movie. Another similarity is that in the end, the good rules over the bad. Fagin and Sikes both are captured in the end and Oliver goes to live with his kind and loving grandfather. It was a happy ending. As you can see, the movie and the book are also the similar.
If I were a scriptwriter, I would change many things of the movie. First I would put Monk back in the story. I would also change the beginning where it begins in a storm. I would change the beginning right to when Oliver Twist as a baby is born. It wouldn't seem like it would be dragging the movie for as long as it could with useless scenes. I also would have changed the scene in the end where the giant mob of people rush against the gang of thieves to find Oliver. I would have made it more dramatic. It seemed like it was so easy to just take a giant piece of wood and hammer down a solid reinforced door. I would have made people with ladders climb up to the room and get in through a window while they try to crash open the door. It shouldn't be this gigantic wave of people either. They should have tried to enter without them noticing and quickly rescue him. Also when Sikes tries to cut across the roof with Oliver, I would have made a more exciting scene instead of Sikes being easily shot down. I think that the movie was generally too dreary. It dragged on about everything.
Oliver Twist the book and Oliver Twist the movie are really great and exciting but both could use some changes. The book kept on dragging everything on and the movie was too dull.

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It's Dickens, but not my favorite Dickens.

Few authors have ever used words or created characters with the skill of Charles Dickens. There is an inherent wit in almost every sentence and phrase that constantly give two and three layers of meaning to his words. That said, the story of "Oliver Twist" feels a bit more contrived than some of his other work. All of Dickens' writing features charicatures of people, places, and situations in order to emphasize their meanings, but "Oliver Twist" has a tendency to lean on improbability than some of Dickens' other work.

A great work and a great look at society and those who inhabit it, but start with "Tale of Two Cities."

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You Better Read This!

I am a 13 year old in 8th grade, and I must say, this is the best book I have ever read. (The hardest too) I got into Oliver when I saw the big broadway show, and decided to read the book. I had never really known about Charles Dickens, and I was somewhat confused by his style the first time I read it. Now he is my favorite author and I am going to read all of his books. I had to read the book twice, because the first time I was too excited and skimmed it. I re-read it and fully understood the whole plot and all the drama this story has. If you want to enjoy this book, read it slowly, and re-read parts you don't get. I loved everything about the book, except the ending kinda just left me hanging. It was also very emotional. I cried when Nancy was murdered, and to tell you the truth, I even cried a little when Dodger was transported. It opened me up to 19th century London, and really let me feel like I was there, watching the characters. The most exciting parts are the ones about Fagin and the thieves. The ones about Oliver in his new home can be slightly dull and boring. But read them anyway. And also, the beginning of the book is a little slow too, but don't lose faith in it, the boring parts end when the Artful Dodger comes in. This is a great book, the characters are so full of life, the plot is great, and everything is just perfect!

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reviews: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, page 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18

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