Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist is the story of an orphaned boy, who after being shunted from orphanage to apprenticeship is brought into a life of crime and coercion.  Through his journey Oliver meets both friends and foes alike, and ends up finding family as well as tragedy in unexpected places.

Oliver Twist is an exposition of the failure of charity, and illustrates the consequences of the Poor Law of 1834. The novel shows the follies of extreme individualism with the example of Fagin’s gang. With this novel, Dickens also investigated whether purity of spirit can persevere in corrupt surroundings. A corollary theme to this is the idealization of the countryside beyond the city confines.

Useful Tip

Poor Law of 1834 – This law stated that the poor could only receive government assistance if they moved into government workhouses, effectively making them inmates.

Movies
Oliver and Company (Animated 1988) – This is a pleasant Disney musical version of the story, and is a great way to introduce the story of Oliver Twist to kids. However, it is more of an interpretation of the story than an exact retelling, and viewers should look elsewhere for faithful adaptations.

Oliver Twist (Black and White 1948, PG) – This classic directed by David Lean is more faithful to the source novel than Oliver and Company, and is generally lauded by critics.

David Copperfield

David Copperfield follows the life of the narrator, whose stepfather sends him to work in an oppressive factory after his mother dies.  Eventually David becomes fed up with this lifestyle and decides to set out on his own, with the help of his eccentric aunt.  As he matures to adulthood, he reunites with friends of old, and discovers love in unlikely places. 

David Copperfield reveals the horrors of big industry, and the vulnerability of the workers to those in power (in particular those workers considered weak, such as children, women, and the mentally ill). This novel also depicts the power of equality in marriage, and how it can strengthen and enrich the marital bonds. Contrary to common beliefs at the time, this novel shows how one’s strength of character and sense of morality is independent of one’s class and wealth.

Great Expectations

Great Expectations follows the life of an orphan named Pip and his rise in social standing. From humble beginnings he is taken into the employ of the spiteful Miss Havisham to be a companion for her unattainable ward Estella. When he reaches adulthood, he is taken to London and trained to be a gentleman. This development changes many of Pip’s personality traits and relationships, and not necessarily for the better.

The principal moral theme of the novel is that personal qualities such as conscience and loyalty are more important than social advancement and the attainment of wealth. The novel also derides the class system of the Victorian era and its mercurial nature. Another moral theme involves Pip’s struggle to reconcile the often conflicting messages
of the judicial system and his own moral compass.

Movie
Great Expectations (Black and White 1946, PG) – This a critically acclaimed adaptation that is directed by the great David Lean who also directed a great version of Oliver Twist two years later.

A Tale of Two Cities

Couched in the settings and events of the French Revolution in the late 1700s, A Tale of Two Cities follows the intertwined lives of several characters. Among these are assorted revolutionaries, lovers, family members, and nobles, weaving a tapestry of redemption, perseverance, and tragedy.

A Tale of Two Cities is an expose of Dickens’ belief in the constant possibility of resurrection is a recurring theme in A Tale of Two Cities. A corollary theme is the necessity of sacrifice to gain happiness in life. Another aspect of this novel is the irony of the general tendency of revolutionaries towards violence and oppression.