Oliver Twist

Oliver Twist provides insight into the experience of the poor in 1830s England. Beneath the novel’s raucous humor and flights of fancy runs an undertone of bitter criticism of the Victorian middle class's attitudes toward the poor. Oliver is a near perfect example of the hypocrisy and venality of the legal system, workhouses, and middle class moral values and marriage practices of 1830s England. As a child, Dickens endured the harsh conditions of poverty. …

…the poor that Dickens criticizes. Monks, Oliver's evil half-brother, is "bad from birth," although Dickens clearly satirizes the middle class's belief that the poor are born crimnals. These inconsistencies weaken the larger impact of Dickens' crusade against the abuses leveled against the poor. Oliver Twist is not considered one of Dickens's best novels. The plot is misleading and often ridiculous. However, it merits study for its scathing critique of Victorian middle class attitudes towards poverty.