Oliver Twist (character)

"For the rest of his life, Oliver Twist remembers a single word of blessing spoken to him by another child because this word stood out so strikingly from the consistent discouragement around him."

Oliver Twist is the main protagonist and the titular character from Charles Dickens' novel of the same name. He is the son of Edwin Leeford and Agnes Fleming, the half-brother of Monks, the adoptive son of Mr. Brownlow, and the nephew of Rose and Harry Maylie.

Born and raised in a miserable workhouse, Oliver escapes to London, where he is taken into a gang of thieves and he struggles to survive while his friends search for his true identity.

Description
Oliver Twist is an orphan who seemed destined to live a life of abuse and poverty. Even if he doesn't do much action in the novel, he still manages to be a shining light to the poor and working class. Nobody in the workhouse would have the strength to encourage Mr. Bumble or the adults supporting the workhouse to demand to be more respected and valued like the richer working class. Oliver is among the abandoned, young children who must understand they should only be grateful for what little have they, and that they are permitted to never challenge their stereotypes, such as wanting more food, advance up the classes or act above their station. The treatment Oliver receives leaves him unsatisfied and that he is willing to receive more appreciated things in life, such as affection and virtue. Dickens used Oliver's character to criticize how his society in 19th-century England treats the impoverished, as well as criminality and corruption during his time.

While still a child, Oliver's early life is filled with twists and turns. Dickens came up with the name "Twist" to describe the fact that Oliver is branded for unexpected moments that would decide his fate. Some suggest the name "Twist" would mean that Oliver would meet a violent, cruel death at the gallows, as most in the Victorian era know what the name already means. In actuality, Oliver managed to defy the odds that with his purity and bravery, he will be able to live a long life and leave his life of poverty behind.

Most of Dickens' characters have character developments that has an effect on their storylines and the plot, but Oliver's stays the same. As he goes through the horrible mistreatment in his childhood, including having to sleep in a room of coffins at Mr. Sowerberry's and living with ruthless criminals, the darkness that plagues him is enlightened that he never loses his childhood innocence and has good morals; as if Oliver is depicted as being a young saint, and is able to conquer the evils with his virtuous character.

Parental Background
Oliver Twist is the son of Edwin Leeford and Agnes Fleming. Leeford was forced into a marriage by his grandfather to an older woman, despite Leeford not being interested in the relationship. Together, the couple had a son named Edward, but their marriage was estranged. The Leeford’s separated when Edward was around 10 years old, but didn’t divorce. Mrs. Leeford took her son to Paris and Mr. Leeford becomes friends with a retired naval officer.

Agnes Fleming was the daughter of Captain Fleming, who had moved into the same area where Mr. Leeford lived. Her mother died half a year ago, and she had a younger sister named Rose, who was around 2 or 3 years old. Both Leeford and Agnes fell in love the more her father’s friendship with Leeford increased. By the end of the year, they were engaged.

Around the same time, a rich relative of Leeford had just died and left him a large inheritance, and he will have to go to Rome to deal with the will. Before his departure, he goes to London to meet with his old friend Mr. Brownlow, who would have married Leeford’s deceased sister. Leeford left some things he couldn’t bring abroad to Mr. Brownlow; and one of them was a portrait of Agnes that he painted himself. Leeford tells Mr. Brownlow he is planning to sell everything he had inherited, take the money with him and flee the country. He had not told Mr. Brownlow he was providing for Agnes and their unborn child, but promised to write to him about everything. Mr. Brownlow never saw or heard from his friend again.

Mrs. Leeford, upon hearing of her husband’s inheritance, travelled from Paris to Rome to meet him there, and she took Edward with her. But after arriving in Rome, Mr. Leeford suddenly fell ill and died, seemingly leaving no will. He was so ill he didn’t know his wife and son were in Rome to meet him, and his whole property went to them. After his death, Mrs. Leeford and Edward founded two papers in his desk that were dated during his illness; one was a will and the other a letter to Agnes, who by now was several months pregnant with Leeford’s child. In the letter, Leeford wrote a confession on how Agnes had trusted his guardianship but an obstacle had prevented them from being married immediately, since he was already legally married. Whenever he lived or died, he begs Agnes for forgiveness and reminds her to not blame their child for his sins. He had given her a locket and a ring with her name engraved on it, and the blank side of the locket was where he would have his portrait engraved.

Leeford’s will detailed the miseries of his cruel wife and his son who had learned to turn against his own father. Mr. Leeford left eight hundred pounds to Mrs. Leeford and Edward, but plans to divide his property into two portions; one would go to Agnes and the other to their unborn child. If the child was a girl, she would inherit the property unconditionally, but if it was a boy, he would only receive the inheritance in adulthood without committing any public act of dishonour. The other portion would then have gone to Edward if the male child’s reputation was ruined by dishonourable acts.

Mrs, Leeford then burns the will and the letter never reaches Agnes. After finding out about his daughter’s relationship with a married man, Captain Fleming took his daughters and fled to Wales, where he changed his family name. Ashamed of her illegitimate pregnancy, Agnes flees her home. Captain Fleming, after finding out his daughter had disappeared, searches for her everywhere. After assuming she has killed herself, Captain Fleming dies of a broken heart.

Agnes wanders alone until she stumbles into an unknown town, where she was found lying on the street and brought into the town’s workhouse.

Early Life at the Workhouse
Oliver was born in the workhouse where Agnes was brought in sometime after she was discovered on the street. After being delivered by a surgeon, the infant struggled to breathe, but after a breath and a sneeze, he lets out a loud cry. Agnes, now dying, asks the surgeon to bring her newborn to her. The surgeon and Mrs. Thingummy, a drunk nurse attending the birth insist she is not going to die, with the nurse ranting on how she lived a life with 13 children and hopes the mother would live the same life as she had. Agnes shakes her head and stretches out her hands for her son.

Oliver was placed into his mother’s arms by the surgeon. After she kisses him, Agnes then dies. The surgeon laments on the mother’s death as Mrs. Thingummy takes the baby away and picking up a cork she dropped. The surgeon instructs the nurse to feed the baby some gruel as he prepares to leave. He asks about the mother and Mrs. Thingummy explains on how she was brought in and since her shoes were worn out from walking a far distance, they don’t know who she is or where she came from.

The surgeon notices that the woman has no wedding ring on her finger, and takes his leave, as Mr. Thingummy drinks around bottle and wraps the infant in a worn-out blanket. The baby starts to cry as he becomes an orphan and in care of the workhouse.

For the next 8-10 months, Oliver was raised in the workhouse, but after the parish authorities couldn’t find a woman to nurse the baby, they insist Oliver be placed in the care of a brand workhouse. Oliver is then sent to a baby farm 3 miles away from the workhouse, ran by an elderly woman named Mrs. Mann. She was paid sevenpence-halfpenny to pay for the food and clothing for the children in her care. However, Mrs. Mann selfishly keeps the money for herself, and the children at the baby farm are barely fed and die of malnourishment. The surgeon and beadle don’t investigate the conditions at the workhouse; therefore allowing the children to suffer at the hands of Mrs. Mann.

Because of this, Oliver grows into a sickly, frail child, even if he was able to survive infancy. On his 9th birthday, Oliver was kept in the coal-cellar for being too hungry, when the parish beadle, Mr. Bumble, arrives at the farm.

Personality/Appearance
From the moment he was born, Oliver was innocent and pure like most orphans in Victorian England. Having no knowledge of his true identity and growing up in poverty, without any adult guidance, his innocence is passed down that he had came from a well-off family and his good-nature would aid him in how he sees the world. He is unaware on how corrupt and evil the society he lives in is, or how criminal thrive. While he suffered a neglected childhood full of abuse, and that he is mistreated by almost everyone in his early years, he still manages to turn over a new leaf full of hope for his future, as his innocence brings everyone together and bring solace those who know him. When he was first taken into Fagin's gang, he was rather awestruck by how the boys acted around their master and they practiced taking some items out of his pockets. During that moment, Oliver is curious of what Fagin is training his boys of what they are doing, but it wasn't until Oliver actually witnesses the Artful Dodger and Charley Bates steal a handkerchief that the child was horrified at the fact that these boys were trained to be pickpockets and he starts to grip with the reality that Fagin is determined to make him lose his childhood innocence and have him become a criminal.

When he was chosen to ask for some more gruel, Oliver never complained or refused the task. Instead of begging, he politely and boldly asserted for his need for food by asking for a second bowl. Oliver also isn't afraid to make some choices that would help him get out of cruel situations he is in; such as when he decides to run away from the workhouse and Mr. Sowerberry to find seclusion in London, and when he planned on waking up the inhabitants of the house and alert them of Bill Sykes and Barney during the robbery he was forced to take part of.

When he is adults who treat him better, Oliver is friendly, loving and honest towards them. He appreciates the fact that the world he lives in still has people who are more sympathetic to others who are less fortunate. When Mrs. Bedwin was looking after him while staying at Mr. Brownlow's house, he compliments her of her kindness to him. His virtuous personality makes him lovable to those who know him, especially when they are revealed to be his family relatives like Rose Maylie. He never had desires to become a criminal and even those who care about him such as Mr. Brownlow understand that he will not do anything.

Even if he displays courage and innocence, Oliver is not prone to being emotional. Like most abused children, he is easily hurt from the mistreatment he receives from the workhouse and by Fagin's gang. While his mother died during his birth, he still loves her even if he never met her, as it was never his fault that she died in childbirth. He is also defiant whenever anyone speaks ill of his mother, including the scene when Noah Claypole insults her since he was jealous for the boy's speedy work. Oliver mostly is very gentle and would never hurt anyone, but he lost his temper and attacks Noah. He may be gentle to even those who are cruel, but at times when he is forced to do something for him, he would plea to them for his life. In the scene when Bill Sikes assigns him to aid him in robbing a house, Oliver begs to let him live and die a painless death that perish violently, or when he begs Mr. Brownlow to let him stay with him that have him removed from his home. He also becomes sensitive whenever his mother Agnes Fleming is brought up; such as when Monks was brought in to tell the entire story of how his troubled background led to Oliver's poor upbringing, the boy sheds tears as he listens.

No matter how much anyone hates him and wishes him harm, Oliver is easy to forgive. Since Monks wants his half-brother's fortune to himself, Oliver understands of everything Monks went through and decided to share the money with him in order to help him out. When Oliver and Mr. Brownlow visited Fagin in his cell the night before his execution, he expresses his forgiveness by asking God to forgive the man who nearly ruined his life.

Oliver is a small child who is thin and has pale skin, mainly due to the negligence he suffered since he was born. He wears plain clothes with a cap, but after living with Mr. Brownlow and the Maylie's, he wears polished, wealthier clothing. He is also known to have a striking resemblance to his late mother Agnes, as their matching appearance was the key to solving the mystery of Oliver's true identity.

Unlike the boys in Fagin's gang who mostly spoke with Cockney slangs, Oliver speaks with a King's English accent and addresses the adults as "sir" to the men and "ma'am" to the women.