Oliver Twist

"Dignity, and even holiness too, sometimes, are more question of coat and waistcoat than some people imagine."

Oliver Twist, or The Parish Boy's Progress, is a 1838 novel by Charles Dickens. Published serially under the pseudonym "Boz" in monthly instalments from 1837-39 before it was made into a 3-volume novel in 1838, Dickens' novel tells the tale of a young orphaned boy raised in a miserable workhouse, and when he runs away to London, he is taken into a gang of thieves, led by the master criminal Fagin.

Oliver Twist is Dickens' second novel after The Pickwick Papers and was even the first major Victorian novel to feature a child protagonist. It has also become one of Dickens' most beloved and popular works.

Plot Summary
A child named Oliver Twist is born at a parish workhouse in a small English town. The boy's mother dies in childbirth and the father is unknown, so Oliver was placed in the care of a home for young orphans. When he is 9 years old, Oliver is sent back to the workhouse by the parish beadle Mr. Bumble, where he and the other children were mistreated and starved. Oliver was chosen to ask for some more food, and when he attempts for seconds, he's punished by the workhouse until Mr. Bumble puts the boy up for sale for anyone who would take him away and teach him a trade.

A chimney sweeper originally wants Oliver but intervenes, and then the local undertaker Mr. Sowerberry takes the child in as his apprentice. But after a charity boy named Noah Claypole insults Oliver's dead mother, the orphan fights Claypole and then runs away to London. As he reaches the city, Oliver meets another boy around his age named Jack Dawkins, who provides him shelter in a London house led by his master Fagin.

What Oliver doesn't know is that Fagin is actually a master thief, and teaches young boys he took in to steal for him. After a couple days of training, Oliver goes out on a mission with Jack Dawkins, also known as The Artful Dodger and with one of the gang members Charley Bates. As he witnesses the two boys rob a handkerchief from an old man, Oliver is shocked and tries to flee, but is arrested and taken to the courthouse where he falls ill with a fever. The victim of the robbery, Mr. Brownlow, takes pity on him and brings him back to his home to look after him.

Oliver recovers in Mr. Brownlow's house and the old man is surprised that the child has a striking resemblance to a portrait of a young woman in his home. But Fagin's members of his gang, Bill Sikes and Nancy, capture Oliver and bring him back to the lair. Later, Fagin sends Oliver to assist in a robbery alongside Sikes. During the break-in, Oliver is shot and wounded, and after Sikes escapes, the orphan is taken into the house by its inhabitants: Mrs. Maylie and her adopted young niece, Rose. With Mr. Brownlow away at the West Indies, Oliver stays with the Maylie's. He becomes close with them, and enjoys a blissful summer in the countryside at their cottage.

Meanwhile, Fagin and another man named Monks make a plan to capture Oliver and destroy his reputation. At the same time, Mrs. Corney, the matron of the workhouse who is now married to Mr. Bumble, is told by a dying old woman about a secret and gives her something she had robbed from Oliver's mother after she died. Monks later meets with the couple and discover that the trinket given to the Bumble's was a golden locket with the named "Agnes" on it. Monks gets rid of it by dropping it in the river.

After Nancy overhears of Fagin and Monks' plan, she informs Rose everything she had heard. She tells her that Monks is Oliver's half-brother and he plans on destroying the boy's reputation and stealing his fortune for himself. Upon Mr. Brownlow's return, Rose tells him Nancy's story and they come up with a plan. They meet at London Bridge at midnight to discuss Monk's capture. At the same time, Noah Claypole, who was sent by Fagin to spy on Nancy, eavesdrops on the whole conversation and reports it back to Fagin. After Sikes heard what his master had told him about Nancy, he kills her in a fit of rage and flees to London.

Mr. Brownlow figures out Oliver's entire parentage. He has Monks captured and learns most of the story from him. He discovers that Monks' real name is Edward Leeford, and he is the son of Edwin Leeford and his estranged wife Mrs. Leeford. After the couple separated, Mr. Leeford fell in love with a retired naval officer's daughter named Agnes Fleming. But Leeford died suddenly and left Agnes alone and pregnant; whose child would later be Oliver. Mr. Brownlow was entrusted the young woman's portrait who was Mr. Leeford's friend, and it was Monks' plan to go after Oliver and take back their father's will. Mr. Brownlow now knows everything connected to Oliver; from the resembling portrait and the will to the lost locket.

Sikes arrives in London but is pursued by a mob coming after him. He attempts to escape, but accidentally hangs himself. Oliver is brought by Mr. Brownlow and the Maylie's before Monks and the whole story is told; with details including Agnes fleeing from her home ashamed of her illegitimate pregnancy and having Oliver at the workhouse, and Rose is revealed to be Agnes' sister and Oliver's aunt.

Fagin is arrested, tried and executed, the Bumbles live in poverty, Monks dies in prison, Oliver is adopted by Mr. Brownlow and the Maylie's and Brownlow's live a happy life together.

Characters
Oliver Twist- The main protagonist. He is a poor but innocent orphan who was mistreated since he was born. He manages to escape, taken in by thieves but rescued by a kind old man named Mr. Brownlow. He is a kind, good-hearted boy who is charming around him and has good morals. His true identity is the main mystery of the novel and after he finds out, he ends up receiving a large fortune, a home and a family.

Fagin- The leader of the pickpockets who Oliver first stays with. He is a master criminal, although he never actually commits crimes himself. He is a mentor and father-figure to the boys he took in from the streets and trained to steal on his behalf, and kept all the riches that were stolen in his hideout. He attempts to make a thief out of Oliver and even participates in Monk's devious plan for Oliver's fortune.

Nancy- A prostitute and member of Fagin's gang. She was obedient and loyal to Fagin's commands and of her love interest, Bill Sikes. But after Oliver first arrived, she expressed her sympathy towards the boy. She would do anything to help him be safe from Fagin and Sikes, and ends up betraying the group by revealing about Monk's plots. This ends up costing her own life from Sikes.

Rose Maylie- The adoptive niece of Mrs. Maylie. She is a pretty, compassionate young woman who becomes close to Oliver after he lives with her and her aunt, and is willingly to help him. She's also in love with Mrs. Maylie's son Harry, and at the end of the novel, not only was she able to marry him, but she was revealed to be Oliver's aunt, the younger sister of Oliver's late mother Agnes Fleming.

Mr. Brownlow- A elderly man who first looks after Oliver after he was nearly convicted of theft. He is still loyal and trustworthy of the boy, even if he disappears after he took him in. After he saw a young woman's portrait who has the same features as Oliver, he is hopeful to aid him and discover his true identity. He had connections with one of Oliver's parents, later adopts Oliver and gives him a home after finding out the whole truth.

Monks- One of the main antagonists. He is an angry, sickly young man who is prone to having severe epileptic fits. He conspires with Fagin to make Oliver a criminal and his name ruined. His real name is Edward Leeford and is revealed to be Oliver’s half-brother; he was determined to have the young boy’s reputation ruined and steal his fortune for himself.

Bill Sikes. A professional robber who is a member of Fagin’s gang and boyfriend to Nancy. He is ruthless, aggressive and cruel to the innocent, especially to Oliver, Nancy and even to his own dog Bullseye. He leaves Oliver for dead after the boy was mortally wounded during a burglary and mercilessly kills Nancy after discovering her betrayal.

The Artful Dodger- One of the young criminals working for Fagin, whose real name is Jack Dawkins. He may be a few years older than Oliver, but is known to dress and act like an adult. He was the one who introduced Oliver to the gang and is one of Fagin’s most intelligent thieves.

Charley Bates- Another of Fagin’s thieves and a close ally to the Artful Dodger. He often enjoys laughing and joking, but after hearing about Sikes killing Nancy, he becomes so heavily shaken that towards the end of the story, he leaves his criminal life behind and redeems himself working in the fields.

Mr. Bumble- The parish beadle at the workhouse where Oliver was born. He had named the boy Oliver Twist from a habit of naming the workhouse children, and is usually seen as a respected, important. In actuality, however, he mistreats Oliver and the other children. He eventually marries the workhouse matron Mrs. Corney, but his marriage ruins him and his power.

Agnes Fleming- Oliver’s unmarried mother. She was a lovely young woman, who fell in love with Mr. Leeford, a young man who befriended her father. She ends up becoming pregnant with Leeford’s child and is even engaged to marry him. But after Mr. Leeford’s sudden death, Agnes is left alone and abandoned; she then ends up dying anonymously after giving birth to her son in a workhouse. Oliver shares a striking resemblance of his mother.

Edwin Leeford- Oliver’s father. Deceased before the story begins, Mr. Leeford was initially married to Mrs. Leeford and whose son is Edward Leeford a.k.a. Monks. After leaving his wife, Edwin falls in love and has a sexual relationship with Agnes Fleming. He plans to start a new life with Agnes and their child, but after he dies suddenly in Rome, his property goes to Mrs. Leeford and Monks, which resulted in the dramatic events in the novel; such as Oliver being born in poverty and his hidden identity.

Mrs Maylie- A kind, elderly woman. He took in Rose Maylie and raised her as her niece, and whose son Harry is in love with Rose. After she finds Oliver, she takes him in and lovingly treats him as her own; even spending time with her foster children at the family cottage in the countryside.