Oliver
Twist by Charles Dickens
Dramatization produced by Focus on
the Family Theatre Series
2012
Summary
In the 19th century, near a
workhouse in England, a child is born named Oliver Twist. He becomes an orphan the moment he is born. As he grows into a polite and innocent young
boy, it seems he isn’t destined to have any sort of life at all, except one of
misery and hopelessness. For being an
orphan, he is despised and ill-treated. He’s
kicked from one place to another by forces of human nature. Few people in the world that Oliver inhabits show
him great kindness and gentleness. However, something always happens that takes
away any small bit of happiness Oliver experiences. Yet, hope seems to persist in him, a hope to
find out if God really cares for him and will bring Oliver out of his troubles,
settled in a life of happiness. Also,
Oliver hopes to find out whom or what his mother was and what was it that she
seemed to be running from before she died.
The Main Characters
Oliver Twist
Oliver is a young orphan boy who suffers
much in his life, but through his innocence impacts the lives of many in 19th
century England, both the lives of those he comes to love and those who
mistreat him and turn him away.
Fagin
Fagin is a thief who runs a small gang of
thieves in London that is comprised of him and two young boys. He takes in Oliver and tries to make a thief
out of him. Oliver’s innocence causes
Fagin to become fond of the boy, but it doesn’t change the way he lives, which
will undoubtedly lead Fagin to a bad end as it does with most criminals in this
time period.
Bill Sikes
Bill is in business with Fagin and is sort
of the real leader of the small gang of thieves that Oliver ends up with when
he comes to London. He is a dark, but not entirely evil person, who mistreats
even his own dog if it suits his purpose. If he suspects that someone will give him away
to the authorities, he makes threats or even kills that person to continue to
roam the streets of London. If he causes
real harm to anybody or even commits murder, then his conscience convicts him.
Nancy
Nancy is female thief in London who is
sort of in league with Bill and Fagin, but when she becomes fond of Oliver, her
conscience convicts her. She wishes to do
some good in the world that she has never really done. However, her
intimidation of Bill and whatever bad things she has done will keep her trapped
in her present situation: Helping others (including Oliver). She accepts no help from others and wishes to
start a new life, but is afraid of leaving her old life.
Mr. Bumble
Mr. Bumble is the owner of the workhouse
that Oliver briefly works in and later is kicked out of. He treats Oliver well at first, but when
Oliver politely asks for more food, Mr. Bumble mistreats him and later sends
him to a funeral home to work there. Because
he takes Oliver’s asking for more food as greed, Mr. Bumble is hoping great
misfortune comes upon Oliver.
Mr. Brownlow
He
is a rich, old gentleman who at first accuses Oliver of pick-pocketing, but
then shows compassion on him and brings Oliver to live with him. Somehow he is connected to Oliver. For that reason, Mr. Brownlow searches
effortlessly to find out more about Oliver’s mother.
Mrs. Maylie
Mrs. Maylie is another of the few people
who show Oliver compassion and kindness. She takes pity on Oliver after he is
accidently shot during a burglary of her house and takes him in to live with
her.
Monks
Monks is a mysterious man who searches for
Oliver for some mysterious reason. Somehow
he too is connected to Oliver, but wishes for him to come to a bad end.
About the author
Charles Dickens was born in 1812 and grew
up in Portsmouth, England. He became a
world-acclaimed author who wrote Oliver
Twist, his second novel. His stories captured the heart, pathos, and humor
of his time, and today his stories have become classics and inspirations. His other works include A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, A Tale of Two Cities, and
many more. He died in 1870.
What I thought about
the story
I thought the story was really good. It’s historical and really shows the dark side
of industrious England. What many people
had to do in order to survive since they had no homes, no work or any other way
to make a living is also portrayed. The
story is very entertaining because it shows one boy’s journey in his early
life. It shows the sheer humanity of
Oliver and the friends he made. I really
enjoyed the story and highly recommend it to others.
My rating 5 stars.
My rating 5 stars.
Note: I received a complimentary copy for an honest
review of this book. The opinions shared
in this review are solely my responsibility.
Other reviews can be read at http://seekingwithallyurheart.blogspot.com/
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