"Feeble Idyllicism"

I was pretty upset at the ending, just because it really doesnt seem to fit with the rest of the novel. The bad characters seem to get outlandish karma, and the good characters live in a perfect town isolated from evil. I am happy that this happened,  something just seems wrong about it. I decided to research to see if others felt the same way, and many feel that the ending has "feeble idyllicism". I fe that this is a great way to word it. The last few lines again offer a hope that the system can change. Despite my anger at the amazing ending, I find I am happy for the characters. I grew pretty attached to them after reading this book!

Movie Trailor

Since everyone is done reading the book, I thought you guys might be interested in seeing the film. I looked up a few trailors, and I added the shortest link to on here. It is only almost two minutes. I just think its awesome that they put this book into a movie! Watch if you want to!

Oliver Twist trailer - YouTube

https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&ei=Qj2NU5OdEtGvyATYn4KYDg&url=http://m.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3Dwlt4DOYtL6g&cd=2&ved=0CCgQtwIwAQ&usg=AFQjCNHHeJipVWIPvtzcH6v_hTJPPkou7A&sig2=wbb8UAErxO6BoP7zCt_7rA

Sike's Dog

Bill Sike's has a very mean white dog. The dog is used in several places in the novel, such as when Oliver is taken from Mr. Brownlow's home, to cause fear. I believe that the dog is a mirror of Sike's character. The dog is angry, mean, and very frightening. Sike's must be aware of this, because he tries to drown the dog. He is probably trying to get away from his own terrible self, and his actions by doing this. This idea is reinforced when Sike's dies, and the dog does not make it much longer.

Fagins character

I noticed something pretty disturbing while reading, which is that Dickens often describes Fagin as the devil. He never outright says it, but he does use common symbols of the devil. These include the red hair and beard, and the three pronged roasting fork. These all are symbols of Lucifer. He also refuses to pray before he is hung. We know Fagin is a cruel, evil character, but did Dickens go a step further and intentionally characterize him as the devil? I think the answer is yes. Anyone else have an opinion?

Light and Dark

Oliver Twist has many instances where the archetypes of day and night hold their stereotypical meaning. Have you guys noticed how often Oliver is trapped in a dark space? In the beginning, he is locked in the jail cell and wants to hang himself. The same thing happens after he is in Mr. Spwerberrys cellar. No matter how bad it is for him then, the sun always rises. In the light of the new day, Oliver has a bit more hope. Dicken does a great job with the use of day and night, and light and dark throughout the novel.

Differences

I had seen Oliver!, the musical adaption of Oliver Twist, before reading the novel. Upon finishing the book, I thought I would watch it again to compare the two. The biggest difference, obviously, would be the music. The music does not take away from the themes of the book, but it seems less relatable. Oliver Twist, the novel, seems much more real than the musical. Though I did not think the music necessarily adds to the story, I think "Where is love?" is a very powerful song. It reaffirms Oliver's loneliness and, with the the actor(s) emotions, adds to that.

In some versions of the musical, the very first scene, Oliver's birth, is skipped. It seems odd that such an important scene is skipped. With the skipping of the first scene and the added music, the musical is not as strong in its message. Some smaller differences include; making Bette Nancy's sister, removing character motives, and Bill Sikes' dog has a better fate. All in all, not much was changed, but it made the adaption less strong.

Character Analysis: Noah Claypole

Noah Claypole is a very typical character in Oliver Twist, considering that he has an awful character. Noah is also a source of comic relief in the novel, but his humor comes from how he can boss around Charlotte. Noah is a scrawny boy, and Charlotte is described as rather brawny and strong. However, Charlotte lets Noah boss her around. He is very excited that Oliver arrives, because he is someone lower than him in stature. This clearly shows his insecurities about his stature. After Oliver begins to be the favorite of Mr. Sowerberry, Noah becomes very jealous. This also shows his extreme insecurities. Noah cannot stand becoming lower on the totem pole. Noah's terrible actions do not surprise me, and he is just another gruesome, terrible character in Dickens imagination.

Character Analysis: Charly Bates

Charley Bates has an extremely crucial role in the novel: comic relief, just as The Artful Dodger does. Dodgers comedy comes from the fact that he knows more than he should at his young age, but Charley is more of the dumb sidekick, I think of him as the Crab and Goyle to Draco Malfoy. (Harry Potter connection). However, Charley undergoes a major change after Nancy is brutally murdered. He decides that crime isn't so fun anymore, and he is the only character who does this. It is also good because Dickens explains that Charley goes on to live a happy life at a farm. This major change in his character is a big deal, considering few characters change in Oliver Twist.

Character Analysis: Mr Brownlow

Mr. Brownlow is the first mentor to Oliver Twist. He is the first person who has shown kindness to Oliver, after his terrible life thus far.  I am quite shocked that Mr. Brownlow is not a mean person, because of his troubled life before meeting Oliver. He had a bride to be who died before their wedding, and his best friend also passed before his time. However, the old man loves reading books and still has faith in people. This is apparent in his trust in Oliver, without knowing much about him. Mr. Brownlow is quite an honest man, and his stands up for the good in people. I feel that because of this, Oliver is able to keep some of his goodness. He would not be able to do this without being shown the kindness from another human being.

Charles Dickens promoting Anti-Semitism?

It appears to me that Charles Dickens has portrayed Jewish people quite poorly in the novel of Oliver Twist especially on how he characterizes the main antagonist, Fagin. Fagin is an evil thief who so happens to be a Jew. There are plenty of ethnic stereotypes displayed in the novel especially concerning his appearance with a large ugly nose and also how Jews were usually considered evil in society especially back then. They were highly looked down upon which also characterizes Fagin who is living as a common city thief. There also appears to be constant references to him as "The Jew" indicating that it is his ethnic identity that connects to his negative personality. The portrayal of Fagin as the very manifestation of evil and the devil provides much dark attitude towards Jews especially since the novel states how Fagin is said to appear in the nightmares of children. These supporting evidence in the novel helps show that perhaps Charles Dickens felt a very strong Anti-Semitism view towards the Jewish population.

Subservient or Free?

It seems to be that the main concern in Oliver Twist is how people are unable to handle their social class, government's system of justice and religion, or the "maze" of London. It seems to be that all of these problems are caused by the fundamental expectations and actions put forth by society and the general public. Because of this certain people give in to these overpowering obstacles and give up their free will. This causes them to live a subservient life while abandoning their true self and accept their fate. Sometimes these external influences could even cause them to lead a life of crime which is an emphasized possibility in Oliver Twist. This idea and question Charles Dickens has proposed thinks about idea if everyone is trapped in a system in which they can't make their own choices. This is definitely a reoccurring subject and idea in Oliver Twist that each character has to face.

Who needs a wedding ring?

A wedding ring is a tangible symbol for the union between two lover and their devotion towards one another. However, in Oliver Twist, the union of the lovers Agnes Fleming and Edward Leeford is still incomplete but it does have representational symbol manifested in a locket with two locks of hair instead. Although this isn't what the world represents as a kind of union, but it wasn't completed. The ring only had the Agnes Fleming's first name. This incomplete ring symbolizes an incomplete union between the two parent's relationship. The two locks of hair provide physical essence that a part of each couple will always be together no matter what happens to them. Even though these objects provide an incomplete relationship, it was these physical embodiment of an incomplete relationship that gave Oliver the answer to his parentage and family.

Maze City Imprisonment

There have been examples in the novel Oliver Twist that a labyrinth is a motif of the novel. The novel describes Fagin going into a maze dirty densely populated streets and also when Nancy and Sikes drag Oliver into a labyrinth of dark courts. This was actually due to the fact that the structure of London made it difficult to navigate around, in comparison to that of a maze. In Greek Mythology, a maze was used as prison to confine prisoners. In that sense, the city of London itself serves similar to a prison or confinement area to those of its inhabitants. This would explain the judicial system that confines people to certain laws and social class structures while the parish confines the poor people to do hard labor in the workhouses. The roundabout system of the city as a maze can also resemble the path of criminals. Once a person enters a maze, its near impossible to ever get out. This can be held similar to how if a person enters the life of a criminal, it might be impossible to ever get out of that life as emphasized through Nancy. Nonetheless, Charles Darwin used the architectural structure of his setting to put deeper thinking and analysis into his Oliver Twist novel.

Theme: Identity

It appears to me that many of the characters in Oliver Twist do not have a full name. This loss of name takes away their full identity and true individuality. One of the major theme aspects displayed in Oliver Twist is the absence and lost of identity. A name is what defines a person by what everyone around them describes about them. It is society's way of identifying your role and spot in life. Oliver Twist's own name was arbitrarily given to him by Mr. Bumble off an alphabetical list. This thus effects Oliver by the way he sees himself and the way society and the government in the world views him. There has always been misconceptions and misinterpretations on who Oliver Twist really is and what his character is like. People often wonder if he is an innocent boy or pickpocket criminal. One important way to express Oliver's identity was his face. Whenever Oliver is misunderstood, his face served as marker for showing Oliver's innocence to anyone who can see it such as Mr. Brownlow, Rose, Mrs. Maylie, etc. It is also Oliver's face that bear striking resemblance to his parents allows people to identify his parentage and family tree.

Significance of Water

I've noticed that there appears to be a lot of significant events happening near the water in Oliver Twist. There was the final chase of Sikes in a neighborhood surrounded by the Thames River. At the time of the scene, the Thames river just so happened to have its tide out making the Jacobs island to be surrounded by mud. The mud acts as a sticky medium from the water and the land. This represents the significance of Sikes and how his life is already at the medium or middle point. He has been hunted down for a long time of his life that it seems that hes already become halfway dead. Nancy also meets Rose at the London Bridge which holds a lot of significance because Rose offers Nancy a place to stay and live away from her life of crime. Her offering symbolizes as a bridge for Nancy to crossover to reach to a life similar to Rose and away from her past life of crime. At the beginning Agnes also threw her locket and ring in the river. The river acts kind-of like a halfway point between two areas of land. Agnes herself was at a halfway point in her life being pregnant but not married meant that she was kind-of married but technically also not married. Her ring also only had her first name giving only half of her entire identity.

Symbolism: Man's best friend - Bill Sike's Dog

Bill Sikes's dog Bulls-Eye is actually a crucial character in better understanding the personality of Bill Sikes believe or not. Bulls-Eye symbolizes Bill Sikes's shadow. They both share similar personalities including anger problems and violent temper. Bulls-Eye is always with Sikes no matter where he goes. They act as if they are one in the same. Bulls-Eye can even be read as kind of embodiment or manifestation of Sikes soul. Once Sikes killed Nancy, he felt guilty and remorseful for what he did that he almost went out of his mind. This is when Bulls-Eye leaves him. Perhaps it can be argued that Bulls-Eye symbolizes Sikes's violent personality and impulses and thus because Bulls-Eye left, Sikes is more calmer and remorseful for the actions he did in the past. Sikes even tries to kill his dog because he sees it as reflection of his bad self. But in the end the dog ends up killing himself when Sikes hangs himself. This shows that the dog cannot live without Sikes because the dog is a part of who he is.

Point of View

I have noticed after reading the novel Oliver Twist that the speaker or narrator appears to have a certain pattern in its speaking. The narrator is an omniscient third person observer who foretells the events that are happening in the story and what the thoughts of the characters are. However, unlike most third person speakers, this speaker is not objective. Its appears to be sympathetic towards the protagonists especially Oliver Twist more so than other characters. The narrator's tone becomes ironic or sarcastic when it deals with characters who are hypocritical or who have objectionable morals. The speaker speaks within past tense throughout the whole novel. This point of view is very important for the reader to develop an understanding of the theme of the novel and develop a certain mood through the tone of the speaker.

Character Analysis - Rose

Rose is a very kind sweet-hearted girl who is very mature and understands society very well. She is also very kind to Oliver, refusing to believe that he is a criminal based on the young boy's skinny body composition. She is very caring and sensitive towards Harry's feelings and confessions of love to her, but she is wise and understands that marriage based on love is problematic. She knows about her own limitations, knowing that she is a "nobody" to society especially one who would marry a future member of Parliament. If she were to marry Harry, this would cause suspicion and accusations that she slept with Harry before marriage and was then able to use that to get her hand in marriage. People would then conclude that Rose only married Harry for his power in Parliament. This clearly displays Rose's awareness of the society's standings and expectations in political leaders.So despite loving Harry very much, she knows she must do what is best for Harry and herself, thus showing her mature and understanding personality.

Archetype

I noticed a couple of archetypes throughout the novel, one of those being the contrast between light and dark. Traditionally, light and daytime mean good things, and darkness and night mean danger and bad things, and I think this holds true in many parts of the book. Oliver is born at night, gets arrested at night, and is always seeming to get into trouble at night. However, he is overall a "light" and innocent character, and is even ironically called "White" by the officer who arrests him.

The Love in Oliver Twist

Charles Dickens has decided like many authors to add romance into his novels. The major romance in Oliver Twist is between Rose and Harry Maylie. In this conflict, Harry must decide whether to choose between marrying Rose or pursuing his ambitions as part of Parliament. Dickens thus shows the importance of following your heart over your personal goals. I believe that people should do things that they truly believe is right for them. If Harry feels that being with Rose is more important than being in Parliament, then he should do what he thinks is best for his life. However, he should also be prepared if what he wanted is not what he expects. Many times people choose to fall in love too early or for the controversial reasons. Charles Dickens also probably wrote this romance to indicate criticism towards the Parliament and the public. Showing how public opinion and the standards to be in Parliament causes people to give up people and things that are very dear to them. With this, Charles Dickens provides a counterexample of a person who decided that it was better to be less successful but with someone he loved than to be very successful and alone.