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.