Dickens wanted the reader to see the difference between highly organised crime and crime that has evolved from bare desperation. Dickens points out that these thieves are not living comfortably. He describes the ceiling and the walls to be ‘perfectly black with age and dirt’, they need to steal to get food for them to live, for them it was either that or the workhouse where they could be slowly starved to death.
In conclusion I have discovered that Charles Dickens has very cleverly written a brilliant story that exposes many of the horrors that people were accustomed to in that day in age. There are lessons to be learnt such as the fact that good can triumph over evil. Dickens once said that ‘I wished to show in little Oliver, the principle of good surviving through every adverse circumstance, and triumphing at last. ‘ Charles Dickens was interested in bringing about change, and he used Oliver’s experience to help that.
From Oliver’s birth to the Workhouse to his times in London, Dickens exposes cruel treatment to children with his witty comments; shocking descriptions, matter of fact tones, and his ironic remarks. He makes light of a terrible situation making it comical but the facts are still there and they do still have effect. Although it ends on quite a positive note with Oliver being rescued and returned to his family and those who exploited him all receive severe punishment.
Dickens was careful not to lure the reader into a fantasy as it turns out they were too late to save his friend Dick and Nancy who was brutally murdered. He finishes the book on a strong message, that out of evil can come good but it isn’t completely perfect, he makes sure it is no fairytale ending. Overall Charles Dickens uses the story of ‘Oliver Twist’ to expose the awful treatment of Victorian children in a way that no other author could thus helping to bring about the changes that he and so many others campaigned for.
