Oliver Twist (Book Review)
Book Report
Author: Charles DickensDate started/Date completed: 03/09/2020/04/04/2020Pages Read: 469Rating of the book: 8/10
Author
Charles Dickens
Charles Dickens. Charles Dickens was an English writer and social critic.
During his lifetime, his works enjoyed unprecedented popularity. He is now
considered a literary genius because he created some of the world's best-known
fictional characters and is regarded as the greatest novelist of the Victorian
era. His novels and short stories enjoy lasting popularity.
His early life
Dickens was born on February 7, 1812 in Portsmouth, on the southern coast
of England. His father, John Dickens, was a naval clerk who dreamed of
becoming rich and his mother, Elizabeth Barrow, aspired to be a teacher and school
director. But the family’s financial situation had grown worse because John
Dickens used to spend money dangerously beyond the family’s means.
Consequently, John was sent to prison for debt in 1824, when Charles was just
12 years old.
After his father's imprisonment, Charles Dickens left school to work in a
factory. Despite his lack of formal education, he edited a weekly journal for
20 years, wrote 15 novels, five novellas, hundreds of short stories and
non-fiction articles, lectured and performed extensively, was an indefatigable
letter writer, and campaigned vigorously for children's rights, education, and
other social reforms.
His literary success
Dickens's literary success began with the 1836 serial publication of The
Pickwick Papers. Within a few years he had become an international literary
celebrity, famous for his humor, satire, and keen observation of character and
society. His novels, most published in monthly or weekly instalments,
pioneered the serial publication of narrative fiction, which became the
dominant Victorian mode for novel publication.
Dickens was regarded as the literary colossus of his age. His 1843
novella, A Christmas Carol, remains popular and continues to inspire
adaptations in every artistic genre. Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are
also frequently adapted, and, like many of his novels, evoke images of early
Victorian London. His 1859 novel, A Tale of Two Cities, set in London and
Paris, is his best-known work of historical fiction.
Dickens's creative genius has been
praised by fellow writers—from Leo Tolstoy to George Orwell and G. K.
Chesterton—for its realism, comedy, prose style, unique characterizations, and
social criticism. On the other hand, Oscar Wilde, Henry James, and Virginia
Woolf complained of a lack of psychological depth, loose writing, and a vein
of saccharine sentimentalism. The term Dickensian is used to describe
something that is reminiscent of Dickens and his writings, such as poor social
conditions or comically repulsive characters.
His Death
Charles Dickens died on June 9, 1870 of
a stroke. He was buried in Poet’s Corner at Westminster Abbey. Thousands of
mourners came to pay their respects at the grave and throw in flowers.
Questions
Briefly summarize the book
Oliver
Twist, is an orphan boy, whose mother died after he was born. Then, during his
childhood, he was found by Mr. Bumble, but the man hated and despised him and
never treated him like a person, just like a servant. Then he was adopted by
Mr.Sommery but, Noah started to insult him and called Charlotte to hit him in
the face. After this incident, the boy escaped to London and found a group of
men: the Jew, Mr.Douglas,Mr.Fagin, Mr.Sikes and a girl named Nancy. They became
friends, but later he was accused of stealing a pocket from a man, when it was
another child, he ran away and fell ill of fever. One man named Mr.Bonowbery
found him and decided to take care of him. After the boy recovered, the man
decided to give him books to read and money, and a new suit and many people though
that he was robbing so he decided to keep the books and money until he see him
again. Later he went on an adventure with Mr Sikes and Nancy and they visited a
village, during this time he met Bill and also was forced to drink alcohol to
carry off a collar and the mission failed because, the child was beaten by two grown
man and he was going to die, but fortunaly Mrs. Mylie decided to bring him to
her house and also, her niece and the doctor took care of him. Oliver Twist was
cured and stayed a Mrs Maylie s’ house and he learned to read and write
properly and he loved the nature and the moments Mrs. Rose played in the piano.
Days later the niece of Mrs. Mylie felt ill and she was feeling worse each day,
despite that, she recovered from the fever and Harry confessed his love but she
did not wanted to see him again. Soon after Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Bumble married
and one man wanted to know Oliver s’ past. Later Mr. Sikes decided to send Mr.
Clayle to be a spy and Bill sent Nancy to Mrs. Rose to steal something from
Rose, but the operation failed and Nancy died, most of the criminals were imprisoned.
Suddenly it was discovered that Oliver had an older brother and they shared the
inheritance, each one their part. Finally Mrs. Rose married and Oliver was
adopted by Mr. Bonowberry, the first man who gave him love and knowledge.
Describe the character/person who changed the most from the beginning to
the end of the book. Explain the change and what caused it.
Oliver Twist changed the most from the
begging to the end of the book, he was a boy with pale completion and now he is
happier and has a more healthy body. What cause the change was the love that Mrs.
Mylie and Mrs. Rose and the doctor gave to him.
Describe a minor character/person in the book who had major importance.
Explain
Mr. Bonowberry because he was the first
man who cared for Oliver when he was sick and later he became his adoptive
father.
Describe one major external conflict and one major internal conflict found
in this book
The
major external conflict found in this book is corruption and the mayor internal
conflict is the trauma of Oliver when he was younger.
Above you
rated this book. Explain the detail why you gave the book that score
I gave it an 8/10 because at first, the story was passing very
slowly, and sometimes it was confusing, and I got bored while reading it, but
when I continued reading it became more and more interesting. The characters
have a background story, each character represents the morality between good
and bad. Also, it teaches us the reality of society nowadays. The major
conflicts such as corruption and child abuse are still present in our society,
but we do not see it as an issue because the media wants us to see a fake
reality about what is happening or the Medias are censored and we cannot see
the bad sides of the governments. Oliver is the representation of how kind and innocent
a human being can be while Mr. Fagin is
the representation of how bad a human can be.
If this book
had gone one more chapter, what would have happened? Explain
They would tell the life of Oliver after he was adopted.
Choose five
(5) of the following sentence starters and write a brief reflection for each
If I were Nancy I would not be a
liar
The central
issues are
corruption and child abuse
I’m not sure
if Mr.
Bumble is still married
Although
it seems a
tragic story, it is similar to the reality we are living now.
I
realized that Oliver was discriminated.
Author s
purpose
The author is propose was to entertain
Intended
audiences
The intended audiences are from children of 11 years old and above.
Unknown words
Jeers: to laugh or shout
insults at someone to show you have no respect for them:
The people at the back of the hall jeered the speaker.
Larking:
to behave in a silly
way because you think it is funny:
I was woken up by a couple of drunks larking around in the
street.
Enticed: to persuade someone to do
something by offering them something pleasant:
The adverts entice the customer into buying things they don't
really want.
Stately:
formal, slow, and
having a style and appearance that causes admiration:
The
procession moved through the streets at a stately pace.
Paupers: a very poor person
Oliver
is a pauper since his childhood.
Leer: (especially of men) to
look at someone in a sexually interested way:
He
was always leering at female members of staff.
Pewter: a bluish-grey metal that
is a mixture of tin and lead:
a pewter plate/tankard
Throttle: a valve which allows more
or less fuel to go into an engine and so changes the power with which the
engine operates
Alice throttled her machine, so it can work better.
Hovel:
a small home that is
dirty and in bad condition
When I went to London I found a hovel.
Shudder:
to shake suddenly
with very small movements because of a very unpleasant thought or feeling:
The sight of so much blood made him shudder.
Entwined: closely connected or
unable to be separated:
The fates of both countries seem somehow entwined.
Rakishly: in a confidently careless
and informal way:
There was a paintbrush stuck rakishly behind his ear.
Panegyric: a speech or piece of
writing that praises someone very much and does not mention anything bad about
them:
She delivered a panegyric on the president-elect
Haggard: looking ill or tired,
often with dark skin under the eyes:
He'd been drinking the night before and was looking a bit
haggard.
Chafing:
to make or become
damaged or sore by rubbing:
The bracelet was so tight that it started to chafe (my wrist)
Bulrush:
a plant with tall
stems that grows near rivers and lakes
I saw a bulrush near a lake when Liz was fishing tuna.
Despondency: the quality of being
unhappy, with no hope or enthusiasm:
A mood of despondency had set in.
Chagrin: disappointment or anger,
especially when caused by a failure or mistake:
My children have never shown an interest in music, much to my
chagrin.
Bibliography
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/
https://www.myenglishpages.com/site_php_files/reading-charles-dickens-biography.php
Read you later guys!
Sofia Books
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