Oliver Twist is born in a workhouse, and orphaned almost immediately. The managers of the workhouse abuse him and declare that he will amount to nothing. Eventually, Oliver is apprenticed out and runs away from the situation once the cycle of abuse and extreme want repeat themselves.
In his journey, Oliver meets the Artful Dodger, a seemingly nice boy who offers his assistance. Oliver is taken to a run-down house occupied by Fagin and his boys. There, Oliver is initiated into the rites of pickpocketing, theft, and petty crime. His first unwilling foray into the new profession is not a success, however, since Oliver is caught by the police and taken to court. The victim of the pickpocketing, Mr. Brownlow, takes pity on him and takes him into his own home to help the boy recover from an illness. Brownlow is strangely drawn to the boy. Oliver's old friends, including the murderous Sikes and the mysterious Monks, try to find the boy and remove him from his new surroundings. Oliver tries desperately to escape from Fagin and his group. During his adventures, he finds that his past is neither so hidden nor so shameful as he has been led to believe. | ||
Plot & Themes Tone of book? - depressed Time/era of story - 1600-1899 Kids growing up/acting up? Yes Kids: - struggling to earn a living to survive Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book Age group of kid(s) in story: - grade school Parents/lack of parents problem? Wild kid(s)? - committing crimes Main Character Gender - Male Age: - a kid Ethnicity/Nationality Main Adversary Identity: - society Setting How much descriptions of surroundings? - 6 () Europe Yes European country: - England/UK City? Yes City: - London Small town? Yes Writing Style Weird Victorian/Shakespearean English? Yes Amount of dialog - significantly more descript than dialog |