Oliver Twist Character Analysis Essay

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Edwin Blanco
Eng 112
03/14/14
Oliver character analysis
The novel Oliver Twist is about an orphan on the look for his true identity. During this search for selfhood Oliver comes into contact with the corruptive side of reality, eventually challenging his innocent character as a whole and leaving us to ask how does he remain pure and innocent in a cruel and corrupted place? In Charles Dickens’s novel, Oliver Twist the main theme is for to see if Oliver will maintain his innocence in a corrupt location like London. This idea of childhood represents children, such as Oliver Twist, as being innocent, but vulnerable to moral and criminal corruptions. The novel focuses on this idea by describing Oliver as a young, naïve, innocent child. Throughout the progression of the novel, Oliver is forced to deal with the gang of criminals like Fagin and the artful dodger. Oliver has to interpret their physical actions as being that of right or wrong. In this novel, Dickens wrote the character of Oliver Twist as a model of innocence. Oliver is a representation of a good person who people like Fagin and Bill Sikes try to corrupt but Oliver overcomes over their corruption of evil.
Oliver is an important character in the novel because throughout his life he was treated horrible as if he was a criminal he has never seen what reality is like because he is being controlled. Oliver’s innocence is always being tested over and over, especially when he is introduced to the life of the criminal upon his arrival in London. In being raised as an orphan, Oliver did not have the opportunity to choose any aspect of his own life, but rather lived in a systematized environment where he was told what to do and when to do it and was given what he need in o...

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...iver immediately recognizes it as an evil act. Oliver’s innocent and simple personality guarded him from these occurrences of wrongdoing. At first Oliver Twist is not aware of himself or of what is happening, but then is noticing what is happening is bad. Oliver’s innocence works to protect him from being affected by the criminal corruption seen and experienced through the criminal gang.
Oliver is a character who is depicted as a naïve and innocent child. These personalities defend him from being fully aware of his surroundings. Throughout the entire novel Oliver encounters bad experiences with these criminals but he doesn’t change he still remains innocent and naïve. Oliver does not see the criminals the same way in which other people sees them, and it is this that allows Oliver to remain pure and innocent even with corruptive evils surrounding him.

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