This document summarizes a presentation on the social issues reflected in Charles Dickens' novel Oliver Twist. It discusses how Dickens used Oliver Twist to expose the cruel treatment of orphans in Victorian London and reflect many social issues of the time including poverty, class structure, criminality, the powerlessness of women and children, child labor, and the harsh conditions of workhouses. The presentation focuses on how Oliver Twist brought attention to these important social problems through characters like Oliver and Nancy.

1. • Maharaja Krisnkumar sinhji Bhavnagar
University.
• Presentation topic: Social issues reflected in
Oliver Twist
• Presenter: Drashti V. Dave
• The Victorian Literature. Paper no: 6
• Year: 2014 Roll no: 7
• Sem: 2 M. A.
• Submitted to: Smt. S. B. Gardi Department of
English

2. Brief introduction about Dickens and his novel:
• Oliver Twist is social
novel. Dickens portrayal
criminal world.
• Dickens's novels about
children and poor.
• The book exposed the
cruel treatment of the
many orphans in London
during the dickens era.
• Novel reflects many
social issues.

3. • Title of the novel Oliver Twist
is suggests twisted history of
Oliver’s life.
• Oliver spends his childhood in
a badly run orphanage and he
is shifted to the workhouse.
• The image of Oliver’s “asking
for more” has became a part
the inhumanity of mankind.
• ‘please sir, I want some more’
this sentence is very symbolic,
it reflects harsh reality of
workhouse and worker.

4. Social issues in Oliver Twist:
• Poverty, society and class,
criminality, identity crisis,
institutional cruelty,
powerlessness of women
and children, mob
mentality, the limits of
justice, child labor, city vs.
country side.
• That all are main social
issue of the novel, Dickens
very well focus that
issues.
Oliver twist
Powerlessness of
child/women
Other social issue
like chain
snatching, pick-
pocketing etc.
Mob mentality
City vs. country
side

5. Child labor/ powerlessness of
children
 The children are primary symbol
of this, Oliver work in workhouse ,
Dickens gave message to society .
Character of Oliver reflect present
situation in society. Child labor is
one of the big issue in society .
“Child” means a person who has
not completed his/her fourteenth
years of age, any such person
engaged for wages, whether in
case or kind is a child worker.
- Child labor
(prohibition & regulation) Act-
1986
• Why do these children
work?
Motivat
ions
Attractio
n toward
glamour
Fame/pu
blicity
To have
edge over
other
children
Earning
money/e
arly
career

6. He mainly focus children and their present situation in society,
through Oliver’s character he gave message to society.

7. Powerlessness of women:
 Like a children women, too are
presented as the mercy of more
powerful in society.
 This is especially exemplified in Nancy,
who ends up giving her life in her
attempt to act against the men who
hold power over her. When Nancy is
put in charge of taking Oliver to Sikes,
she tells him that she would help him if
she could, but she doesn’t have the
power.
 When Fagin scold her at that time she
told that; “Cold, dirty, wheat street is
my home” this reflects her mental
situation.

8.  In Oliver Twist, the city and the countryside each take on
symbolic meaning, and stand in clear dichotomy. The city is
corrupt, dirty, and seedy, while the country is pure, clean,
and healthy

9. Society and class/Poverty:
Society and class is one of
the central issue of most
of Dickens's novels. In
Oliver Twist Dickens’s
often show superficial
class structure, and theme
of poverty is obviously
related to theme of
society and class, it is
showing social class
system.
Dickens throw light of this
issue in his novel.

10. Other issues in the novel:
 Identity, institutional cruelty, the importance of upbringing, criminality,
religion, mob mentality..etc…
 The novel is set against the background of the New Poor Law of 1834,
which established a system of workhouses for those who, because of
poverty, sickness, mental disorder, or age, could not provide for
themselves. Young Oliver Twist, an orphan, spends his first nine years in a
“baby farm,” a workhouse for children in which only the hardiest survive.
When Oliver goes to London, he innocently falls in with a gang of youthful
thieves and pickpockets headed by a vile criminal named Fagin.