Here are the literature notes for the themes of Oliver Twist. For those little lazy pigs who didn't bother to copy during class =P!!!
1. Triumph of good over evil - Good represented by characters like Mr Brownlow, Oliver, Nancy - Evil represented by characters like, Fagin, Monks, Old Sally, The board members/ people who took care of the poor - Nancy changed for the better - In the end, the good gets justice - Oliver found out his identity/ fortune/ status - Mr Brownlow reunites with Oliver after his insistence in protecting/ believing Oliver - Old Sally is full of regret and guilt at her deathbed - Fagin is thrown into jail - Sikes killed himself due to hallucination
2. Social Class, Social distinction which resulted in discrimination against the lower social class - Oliver as lowly caste/ class due to parentage and as orphan - Social discrimination against the poor, negatively stereotyped personalities > Examples: Grimwig, the Judge, Mr Bumble (page 48,17), Mrs Mann, Noah Claymore, Sowerberrys (page 11, Mr Sowerberry/ page 13 Mr Sowerberry/ page 13 Mrs Sowerberry/ page 14, Claymore)
3. Failure of Charity/ hypocrisy in charitable organisation - Old Sally in the beginning already taking advantage of the poor and down trodden, Oliver's mother - Board members luxurious living conditions VS conditions of the workers
4. Poverty and it's vicious cycle - Characters in poverty resort to theft and pickpocketing (Charley Bates, Artful Dodger, Fagin) - Vicious cycle and self-fulfilling prophecy - Inability to escape from the mould of poverty as society does not allow it
Thats all... Good luck for the Exams tomorrow. Also, Charactization and Plot Structure is tested, please be sure to study them too! There will also be an unseen prose which will take up quite a majority of the marks!
