Blog Post 2: Close Reading of Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens is a story that has always been close to my heart. My first encounter with the tale was through a VHS tape of the musical movie “Oliver!” created in 1968. The musical didn’t take away the brutality that poor Oliver faced, Nancy being beaten to death and Sikes being hung, but it did leave out some important plot points such as him being shot in his robbery with Sikes and being taken care of by Miss. Rose and Mrs. Maylie, Dodger and Fagin’s ending, and the whole plot point of the mystery man “Monks”. I first read the novel the whole way through my sophomore year of college. I had read other Dickens novels but this one by far is the one with the most wit.
The passage that I chose to address was the introduction of Oliver to The Artful Dodger:
“Mr. Dawkin’s appearance did not say a vast deal in favour of the comforts which his patron’s interest obtained for those whom he took under his protection; but, as he had a rather flightly and dissolute mode of conversing, and furthermore avowed that among his intimate friends he was better known by the sobriquet of ‘The Artful Dodger,’ Oliver concluded that, being of a dissipated and careless turn, the moral precepts of his benefactor had hitherto been thrown away upon him. Under this impression, he secretly resolved to cultivate the good opinion of the old gentleman as quickly as possible; and, if he found the Dodger incorrigible, as he more than half suspected he should, to decline the honour of his farther acquaintance.” (Dickens 62)
This passage, the introduction of Dodger shows that the he is a shifty character through and through. Oliver refers to him as “flightly, dissipated, careless turn, and incorrigible”. These are all words that do not have the best moral standing. A flightly person is usually someone who does not pay attention very much or who does not keep to what they say. This makes Oliver already a little distrustful of Dodger. Furthermore, Dodger’s impression does not extend to only himself. Dodger also represents his patron, an older gentleman that Oliver will soon meet named Fagin. Oliver’s foreshadowing of Fagin through Dodger turns out to be right on target. Fagin is an old swindler who trains young boys of London or who come to him to be criminals and thieves. He pretends to be a nice old man who cares about these boys but really, he only cares for the wealth he makes from them. The act of pretending does not only start from him but also spreads to Dodger.
From the very first encounter with Dodger, Oliver does not trust him or more or less think that he does not have the highest moral standing. This may be due to Dodger’s appearance being outside of the norm for a boy his age. When the two meet Dodger is drinking a beer, which is peculiar for someone of his age to do. He is described as “a strange boy” only a few lines earlier and described as wearing a coat that is far too big for him. The image of a boy drinking beer in a coat too big for him gives the appearance of pretending. Our first image of Dodger indicates that he is someone who pretends. This would be normal for a boy his age, playing pretend and using the imagination, if it wasn’t for how serious he took it. Dodger doesn’t only dress like a young man he also talks like one. Not many boys his age would know the word “sobriquet” let alone use it in a casual conversation with someone they just met. So, his pretense spreads to his speech and actions as well. And what is pretending but a way of covering up the truth, for children it is reality and for Dodger it was his criminal demeanor. Oliver is right to be wary of Dodger and his employer. Dodger ends up being shipped off to Australia for his extensive pick pocketing and stealing record. And Fagin ends up losing his life to his life of crime. In the end pretense or pretending got them nothing but misfortune and suffering and Oliver’s first impression of the Dodger and Fagin through Dodger, was correct.
Work Cited:
Dickens, Charles. Oliver Twist. Penguin Classics, 2002.
Yes, Dickens portrays Jack Dawkins as an child-adult or adult-child, one of many characters throughout his novels who has to grow up, or deal with adult situations, long before reaching adulthood. It’s easy to forget that the Artful Dodger is a young teenager! So Dickens seems to be offering insight into how certain social situations impact and even pervert childish innocence. It’s worth thinking about how Oliver escapes the same fate.