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Nick Hatch
Ms. Thompson
H. British Literature, 3,A
March 3, 2015
Error Free Introduction and Body Paragraph
1984 and Oliver Twist: Same Concept, Different Story
“Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled into his breast in an effort to escape the vile wind,
slipped quickly through the glass doors of Victory Mansions, though not quickly enough to
prevent a swirl of gritty dust from entering along with him. The Hallway smelt of boiled
cabbage…it was no use trying the lift. Even at the best of times, it was seldom working.” This
line is from the well-known thriller 1984 by George Orwell. A similar line can be found in the
book Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, which reads, “A dirtier and more wretched place he had
never seen. The street was narrow and muddy; and the air was impregnated with filthy odours.”
These lines are oddly familiar, despite the large difference between the two novels. In 1984, a
man named Winston tries to find out the truth about the government, and winds up in jail for
conspiring against it, while in Oliver Twist, is about a boy named Oliver’s travels around
London, where he meets thieves and long lost family members. However, there are some
similarities between the two. Oliver Twist and 1984 are similar in the corrupt bureaucracy of the
government, and both relied heavily on the city structure of London.
Both novels use figures to represent the corrupt bureaucracy of the government. In Oliver
Twist, Mr. Bumble represents the corruption of the government. Mr. Bumble is a parish beadle,
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meaning he works for the government. In the novel, Mr. Bumble is one of the main antagonists,
due in part to his hunt for Oliver. Mr. Bumble is quite greedy, and would do anything, even track
Oliver down, in order to make a profit. Before marrying, he carefully scrutinizes the wealth of
his lover, in order to insure that he will make a profit (Dickens 164). He also thinks himself
superior to everyone else, and he mourns the loss of his title after he marries (Dickens 224).
Charles Dickens gave Mr. Bumble these qualities in order to inform the people that the
government had those properties as well (Topham 64).
Similar to Mr. Bumble, Big Brother is the embodiment of government corruption in
1984. In 1984, Big Brother insures that all citizens have no privacy to think by using telescreens
and hidden microphones. Big Brother also is the face that represents the government. The
government made their face Big Brother, and posters of it were placed all over the country. This
shows the government’s invasion of privacy.
Another main similarity between the two novels is the defining role the landmarks play in
the plot. In Oliver Twist, famous landmarks such as Big Ben, London Bridge, and the River
Thames. In the novel, Nancy and Rose meet on London Bridge in order to speak about Oliver.
Also, Dickens’ use of landmarks creates a sense of reality in the novel. By using Big Ben’s bells,
Dickens is able to make the reader feel as if they are in the novel with Oliver.
Landscape also plays an important role in 1984, but not in the same effect. In 1984,
Orwell uses different, more futuristic buildings to add a lost effect to the reader. The government
building is described as white and towering over the landscape. This description gives the
government a sterile feeling towards it, as if they want everything to be grown in a certain way,
and anything not grown that way will be forced to be like the rest. Orwell also uses known
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churches in 1984. However, he describes these buildings as piles of rubble and just shadows of
their former selves. He does this to show the reader how much has changed between the current
day and 1984. This description makes the reader feel unease and a hatred for the new
government.
In conclusion, I believe that 1984 and Oliver Twist are completely different books with
many of the same underlying themes. They both use landscape to their advantage, and they both
use an individual to signify the corrupt government.