The 29th Annual Book Report Competition For Secondary School Students
Class: 2A
Name: Yip Mei Yan
Title: Oliver Twist
Author: Charles Dickens
Publisher: The Commercial Press
Have you ever heard of a guy who wrote about poverty and social problems in the
Victorian age? Yes, that’s right, that guy was Charles Dickens. His books were very
popular in the nineteenth century and they are still popular nowadays. In his life he met
many people, young and old, rich and poor, happy and miserable. He wrote about them in
his novels and even comics. Oliver Twist is one of Dickens’ fourteen major novels.
Oliver Twist, subtitled The Parish Boy’s Progress, is the second novel by him. It was
written in 1837 and published by Richard Bentley in 1839. It has been featured in many
films and television programs.
The story is set in London and about 1837-38. A baby was ready to be born in a
dirty little workhouse. His mother was very ill. After she gave birth, she kissed her baby
and then died. The baby was a boy. He was called Oliver Twist. No one knew who the
woman was. So, Oliver became an orphan. He lived in an orphanage with other orphans.
Every day, they only had a little food to eat. They were always hungry and they wore old,
ragged clothes.
Oliver left the orphanage when he was nine years old. And then he worked in a
workhouse. Oliver worked all day long but he only received one bowl of porridge a day.
One day, Mr. Bumble, the master of the workhouse, sold Oliver to Mr. Sowerberry who
made coffins. Oliver became an apprentice to him and learned to be a mortician. He
escaped and abandoned this job because he thought his life could be better if he went to
live in London. On the road to London, Oliver slept near the road and ate just one piece
of bread each day. He was very weak and thin. Fortunately, during the trip Oliver met
some kind people. An old lady gave some food and kind words to him. He ran off to
London, where he met a gang of thieves. The thieves were Oliver’s age. He became a
pickpocket. Oliver lived with them at an old man, Fagin’s house. One day, Oliver went
out with two of the thieves, Dodger and Charley. Dodger and Charley escaped from
trouble, but a policeman caught Oliver. Luckily, someone proved to the police that Oliver
was innocent. He wasn’t a criminal. This person was Mr. Brownlow. Mr. Brownlow
looked after Oliver for a time. Mr. Brownlow is a kind man. He saved Oliver and gave
him a place to live. He was the best friend of Oliver’s father.
Another main character is Fagin. Fagin is an old man with red hair and a red beard.
He is the master of the gang of thieves. Also, he is a miser. He collected and hid away
many beautiful watches and splendid jewels which his gang of pickpockets had stolen.
Monks is Fagin’s friend. He was Oliver’s half-brother. In the story, Monks wants to kill
Oliver because he wants his inheritance money.
All over the country, the people talked about a terrible murder in London. Sikes was
afraid and he thought he had to hide. At that moment, Mr. Brownlow and his friend
kidnapped Monks. Mr. Brownlow threatened Monks. If he didn’t sign his name on a
piece of paper that told the truth about Oliver and his father’s will, Mr. Brownlow would
give Monks over to the police. However, in the end, Sikes died, and Monks and Fagin
were taken away by policemen. Mr. Brownlow took care of Oliver and he grew happily
and healthily.
This book mixes grim realism as well as merciless satire. It’s about poverty and
wealth. At this time in history, England had an Industrial Revolution. Many children were
forced to work in workhouses for just shelter and little food in return, just like Oliver
Twist. At the same time, some people were very rich. They didn’t need to work and ate
meat. To the poor, eating meat regularly was just a dream. Some poor people became
thieves because it was better than being a worker. Also some rich guys were very mean,
such as Mr. Bumble. He beat Oliver and locked him in a dark room simply because
Oliver asked for more porridge. How mean is that? Oliver was just a kid! After that,
Bumble sold him to Mr. Sowerberry. Mrs. Sowerberry gave Oliver some cold pieces of
meat that originally were meant for his dog.
As we can see, the wealthy people often treated the poor like animals. Thus, there
were many beggars and poor people sleeping in the freezing streets. We can only guess
how hard life would have been for these people. I think this is the reason why Dickens
wrote about the poor. He also thought the experiences of the poor were so sad.
This book teaches us many things. It teaches us not to settle in life for less than what
you deserve. Oliver always stands up for himself, such as when Noah Claypole says bad
stuff about his mother. Without waiting a split second, Oliver starts hitting him. Oliver
realizes people who seemed to be bad are not always evil. Nancy hangs around with
criminal, but at the end she proves that she is not that bad. Although cruel people often
torment Oliver, he still trusts everyone and his life is filled with hope.
I will recommend this book to my friends. The story is great and it is educational. In
the ‘Black Cat’ series, there is a lot of information about the author Charles Dickens and
the background of the story. The photos and drawings are impressive. There are also
some exercises you can do after you read each chapter. It’s a great book.