Oliver Twist Questions and Answers
Oliver Twist
What did Oliver receive when he asked for more gruel in Oliver Twist?
In Charles Dickens's novel Oliver Twist, the title character is a nine-year-old boy who lives in a workhouse. He and the other children at the workhouse are given very little to eat. Each of the...
Oliver Twist
What is the moral of Oliver Twist?
Oliver Twist is undoubtedly a moral novel in which good triumphs over evil. Considering the philosophies and behaviors of both the good and evil characters in the story, its main moral message is...
Oliver Twist
What is/are the main conflict(s) in Oliver Twist?
In Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens, the classical theme of Good vs. Evil undergirds the main conflict of Oliver's quest for identity and a place in the world: the boy against the world. The good...
Oliver Twist
What is the central theme of Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens?
The central theme in Oliver Twist is good versus evil. More specifically, Dickens explores the immense struggle that goodness must endure before it finally triumphs over its oldest and most bitter...
Oliver Twist
How does Oliver Twist get his name?
Mr. Bumble, the beadle, names the poor, wretched children of the workhouse in alphabetical order. As 'T' is the next available letter in the alphabet when Oliver is born, Bumble comes up with the...
Oliver Twist
What are the reasons that prompted Oliver to ask for more gruel?
The primary reason that Oliver asks for more gruel (which is similar to oatmeal) is because he is hungry. The board members of the workhouse where Oliver lives meet and decide that "the poor people...
Oliver Twist
What are 3 reasons why Oliver Twist is a character to be admired in Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens?
Oliver Twist is definitely a character to be admired. He has strong morals and a strong loyalty to anyone that befriends him. Nevertheless, in recent times, his character has come under criticism...
Oliver Twist
Describe the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist. Why was he given his nickname?
In Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens introduces a young pickpocket named Jack Dawkins who most people refer to him as "the Artful Dodger" The nickname describes his skill at his trade: his mind is...
Oliver Twist
What game did Fagin play with his boys in Oliver Twist?
In Oliver Twist, Fagin and the boys play a pickpocket game. Fagin walks about with items in his pockets, and the object of the game was for the boys to take things out of his pocket without him...
Oliver Twist
What solutions does Dickens offer to the social problems that he sketches out in Oliver Twist?
Like in many of his works, Dickens presents a variety of characters in Oliver Twist and depicts their actions in great detail, whether these actions be moral or immoral; it's from these...
Oliver Twist
What is the major theme of Dickens' novel Oliver Twist and is it a novel or a novella?
As the other educators have made clear, Oliver Twist is a novel and poverty is one of its major themes. Specifically, Dickens deals with the terrible effects of poverty on an individual's life and...
Oliver Twist
What are the major differences between Dickens' Oliver Twist and Polanski's movie adaptation?
Polanski made several adaptations to streamline the novel to fit a film format. One major change was omitting the role of the evil Monks Leeford, Oliver's older half-brother. Monks's father had a...
Oliver Twist
Why was Oliver sent away from the workhouse?
Oliver Twist is a novel written by Charles Dickens. In order to help you answer this question, it is first of all important to point out that Oliver was an orphan who grew up in a workhouse. A...
Oliver Twist
How is Mrs. Mann devious in Oliver Twist?
Mrs. Mann is an old woman who works as superintendent of a branch workhouse, separate from the main establishment. She has been charged with taking care of Oliver Twist and around thirty other...
Oliver Twist
Does Oliver Twist have a happy ending?
This is quite an interesting question. Dickens's works do tend to adhere to moral codes of the time, so it would have been considered a happy ending for most that Bill Sikes, the criminal, dies at...
Oliver Twist
Why does Sikes kill Nancy?
In an effort to protect Oliver, Nancy gives up the name of one of Fagin's gang. When Fagin finds out, he is furious. He wants Nancy to be silenced and punished, and so when he tells Bill Sikes...
Oliver Twist
What narrative techniques does Dickens use in Oliver Twist?
First, Dickens uses a third-person narrator, one who stands above the action and records for us what is going on. He describes himself as Oliver's biographer, and his voice is so strong—at least...
Oliver Twist
Who is Mrs. Mann?
To answer this question, take a look at chapter two. In this chapter, Oliver is sent from the main workhouse to a "branch workhouse" where he, and thirty other children, are placed under the care...
Oliver Twist
Why was Oliver Twist's early life unhappy?
Oliver Twist arrives in the world with the deck of life stacked against him. He is born attended by an uncaring doctor and his drunken nurse assistant. Oliver's mother dies soon after he is born....
Oliver Twist
What is a significant event in Oliver Twist?
Oliver Twist is the story of a young boy named Oliver whose mother died shortly after his death and who has been raised as an orphan. Oliver is sent to a work house on his 8th birthday and...
Oliver Twist
What is the most interesting part of Oliver Twist?
The most interesting part of the story is when Sikes murders Nancy. The most interesting part of any book might be in the eye of the beholder. There are certainly many interesting parts of the...
Oliver Twist
Why did the thieves especially want Oliver to help with the burglary?
In chapter 19, Bill Sikes explains that he wants a boy to help with the burglary of "that crib at Chertsey," and he says that the boy "mustn't be a big 'un." The implication is that Bill Sikes...
Oliver Twist
What is a good thesis statement for Oliver Twist and how can it be defended?
I think that you could also look at the use of disguise and misrepresentation in the novel. The most obvious is Oliver, the "twist" who is mistaken for rags when he actually comes from riches. The...
Oliver Twist
What would be a good thesis statement for the book Oliver Twist?
If you have read any of Dickens's other works or researched this author, you may, then, be familiar with a prevailing social concern of his: the dehumanizing effects of crime. Certainly these...
Oliver Twist
Describe the journey to Chertsey in Oliver Twist. What did Oliver realize when they reached the house?
In chapter 22, "The Burglary," of Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist, Bill Sikes, Toby Crackit, and Oliver Twist are making their way in the oppressive darkness and heavy fog to the house at Chertsey,...
Oliver Twist
Why did Oliver Twist's father, who was supposedly fairly well off, leave his young mistress, Agnes, and go off to...
Dickens characterizes Oliver's father as having fallen in love with Agnes, Oliver's mother. In true Dickensian fashion, this love is interrupted by the pursuit of economic wealth. A relative died...
Oliver Twist
While the prophecy in Oliver Twist is that Oliver would be hung, what is the final decision?
When the young Oliver is left to be raised in the workhouse, he shocks his keepers by asking for more food. This is not because of any innate cheekiness but because he drew the short straw among...
Oliver Twist
What is an example of personification in Oliver Twist?
An example of personification is "Oliver and Nature fought out the point between them" (Ch. 1). Personification is when you describe something inanimate or not human as if it were a person or had...
Oliver Twist
What were Charles Dickens's main objectives in writing Oliver Twist?
In writing Oliver Twist Dickens was trying to draw his readers's attention to the plight of the most unfortunate members of society. In particular, he was keen to expose the cruelty of the...
Oliver Twist
How is Oliver's journey to London?
At the beginning of Chapter 8, Oliver Twist runs away from Mr Bumble's and decides that he will head to London. In his mind, this city offers an exciting opportunity. As he says: London!--that...
Oliver Twist
What are the literary devices in Oliver Twist?
This is a very wide open question. Oliver Twist contains dozens of literary devices, but I can get you started with a couple of them. One literary device that Dickens used in this story is...
Oliver Twist
What was meant by the phrase "The old story" in Oliver Twist? (Here is the quote: "The old story- he said sadly,...
"The old story...no wedding ring" means that a young woman has fallen in love with a married man or a man who either refuses to or cannot marry her because of their different social standings or...
Oliver Twist
What is a short summary of Oliver Twist's conclusion?
All loose ends are tied up at the end of Oliver Twist, with every character receiving his or her just desserts. Mr. Brownlow learns from Monks that Monks and Oliver are half-siblings, which causes...
Oliver Twist
What was the punishment given to Oliver Twist, and who saved him from the punishment?
Oliver, the boy chosen by lot to ask for more food, is locked in a dark room in solitary confinement for a week. The members of the board of the orphanage register "horror" that Oliver made such a...
Oliver Twist
What happened during and after the robbery at Chertsey in Oliver Twist?
The bungled robbery attempt at Chertsey is described in chapter 22 of Oliver Twist, and the story resumes in chapter 25. Until they arrive at the house that Sikes plans to rob, Oliver does not know...
Oliver Twist
How did Mr. Grimwig behave toward Oliver?
Mr. Brownlow, a good friend of Mr. Grimwig, calls him "a worthy creature at bottom." Mr. Grimwig is, however, quite eccentric. He dresses oddly, worries about slipping on orange peels thrown on the...
Oliver Twist
Describe the underworld life in Oliver Twist.
Oliver Twist enters the seedy underbelly of London life after running away from his new job as an apprentice undertaker. As a young waif without a home, family, or money, he's easy prey for...
Oliver Twist
How was Oliver's birth itself a victory over circumstances?
The circumstances in which Oliver Twist came into the world were extremely difficult for him and his mother both. He was born in a workhouse, and, at the time of his birth, the surgeon was unsure...
Oliver Twist
In Oliver Twist, how does the charity boy Noah Claypole treat Oliver at Sowerberry's establishment?
Noah Claypole is the charity boy who also works as an apprentice for Mr. Sowerberry. From the start, Noah had been cruel and abusive to Oliver, giving orders, insulting him, calling "Work'us." He...
Oliver Twist
What made Mr. Bumble miserable in Oliver Twist?
What makes Mr. Bumble miserable is his marriage. This parochial beadle might like to lord it over the half-starved waifs in his "care" at the workhouse, but at home, it's his wife who's firmly in...
Oliver Twist
Why did Fagin and his boys want Oliver Twist for their gang?
Fagin and his group want Oliver Twist to join them because he's small and desperate; this will encourage him to be a better thief and make him suited for jobs that require a small person. Oliver...
Oliver Twist
What era is Oliver Twist set in?
Queen Victoria became Queen of England in 1837. Although Oliver Twist was first published in 1838, just one year into Queen Victoria's reign, the book would likely have been inspired by and written...
Oliver Twist
In Oliver Twist, how does Mr. Brownlow help Oliver?
Mr. Brownlow in this famous Victorian novel acts as the guardian angel of Oliver, helping him and acting to save him from the fate that Fagan and others have prepared for him. We first meet him...
Oliver Twist
What were the marks on the handkerchiefs?
In chapter 9, the Artful Dodger and Charlie Bates return from “work,” and Charlie has stolen some handkerchiefs, or “wipes,“ as he calls them. Fagin examines them and says that Oliver will have to...
Oliver Twist
In Oliver Twist, what is the change in Oliver after he leaves the village?
After leaving the village, Oliver is exposed to criminals and a life of crime but he remains honest and good. Oliver is sent from the workhouse after asking for more gruel. He is given to an...
Oliver Twist
Who is Mrs. Bedwin in Oliver Twist?
One of the kindest characters in Charles Dickens's Oliver Twist is Mrs. Bedwin. Oliver meets Mrs. Bedwin when he is taken in by Mr. Brownlow. Mrs. Bedwin works as Mr. Brownlow's housekeeper. She is...
Oliver Twist
What are some similarities between Oliver Twist and Pip (from Great Expectations)?
The protagonists of Great Expectations (Pip) and Oliver Twist (Oliver) have several similarities. The most obvious is that both are orphans. Chapter one of Great Expectations explains that "I...
Oliver Twist
Why does Mr. Bumble marry Mrs. Corney?
Chapter 23 of Oliver Twist consists of a conversation between Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Corney, which takes an increasingly sentimental turn. While it may be putting the matter too strongly to say that...
Oliver Twist
Why did Mr. Bumble take Oliver back to the workhouse?
Oliver is born in the workhouse, and his mother dies soon after his birth. The state is unable to find his father. Therefore, Oliver, as an orphan, becomes a ward of the state. This leads to his...
Oliver Twist
What is the main conflict in Oliver Twist?
It is hard to boil down all of the conflict in Oliver Twist to one main thread, even though all conflict in the novel essentially centers around young Oliver's fate. Though Oliver is mostly a...
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