Student Question
What was Oliver Twist's mother's condition when she arrived at the workhouse?
Quick answer:
Oliver Twist's mother was in a dire condition when she arrived at the workhouse. She was found lying in the street, exhausted, with her shoes worn out from walking. This suggests she had collapsed from exhaustion before being brought to the workhouse. Her appearance was mysterious, and she died shortly after giving birth to Oliver, marking a tragic beginning for the protagonist.
Oliver Twist’s mother dies almost immediately after he is born.
In chapter 1 of the novel, the narrator describes how Oliver struggles to breathe for the first few moments of his life. The reader also gets a brief description of Oliver’s mother in this chapter.
When the surgeon asks about the girl, the nurse states that she was found lying in the street with her shoes completely worn out from walking. More than likely, she had collapsed from exhaustion prior to being brought to the workshop. These are the only details that anyone knows about Oliver’s mother.
One could infer, then, that Oliver’s mother was already about to die when she was discovered and brought to the workhouse to deliver her baby.
Her mysterious appearance and quick death read as tragic origins for the novel’s young protagonist.
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