Later on in the story Oliver Twist Essays

Later on in the story Oliver Twist Essays Later on in the story Oliver Twist Essay Later on in the story Oliver Twist Essay Essay Topic: Oliver Twist Later on in the story, when Oliver meets Fagin, he is in an even worse situation. Fagin is a scary man who is a father figure to a group of young boys who pick pocket for him. Dickens wrote about him to represent wickedness and to show the public how difficult it is to break free from the cycle of crime. a very old shrivelled Jew, whose villainous looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair (p63). It makes the reader disgusted with him and hate him. When they first meet, Fagin seems very welcoming, shaking his hand and bowing. All of the boys also seem to welcome him by shaking his hand and taking his cap. The Jew grinned; and making a low obeisance to Oliver, took him by the hand; and hoped he should have the honour of his intimate acquaintance. (p63). However, behind all this, Fagin and the people who live with him have an ulterior motive for Oliver. He is a commodity to them because Fagin wants to use him to pickpocket and the boys are trying to pickpocket him, because this is they way they have been brought up. The young gentleman [ ] shook both his hands very hard, especially the one in which he held his little bundle [ ] and another so obliging as to put his hands in his pockets: in order that, as he was very tired, he might not have the trouble of emptying them, himself (p63). Fagin is very open about his support of individualism, a social philosophy which stresses the importance of the individual above society. His use of Oliver as a commodity is an example of this. This is ironic, because in Victorian society, it was the rich and upper class people who were most supportive of this because they were capitalists, but Fagin supports it because it holds his illegal means of making money together. a regard for number one holds us all together, and must do so, unless we would all go to pieces in company. Fagin is the kind of man who people would have nightmares about, especially children like Oliver, but he isnt scared. Oliver feels safe with him because he is the first person who has ever treated him kindly. He has other people who have also looked after him as substitute parents, including Mrs. Mann, Mr. Bumble and Mr. Sowerberry and Fagin. It is ironic that these people are meant to replace parents, because none of them care for him as a mother or father would. Although Fagin is taking care of Oliver, he is representing the corrupt city and the people in it because he is a criminal, and once someone gets into his style of life, they will never get out and they are trapped. Dickens says the corrupt city environment has the power to blacken [the soul] and change its hue for ever. Once someone goes into the corrupt city, they too will be corrupt forever, like Fagins cycle of crime. The most unusual family structure is made up of Fagin and his pick pockets, because although Fagin cares for them, keeps them healthy, trains them to what he does to make money, and teaches them to be loyal, he only does it for his own benefits. This family is built around individualism and exploitation, and not out of selfless interest. Oliver experienced cruelty throughout his life in the branch workhouse, workhouse and the apprenticeship at the undertakers. He has been starved, beaten, humiliated and neglected by nearly everyone whose care he has been in. Charles Dickens wrote about the appalling treatment of the children so everyone could read it and know what really goes on in the workhouses. However, Oliver survived it all, and most of the people who were horrible to him were punished. In the end, good will always triumph over evil.