The+Tales+of+Oliver+Twist+-+Economic+Connections

toc Economic Connections in Oliver Twist

= Background =

 During the progressive Victorian era (1830-1896), Britain became one of the world’s primary economic powers. After the invention of steam power, many migrated from rural, agricultural areas to the cities to search for higher paying work. Consequently, Britain became an industrial hub. The economy of Britain remained strong during this change. Due to the invention of the modern company, industrialists were predominant. Since many came to the cities and mainly worked for sustenance, they were dubbed the “working class”. With this sharp increase in production, Britain’s trade industry increased drastically as well. 

The increased number of jobs in the cities led to the rapid growth of a low-paid working class. The wealthy upper class still held a great deal of the wealth, primarily retaining inherited land and investments. Due to the exponentially increasing population of the cities, a class structure became visible: the upper class, middle class, working class, and underclass. Money dominated the social, psychological, and overall technological progress surrounding the Victorian era. Prostitution and child labor were common, as money often superseded morality. Dickens, as well as other famous writers throughout this era, wrote solely for the purpose of making money.

There were numerous other contributions that influenced the conditions of poverty in the Victorian Era. There was a huge growth in population in the nineteenth century. A few reasons for this population growth include family growth, children surviving infancy, a longer expected life-span, and immigration. The population and city growth resulted in increased job competition. Both skilled and unskilled workers were looking for jobs, which resulted in lower wages. If work was seasonal, men were laid off depending on the time of year.

Poverty stricken families and individuals lived in severely unsanitary conditions. Housing in working areas was exceedingly overcrowded. Large houses were turned into flats and tenements in which one room would house many people. Renting a room in these tenant houses would cost a person between two and four pence a day. Henry Mayhew, an investigator journalist for the Morning Chronicle, wrote ‘As we gazed in horror at it, we saw drains and sewers emptying their filthy contents into it; we saw a whole tier of door less privies in the open road, common to men and women built over it; we heard bucket after bucket of filth splash into it.’ There were many deaths caused by starvation and destitution. Lastly, there was a large number of homeless children who were either turned out of their home or ran away because of ill treatment. Many of these children resorted to stealing, thus degrading their image to the respectable Victorians.

The majority of society thought that the poor brought their hardship upon themselves by gambling or drinking. Others believed that God put people in their place and that the slums are where the poor belonged. However, many modern day charitable organizations emerged, such as The Children’s Society, and spread consciousness of the conditions of the poor.

= //Oliver Twist//- the Novel =

There are many indications of the Victorian economy in Oliver Twist.

**P****roduction of the workhouses/means of the workhouses:** The workhouses operated on the principle that poverty was the consequence of laziness and that the dreadful conditions in the workhouse would inspire the poor to better their own circumstances. Yet the economic situation of the Industrial Revolution made it impossible for many of the poor to make their circumstances better, and the workhouses did not let the people have a chance to better their situations. Oliver was born into the horrible conditions of the workhouse with little to eat and was given no opportunity to leave. The people simply worked and starved. An example of this is when the boy at the workhouse said he would eat a little boy in his sleep if he wasn’t given more food. Although unlikely that he would actually eat a human, it shows the extremes that the people do or think about doing because they are fed so little.

Poverty is a prominent theme in the novel. Oliver starts his life in the workhouses alongside the poorest people in town. However, throughout the novel, he is helped by wealthier people, such as Mr. Brownlow and Miss Maylie. Mr. Brownlow takes him in after the attempted robbery and nurses him back to health. Miss Maylie takes him in after Oliver was shot when trying to rob her house and again Oliver is nursed back to health. Oliver told her his life story and she tries to protect him from Fagin and Monks. Oliver was helped and pitied by the wealthy.
 * Class differences:**

Oliver is brought into the pick pocketing business by the Artful Dodger. He joins Fagin and Nancy and becomes associated with several other criminals. Oliver is caught by the police after going out on a pick pocketing adventure. That event leads to Mr. Brownlow taking pity on Oliver. Luckily Mr. Brownlow does not press charges and lets him into his house. Unfortunately, Oliver gets taken back into Fagin’s gang while on an errand for Brownlow. Although a fundamentally good boy, Oliver still gets sucked into the criminal underworld.
 * Crime:**

“Stop thief! stop thief!" There is a human passion for ... hunting something deeply implanted in the human breast. One wretched, breathless child, panting with exhaustion, terror in his looks, agony in his eye, large drops of perspiration streaming down his face, strains every nerve to make head upon his pursuers; and as they follow on his track, and gain upon him every instant, they hail his decreasing strength with still louder shouts, and whoop and scream with joy "Stop thief!" – Ay, stop him for God’s sake, were it only in mercy! As Oliver is running away, the people are yelling for him to stop, calling him a thief. Even the boys that he came out on the robbing adventure with stop and start yelling at him, as to clear their own name. Oliver first realizes the punishments of crime.
 * Quotes fr****om the book:**

"Stopped at last. A clever blow that. He’s down upon ... the pavement, and the crowd eagerly gather round him; each new comer jostling and struggling with the others to catch a glimpse. "Stand aside!" – "Give him a little air!" – "Nonsense! he don’t deserve it." – "Where’s the gentleman?" – "Here he is, coming down the street." – "Make room there for the gentleman!" – "Is this the boy, sir?" – "Yes." Oliver gets caught “robbing” Mr. Brownlow. As he is running away, he stumbles and falls to the ground with the crowd of people blocking him from trying to run any further. People don’t believe that the poor thief deserves a little air after taking his fall. Oliver was the one in trouble for a deed that he didn’t commit.

"[…] overpowered by the conviction of the bystanders that he ... was really the hardened little wretch he was described to be, what could one poor child do?" Oliver was being falsely accused by Nancy as her runaway brother who joined a gang of thieves. Now Oliver has to be dragged back into the world of crime, with no one listening to his protests.

"In short, the wily old Jew had the boy in ... his toils; and, having prepared his mind by solitude and gloom to prefer any society to the companionship of his own sad thoughts in such a dreary place, was now slowly instilling into his soul the poison which he hoped would blacken it and change its hue for ever." Dickens talks about what Fagin’s (the wily old Jew) gang and crime is doing to Oliver. The crime is like a “poison” seeping into Oliver’s body.

"This was far from being a place of doubtful character, ... for it had long been known as the residence of none but low and desperate ruffians, who, under various pretences of living by their labour, subsisted chiefly on plunder and crime." The place in which the people live assumes the person’s character. In this case, Dickens describes Monk’s residence as a place of crime.

"So they established the rule, that all poor people should ... have the alternative (for they would compel nobody, not they,) of being starved by a gradual process in the house, or by a quick one out of it." This is the sarcastic meaning of the new law that was put in place that was intended to help the poor, but ending up prolonging their unhappiness because the workhouses did not improve conditions much at all. It also portrays the arrogance of the people in charge who believe that they were doing the right thing, but obviously were not.

"The sun was rising in all his splendid beauty, but ... the light only seemed to show the boy his own lonesomeness and desolation as he sat with bleeding feet and covered with dust upon a cold door-step." The light from the son only showed Oliver what his current situation is and how alone he really is. This was Oliver’s first encounter with Fagin’s gang and the world of crime.

"[…] every repulsive lineament of poverty, every loathsome indication of ... filth, rot, and garbage;-- all these ornament the banks of Folly Ditch." Poverty was considered gross and vile in the town of Folly Ditch, which is a slum in London, and serves as the image which Dickens creates due to what he sees as a broken social system.

= Commentary = **Oliver Twist—The Book that Changed the Lower Class**



True literature is designed to influence and inspire. Many times, as the case in //Oliver Twist//, social satires are written to bring awareness or change the worst parts of society. The economic conditions portrayed in //Oliver Twist// were designed to shock readers, and change the abysmal conditions of the poor working class. Due to the large number of people that read the book, the message was undoubtedly delivered to many citizens with the ability to help. While the book might not have directly changed economic policy within England, it inspired many people to give to charities and other organizations that could help the poor.

There are some books that have a much more direct impact on the economy. In //The Communist Manifesto// and //Das Kapital//, Marx and Engels promote brand new types of economic systems— communism and socialism. These books greatly influenced economic thought in the early twentieth century and led to the rise of many socialist governments. Vladimir Lenin, the leader of the Bolshevik revolution in Russia, studied these Marxist works. .He was one of the first of the socialist revolutionaries in Europe, and the policies found in this book shaped the face of the world for years to come.

The United States has also experienced economic reforms because of ideas in literature. Uncle Tom’s Cabin portrayed the terrible conditions of slavery, thus outraging many Northerners. Ultimately, the novel contributed to the conflict that led to the Civil War and the emancipation of the slaves. Although mainly looked at as a political victory, the emancipation of the slaves also had a profound impact on the Southern economy. The country was in the midst of the Civil War when Abraham Lincoln released the slaves, so the South was already embroiled in economic turmoil when they suffered this further blow. It took years for the South to regain footing and come back from the war.

Though not as extreme, //The Jungle// by Upton Sinclair also led to reform in America’s meatpacking industry. The contents of the meat and the terrible state of the factories and workers led to demands for reform by many Americans. Not long after, the United States enacted laws that held these factories to certain standards. Due to these new standards, food was cleaner and healthier, however the industry must have experienced a cut in profits. These books are just some of the hundreds that have influenced economic conditions around the world. In //Oliver Twist//, Dickens’ portrayal of the poor orphaned boy sent to live among thieves and robbers led to more money and better care for those boys who truly were orphaned. In this case, not only did Dickens write about the world as he knew it, but his commentary also led to changes in the treatment of the lower class throughout England.

**Oliver Twist—Written to Reflect the Lower Class** 

Numerous authors write novels to point out issues in their society. These novels, called social problem novels, are written because of historical events but rarely incite any policy changes on their own. //Oliver Twist// by Charles Dickens and //The Great Gatsby// by F. Scott Fitzgerald are prime examples of history influencing art in the form of a social problem novel focusing on economic issues.

In the mid 1800s, there existed a huge divide between the rich and the poor. The wealthy were essentially free to do as they wished, while the poor were subjected to the harsh Poor Law Amendment passed in 1834. Paupers were forced to work in Parish workhouses with horrible conditions and even more horrible food. The poor were looked down upon as second class citizens with few rights. Rather than subjecting themselves to workhouse conditions, the poor would often choose a life of crime on the streets, where some would eventually starve to death. Seeing these mistreatments, Dickens was inspired to write //Oliver Twist//. Oliver himself experienced the harsh workhouse conditions; he was given so little food and was forced to beg for more out of fear of being eaten by an older boy. Through Oliver's escape to London and his shelter by the thief Fagin, Dickens portrayed the horrors of the seedy underbelly of London society in which many paupers were forced to participate. Another character in //Oliver Twist// exemplary of Victorian economic conditions is Mr. Brownlow, who's large amounts of wealth enabled him to believe he could control the magistrate and free Oliver. However, the magistrates negative view of paupers, and therefore Oliver, prevented Oliver from being freed until the owner of the bookshop testified that Oliver had not stolen Mr. Browlow's handkerchief.

Although two decades off from the Victorian Era, //The Great Gatsby// also was inspired by F. Scott Fitzgerald's experiences during the Roaring Twenties. The Roaring Twenties consisted of parties, dancing, jazz, financial excess, and more parties. //The Great Gatsby// illustrated this excess through Gatsby, who held lavish parties at his mansion for which he hired singers and an orchestra to play the most popular jazz of the time. The demise of Gatsby in the end showed that a life of excess spending and only enjoyment can only lead to sadness in the end. Despite this, //The Great Gatsby// did not lead to any economic changes in the Roaring Twenties, because the novel was largely ignored until after Fitzergald's death.

Many authors pull inspiration for literary works from the society in which they live. Charles Dickens pulled his inspiration for //Oliver Twist// from the streets and workhouses of London, while F. Scott Fitzgerald pulled his inspiration from the affluent cities of America, yet both highlighted the economic conditions of their day.

= But wait, there’s more! = T he following are three additional sources that contain further information about our topic: **The Victorian Web**: //Literature, history, and culture in the age of Victoria// The Victorian Web covers a wide variety of aspects of the Victorian society. This specific page, however, focuses solely on the economy of the time period and carefully examines many facets of both economic strife and welfare in Victorian England. The content of the webpage is divided into five subtopics, including General; Currency, Wages, and the Cost of Living; Classical Economists and Their Popularizers; Opponents of the Classical Economists; and Economists, Literature, and the Arts. The first subtopic includes general information about Victorian economy, including England’s industrial dominance, the use of the modern company, and bank accounts and invested capital. The second subtopic focuses on exact number quantities of wages, prices of common items such as bread, and the overall cost of living during the Victorian times. The next subtopic showcases five main classical economists and provides background information for three of them. Following the classical economists is three main opponents of classical economy. The final subtopic examines the impact of the economy on literature and the arts and includes information about copyrights, authorship, and publication. The site includes two sections of sources for further information, one focusing inter-website sources, and another on external sources concerning the industrial revolution.  []  This website provides a comprehensive overview on workhouses. It includes information about the history of the Poor Laws that caused the creation of workhouses, the locations and conditions of workhouses, rules, memories, and even buildings. Extremely in-depth information is provided for each topic, including the full texts of certain Poor Laws, exact locations of certain workhouses, and pictures detailing the conditions of the workhouses. Not only does this website include information about workhouses, but it also has information about related topics of interest, such as baby farms, charity refuges, and the Metropolitan Asylums Board. The navigation box on the right side of the screen has over twenty subtopics, and within each subtopic there are at least five more topics, all with pages of information. Some of the topics include Poor Laws, workhouse locations, workhouse rules, children and education, and tramps and vagrants. Needless to say, anything you need to know about workhouses can be found on this website. The website has many special features, such as a quiz you can take after learning about workhouses, a timeline, glossary, and even a bookshop. This is a very in-depth website concerning workhouses and includes information covering them from start to finish. [|www.workhouses.org/uk/] <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Victorian England ** This webpage includes general information about Victorian England. It contains eleven categories: jobs, education, entertainment, housing- interior and exterior, life expectancy, diet, salary, clothing, and daily life. Each of these categories has two to three links under it with an explanation of what is included in each link. For example, under jobs you can find information about jobs of the lower and middle class, which jobs were associated with certain classes, and the different types of schools in Victorian England. The links go to an outside source and include both general information and specific facts, such as <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">the estimated salary of some professions. There is also a section where further information can be found on the topic, including four print sources about Victorian England. The site does a good job of including information about both the rich and poor; therefore, it is an applicable source for information related to //Oliver Twist//, which explores the lives of many social classes. <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;"> <span style="color: #000000; font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">[]
 * <span style="font-family: Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;">Workhouses.org **