Monday, May 25, 2020

Victorian Societys Treatment of the Poor in Oliver Twist...

How does Charles Dickens expose Victorian societys awful treatment of the poor? In my essay I am going to talk about the way Charles Dickens uses Oliver Twist to expose the maltreatment of the poor, by analysing the text. In the early 19th century the industrial revolution started (the building of lots of factories and mills) which drew many countryside paupers into the towns. They hoped for a better life and job, but this was seldom the case because conditions were bad and wages were a pittance even if they were lucky enough to be employed. The owners of the factories got very rich and the workers were extremely poor. The desperately poor unemployed people were rounded up and put into an institution called the workhouse.†¦show more content†¦A bad attitude is directed at Oliver by the workhouse staff immediately. The surgeon thinks that its very likely that it will be troublesome and his solution for this would be to give it a little gruel This is not really very fair considering that Oliver has not yet had a chance to develop a character. Dickens also ridicules the clothes that Oliver was assigned. They are describe d as old and robes and to have grown yellow in the same service. This tells us that they have wrapped up many a child before which in turn tells us that the workhouse did things as cheaply as possible. Mrs Mann is the boss of the workhouse that Oliver was farmed to a little after his birth. When she sees Mr Bumble at the gate she realises that he wants to see Oliver because it is his 9th birthday today so she immediately reacts: Susan, take Oliver and them two brats upstairs and wash them directly She referrers to them as dear children when speaking to Bumble which is obviously not what she reallyShow MoreRelatedThe Upbringing Of Orphans By Charles Dickens And Jane Eyre1714 Words   |  7 Pagesupbringing of Orphans in a time of social injustice. The 19th century Victorian era contrasted of different social classes; the wealthy, the working and the poor classes, which led to the forms of social order in society. It also encompassed some of the most famous literary works that till today impact the lives of many, and leads readers to wonder about the injustices of the conditions of the orphans. 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