English Literature (9675) | Charles Dickens - Oliver Twist

Welcome to the Elements of Crime and Mystery!

Hi everyone! We are diving into one of Charles Dickens’ most famous and powerful novels, Oliver Twist. This book isn’t just a great story; it’s a foundational text for understanding the genre of **crime and mystery** in literature.

In this section, we won't just look at what happens, but *why* it happens, focusing on the structures of crime, the motivations of the criminals, and how Dickens uses mystery to comment on the harsh realities of Victorian London. Don't worry if the text seems long or dense; we’ll break down the crucial elements of crime and justice in simple, clear steps!

1. Setting the Stage: The Crime Backdrops (Unit 3 Syllabus Focus: Settings)

In crime fiction, the setting is never just a wallpaper background—it’s an active participant. Dickens uses London's landscape to explain how and why crime thrives.

1.1 The London Slums: A Breeding Ground for Transgression

The city itself is divided sharply, which mirrors the moral divide between the honest and the criminal.

• Key Setting: Fagin’s Den in Field Lane (Saffron Hill): This setting is symbolic of moral corruption. It is described as filthy, crowded, and hidden—perfect for training children in criminal actions (transgressions against established order).
• The Atmosphere of Danger: Dickens creates a constant sense of threat. The dark, narrow streets and the impenetrable fog reflect the obscured morality of the inhabitants and the difficulty of detection.
• Analogy: Think of Fagin’s den like a secret, poisoned school. Instead of teaching maths and history, Fagin teaches pickpocketing, using the cover of poverty and the lack of surveillance in the slums.

1.2 Contrast: Order vs. Disorder

Dickens sharpens his social commentary by contrasting the criminal world with safe havens.

• Disorder/Crime: The workhouse, the slums, the pubs where Sikes drinks. These are places of chaos, violence, and social collapse.
• Order/Justice: Mr. Brownlow’s comfortable, book-filled home in Pentonville. This setting represents the moral and legal order Oliver strives for, suggesting that justice and safety exist only outside the slums.

2. The Nature of Criminals and Their Motives (Unit 3 Syllabus Focus: Nature of crimes/criminals, Motives, Money, Power)

Dickens gives us three distinct types of criminals, each representing a different aspect of transgression.

2.1 Fagin: The Corruptor (Crime of Exploitation)

Fagin is perhaps the most chilling criminal because he doesn't just commit crimes; he corrupts innocence—a major transgression against moral law.

• Motive: Primarily **Money** and **Power**. He lives off the labour of others, specifically vulnerable children like the Artful Dodger and Oliver.
• Actions: He is a master manipulator, using flattery and threats to maintain control. He rarely gets his hands dirty, making him harder to catch, embodying the “detectives and detection” challenge.
• Language: Dickens often uses the racial stereotype of **“the Jew”** to exaggerate Fagin’s sinister nature, making him seem both parasitic and cowardly (a social commentary on contemporary prejudice).

2.2 Bill Sikes: The Brutal Executioner (Crime of Violence)

Sikes represents pure, unthinking violence and physical danger.

• Motive: Survival, maintaining control through **Fear**, and short-term financial gain (stealing).
• The Crime: Sikes commits the ultimate transgression—murder—when he violently kills Nancy. This act significantly escalates the novel's themes of violence and revenge.
• Reader Effect: Sikes generates intense **repugnance** and fear. His brutal nature ensures that his punishment feels inevitable and necessary for the restoration of order.

2.3 Monks: The Conspiratorial Villain (Crime of Conspiracy and Greed)

Monks’ crime is less about survival and more about dark, inherited malice—attempting to destroy Oliver's identity.

• Motive: **Greed** and **Revenge**. He is motivated by the desire to secure his inheritance by ensuring Oliver remains a criminal and dies in obscurity, thus failing to claim his birthright.
• The Mystery: Monks is central to the "mystery which needs to be unravelled." His hidden identity and purpose drive the investigation conducted by Mr. Brownlow.

3. The Role of the Victim and the Challenge to Justice

The syllabus requires us to consider the victims of crime and the inclusion of suffering. Oliver and Nancy are the two central figures of suffering.

3.1 Oliver: The Innocent Victim

Oliver is a victim of both the institutions (the workhouse) and the criminals (Fagin and Sikes). His suffering is used by Dickens to invoke **pity** in the reader.

• His Resilience: Oliver is morally impervious; he cannot be corrupted, making him Dickens’ symbol of innate goodness.
• The Moral Purpose: His survival ensures that the narrative has a clear moral purpose—to demonstrate that goodness can triumph over evil and that order can be restored.

3.2 Nancy: The Tragic Victim (Guilt and Remorse)

Nancy is perhaps the most complex character, embodying both the criminal world and a desire for moral good. She is a victim of her circumstances and Sikes's violence.

• The Conflict: She is torn between her love/loyalty for Sikes and her moral desire to save Oliver (guilt and remorse are key to her actions).
• The Ultimate Sacrifice: Her death at the hands of Sikes is brutally violent. This act is crucial for accelerating the plot toward resolution and galvanizing the forces of justice.
• Did you know? Nancy’s murder was so shocking and realistic that it caused great public debate in Victorian England about the inclusion of such graphic violence in literature.

4. Investigation, Punishment, and Resolution (Unit 3 Syllabus Focus: Justice, Retribution, Structure)

4.1 The Pursuit of Crime and Detection

Unlike modern detective stories, the investigation here is messy, driven by coincidence and moral intervention rather than forensic science.

• Mr. Brownlow: He is the central figure of detection and justice. His motivation is a mixture of paternal concern for Oliver and a desire for moral truth. He patiently gathers evidence, linking Monks to Oliver’s past.
• Structural Patterning: The narrative moves through a series of escalating crises (the attempted robbery, the murder) that steadily *expose* the criminals, leading the pursuit to the final confrontation.

4.2 Punishment and Retribution

Dickens ensures that every major criminal faces a severe form of punishment, satisfying the reader's expectation that "there will be a resolution and the criminal will be punished."

• Fagin’s End: He is caught, tried, and publicly executed by hanging. This is the **retribution** of the established legal system. His fear and isolation in the cell emphasize the terror of the law.
• Sikes’s End: He is hunted like an animal after the murder. His accidental death while fleeing from a mob (a noose accidentally tightening around his neck) is often seen as poetic justice—a violent man meeting a chaotic, violent end.
• Monks’s End: He is not hanged but is forced to give up his inheritance and is exiled to America where he squanders his money and dies in prison. This punishment is more psychological and financial.

5. Language and Reader Effect: Creating Suspense

The way Dickens writes is just as important as what he writes. He uses language brilliantly to manipulate the reader’s feelings and maximize the impact of the crimes.

5.1 Heightening Suspense

Dickens uses descriptive, dramatic language to create **suspense, excitement, and relief** in the audience.

• The Language of Fear: Descriptions of Sikes, particularly after Nancy’s death, focus on his frantic, paranoid state and the tracking of his dog, Bull's-eye. The relentless, high-intensity chase sequence is designed to create extreme anxiety in the reader.
• Melodrama: Dickens often employs **melodrama** (exaggerated emotion, clear good vs. evil) to ensure the moral message is simple and powerful. For example, Oliver’s pure, white face against the darkness of the criminal’s lives.

5.2 Social Commentary Through Language

Dickens often uses the language of crime writing to comment on society.

• Satire of Institutions: The language used to describe the parish officials and the legal system is often mocking or highly critical, showing that sometimes the "law-keepers" are themselves moral transgressors.
• Euphemism: The criminals often use slang (**cant**) to talk about crime—e.g., "prigging" (stealing). This specialized language isolates the criminal world and heightens the sense of mystery for the outsider (Oliver and the reader).

We've covered the structure, the villains, the victims, and the ultimate justice achieved. You are now equipped to tackle essay questions on how Oliver Twist functions as a novel within the genre of Elements of Crime and Mystery. Keep practicing your analysis of those key terms—setting, motive, punishment, and structural patterning!