The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

We have come to the first instance in which Oliver is set to work, as his small size makes him the ideal candidate to slip into a house and unlock the door for the others.

Chapters 20-22 involve a long day and night of walking, getting kitted out and then arriving at the targeted house, which has been staked out prior to their arrival. Unfortunately, they had miscalculated about the household staff and poor, terrified Oliver is shot in the arm by two equally terrified housemen, before being hauled out again by Sikes and dragged across the field. Unfortunately he is badly enough wounded that he can't keep up with the others, and so is left to die, either from his wound or from exposure, as Sikes flees the scene.

Bleak, dark, and piercing cold, it was a night for the well-housed and fed to draw round the bright fire and thank God they were at home; and for the homeless, starving wretch to lay him down and die. Many hunger-worn outcasts close their eyes on our bare streets, at such times, who, let their crimes have been what they may, can hardly open them in a more bitter world.

We leave Oliver and return to the workhouse, where Mrs. Corney and the Beadle are making plans to throw their lot in together (after Mr Beadle has snooped through Mrs Corney's possessions to ensure she's a good match). There is also a secret told to Mrs. Corney by the woman who attended Oliver's birth, and some sort of talisman passed over which may perhaps help to identify him.

A new man, Monks, is introduced, who appears to have some sort of hold or power over Fagin, and Nancy is increasingly unhappy by her role in the affairs being carried on. Mr Bumble drops by Mr Sowerberry's to order and coffin and catches Claypole and Charlotte in a compromising position.

Finally, Oliver wakens cold and weak from loss of blood and general poor health, and is able to stagger out to the road where, for better or worse, he ends up back at the house they attempted to rob, and is taken up in a kindly manner and put to bed.

1. Is anyone else having trouble keeping all the characters straight and keeping the various threads and locations sorted?

2.Oliver has now reached a second home where he appears to be treated kindly, although it remains to be seen whether he will be handed over to the police. What do you think will happen to him here?

3. While Dickens doesn't switch from past to present (as has become common in modern literature) there is a lot of foreshadowing of discoveries to come-Oliver's likeness to someone, the dying woman's confession, Mr Beadle's and possibly Fagin's realization that information on Oliver could be profitable. What secrets might be about to be revealed?

4. So far, our tale has been set almost entirely among the destitute-would this be unusual for a Victorian novel?

Please share your thoughts on this third section of our novel.

One new character which I omitted to mention in the first post is Monks, who we meet in Ch. 26, and who clearly has an interest in Oliver, having recognized him. As Fagin says, ...you might never have clapped eyes upon the boy to notice him, and so led to the discovery that it was him you were looking for.

Do you think it likely that poor Oliver, after a lifetime of abysmal nutrition, beatings, and inadequate housing, could still have a strong enough resemblance to some personage of importance that several people have seen a familiarity in him that have made them interested in his history? Dickens (and other Victorians) do enjoy their coincidences!

Frances wrote: "One new character which I omitted to mention in the first post is Monks, who we meet in Ch. 26, and who clearly has an interest in Oliver, having recognized him. As Fagin says, ...you might never h..."

There is a sense in early Dickens of the Romantic idea that blood will tell, that nature can win out over (lack of ) nurture. In some later books, Dickens is more realistic, or naturalistic about the effects of poverty and neglect. The trends in writing also changed with writers like Zola emphasizing the ugliness of modern life.

Yes, Victorians in general and Dickens in particular liked their coincidences and their foreshadowings. The revelation of the necklace stolen from Oliver's mother certainly points to her coming from wealth, as does the resemblance which Oliver bears to someone no longer present. The appearance of Monk explains, at least in part, why Fagin is so determined to keep the boy with him. Whatever Monk's interest might be, Oliver is obviously worth some money or influence to Fagin. And poor Oliver, again embroiled in a crime, used and abused, and now left for dead!