The Readers Review: Literature from 1714 to 1910 discussion

Oliver seems to have found himself a loving home at last, and he is growing healthy and stout. He remains a loving and obedient boy, anxious to serve his new mistresses and to apply himself to his studies.

However this section begins with the arrival of the police to investigate the theft, and Oliver's family must now convince the officers that the boy involved in the theft is not the boy recovering upstairs. Mr Losberne, the Medical Man, assists them in this endeavour, and also tries to help Oliver find his previous benefactors, however it appears they have moved to the West Indies.

The next threat to the happy household is Rose Maylie's illness, and we learn that she is the avowed love of Harry Maylie, the son of the household, and that there is some stain upon her history which makes her, in her own and perhaps his mother's eyes, an unsuitable match for him.

Fagin and another character appear unexpectedly at the window of the Maylie's cottage, and therefore are now aware of Oliver's location. Is this second character Monks?

Finally, the Bumble's are now man and wife, and Mr Bumble appears not to be prospering in his new position and married state. We learn more about the mysterious information Mrs Bumble received from the dying nurse/midwife, that information is passed on to Monks for 20 Guineas, and then thrown into the river. Monks, however, also shows a certain fear and trembling, of what we do not know. Is this a sign of a stricken conscience, and is it a sign that he is not completely lost in sin and despair?

What do you think of the plotting and character development that Dickens has shown here?
Many of his characters are idealized-Oliver, Rose-or whatever is the opposite of idealized-demonized?-Sikes, Fagin, Mrs Corney/Bumble. How does this style affect your enjoyment of his novels?

Please share your thoughts on this section and the novel so far.

Rose is another one of what I call the Dickens angels. She is beautiful, kind, selfless, really too perfect for reality. Dickens was capable of creating much more believable, interesting, and well-rounded female characters, but his preference in heroines seemed to be the angelic type. Since he was such a great writer, I excuse him for that.
Oliver's character also borders on too-good-to-be-true. The poor little guy has received almost no love in his life. He's been starved, beaten, used by criminals, given no say in anything in his life, yet he remains grateful for what love he does receive and very pure at heart. I suppose that could happen, but I think most children raised in those conditions would have problems both mental and physical. Oh, well, I forgive Mr. Dickens again. He is and always will be my favorite writer, and he certainly spins a good yarn!

I suppose making Oliver so good is to dispel the reader's automatic inclination to believe that the poor are lazy, immoral, etc. (an opinion that is still with us, unfortunately).