Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens, narrates the story of a young boy, Oliver, who gets sent to a workhouse after his mother's death. In the workhouse, Oliver and the other orphans are treated cruelly with insufficient food and severe punishments. Even after being sold to the Sowerberrys, Oliver lives unhappily and with little food and care. After being insulted by another Sowerberry co-apprentice, Oliver fights with him and is later punished by Mr. Sowerberry. After running away from his cruel owner, Oliver is hooked into a gang of thieves, with the leader as Fagin, who tries to teach him to steal numerous items for money. When Oliver is accused wrongly of stealing a handkerchief, Mr. Brownlow takes pity on him and adopts him. Under Mr. Bronlow’s care, Oliver is treated well and heals from his many past wounds from both the workhouse and the punishment of the officers. Worried about being incriminated by him, Fagin attempts to bring Oliver back, but he runs away and is kindly cared for by the Maylies. Later, the Maylies and Mr. Brownlow work together to find that Oliver and Monks, Fagin's associate, were half-brothers with the same father and that Monks attempted to steal Oliver's inheritance. After Fagin's gang members finally get caught and sentenced, Oliver, the Maylies, and Mr. Brownlow live peacefully in a small village in England.
Poverty, including the lack of ability to provide for oneself or one’s family combined with the little opportunity for the poor to advance economically, increases the possibility of crime, especially during the Victorian Era. During the Victorian Era, the rise of poverty levels throughout society also increases the amount criminal activity. Throughout the novel, most characters of the story were motivated to perform criminal actions because of their poor condition. For instance, most members of Fagin’s gang, such as the Dodger, Sikes, Bates, Noah, and more, stole for a living because they weren’t able to support themselves in the outside world without Fagin’s leadership. Although not emphasized in the novel, the children of the criminal gang were most likely orphans too, and suited themselves under Fagin’s wings. Fagin taught young paupers like the Dodger and Charley Bates to pickpocket and steal trinkets on the streets and provided them with shelter and a comfortable life condition in return. The mention of the Victorian workhouse earlier in the novel also relates to the children’s quick obeying of Fagin; they had no better choice, as going to the workhouse would lead them to painful suffering for the rest of their lives. The adult members of the group were also stuck in poverty, such as Noah Claypole and his lover Charlotte who escaped Sowerberry and walked to London with few valuable possessions. Because of his poor financial and economic condition, Noah joined Fagin’s gang in order to make some money and a living through petty thievery. Poverty can drive people into criminal activity and committing crime, as the lack of ability to make a living causes some to give in to unlawful behavior.
Many people slowly adapt to a criminal lifestyle by force, the benefits of stealing for a living, and the threat of not being a thief. For instance, in the first half of the novel, Oliver Twist is kidnapped and later forced by Fagin and other members of the gang to pickpocket trinkets in busy streets. In this section of the story, Oliver’s innocence and good-hearted character are emphasized through his reluctance to follow Fagin and adapt to his criminal lifestyle. When at first Fagin introduced Oliver to stealing and the criminal life, Fagin replaced the word “steal” with “make”. Although it was still obvious to the readers that Fagin meant that Oliver was to steal for a living, Oliver innocently thought it was a case otherwise. Later on, Oliver’s natural instinct to do good is highlighted when he shows extreme reluctance in following the gang. When the Dodger and Bates brought Oliver with them to pickpocket trinkets, Oliver didn’t participate in the criminal actions, but rather, was innocently left behind and framed by his partners. In the novel, another character who was also forced to commit crimes is introduced: Nancy. Although Nancy did in fact follow in the footsteps of Fagin and Sikes, she later turned a face and started to help Oliver and Rose. The first time Nancy defended Oliver, she revealed how she too, like Oliver, was kidnapped and forced by the criminal gang to perform bad deeds. Their similar circumstances were most likely one of the key factors that contributed to why Nancy decided to help Oliver. Other than having no other choice due to poverty, many other criminals were forced to steal and pickpocket items for a living.
In certain cases, people become criminals and perform bad deeds not because they were poor or forced to do so, but rather for the mere purpose of gaining wealth and power through a quicker method. These criminals' actions and cruel-hearted manners reflect the darkness of human nature and ultimately, the purpose of acting for one’s own advantage. In the novel, Monks is depicted as a dark, sinister criminal and Oliver’s half-brother who performs a series of bad deeds in order to gain all of his father’s inheritance. Despite his comfortable and good-conditioned background, Monks possesses a twisted character and evil desire for more and attempts to achieve it through criminal actions. Unlike people such as Noah or even Fagin who pursue a bad life in the shadows because of poverty, or Oliver and Nancy who were kidnapped and forced to steal items, Monks did not need to live such a life he chose. In Victorian society, a minor portion of criminals, like Monks, were born with evil characters and attributes. When Mr. Leeford, Monks and Oliver’s father, was about to die, he only left his inheritance for Agnes and Oliver, for at a young age, Monks had already shown his cruel-hearted manner. He had decent conditions in his family, with already good conditions and social status, and he did not need to try to take Oliver’s well-deserved part of the heritage. Later on in the novel, even after getting his inheritance, Monks uses up all his money and later goes back to his past criminal lifestyle, dying in prison. Monks’s character reflects not only his cruel and twisted background and his desire for more wealth and power but also the broader theme of human nature. The dark side of human nature is highlighted through the evil and money-oriented purpose of being a criminal.
Oliver Twist narrates the story centering Oliver, a young boy, who experiences multiple peaks and slopes throughout his childhood life. Throughout the story, many criminals, including Fagin, Monks, Nancy, the Dodger, and more are introduced and characterized. Among these people, most were influenced by poverty and the lack of ability to support themselves to perform bad deeds and criminal actions, such as Sikes, Bates, the Dodger, and most of the criminal gang. Other than people who were influenced by poverty, some in the novel were forced by a background character to steal and pickpocket for a living. For instance, both Oliver and Nancy were kidnapped and forced by Fagin to participate in criminal actions and were further threatened by him. However, in certain circumstances, people become criminals merely to gain more wealth and power more quickly. In the story, Monks was evil by nature, and although he lived a comfortable, decent life, he still participated in criminal actions because he desired more.
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