The Victorian Era is one of the most famous eras of British history, has a lot of well-known literature, art works, and advanced technology (at that period), which still has a large impact on today’s life. As one of the most famous authors during the Victorian Era, who is Charles Dickens, his novel “Oliver Twist” has described the workhouse during the period, showing the reality of people who are at the bottom society’s living circumstances, reflecting how the industrial revolution brings development, but also makes people’s life under a harsh situation, due to the timely policy, which Oliver’s life is a representative of all those unfortunate people during that time.
As the industrial revolution has promoted the development of capitalism, more and more underclasses are suffering the oppression by the upper class, which makes their life under harsh living conditions. Workhouse during the Victorian Era is a place intended to provide food and shelter for people in poverty who had no means to support themselves, but is also being managed by the upper class, who set up a lot of rules which makes it easier to manage, but the life for the people harder. When Oliver asked for more gruel, “the master aimed a blow at Oliver’s head with the ladle” (Dickens ch2) and when the sound attracted others, Mr. Limbkins said, “That boy will be hung” (Dickens ch2). Oliver asking for more gruel is obviously going against the discipline, even though he’s still starving, so he’s being chastised by Mr. Bumble which is being closed to wait for others to buy him from the workhouse, or else, his ending will be more tragic. From the reactions of Mr. Bumble and the gentleman, they’re surprised that someone flagrant violates the rules, but their actions show how they ignore the basic needs of people, and are insufficient to meet the nutritional needs of the inhabitants, leading to hunger and malnutrition. The residents at the workhouse, including the children, are subjected to extremely poor and harsh living conditions, in which they can’t have enough food or a comfortable (at least suitable) living environment.
People at the bottom of society's living conditions were quite severe during the Victorian Era had another factor, which is the strict and cruel discipline and punishments that the bourgeoisie formulated to better order the people whose status are lower than them. Not only the discipline of children can only have one bowl of gruel and cannot ask for more, the punishment of obeying this regulation is also extremely strict. He remained closed in a solitary room, but is allowed for ablution in the yard, which Mr. Bumble “repeated applications of the cane”, “prevented his catching cold, and caused a tingling sensation to pervade his frame” (Dickens ch3). Also, he’s “sociably flogged as a public warning and example” (ch3) in the hall in front of the other boys. From what Oliver is suffering, it’s reflecting how cruel and severe the discipline is in the workhouse. The original meaning of building up a workhouse is to provide the poor food and shelter, but the authorities seem to treat people there as an object, but not at equal position. Mr. Bumble seems to “care” Oliver, but is making Oliver more pain, and “sociably flogged” is actually deterring the other boys, expanding deterrence, to achieve the goal of complete obedience. The authorities enforce strict and rigid, often cruel discipline to people, whose purpose is to break their spirit and ensure absolute compliance.
Since the discipline is strict and punishments are cruel, the phenomenon of dehumanization and lack of caring during the Victorian Era is being shown obviously. The nasty punishment is not the only thing that represent the inhuman of the workhouse, the essence of the assembly of the workhouse is also full of dehumanization and lack of care between people. According to the description of the operation: “the number of workhouse inmates got thin as well as the paupers; and the board were in ecstasies” (Dickens ch2), shows the real attitude of the authorities of this organization. The whole workhouse system is designed to deprive dignity and individuality of the inmates, which the high social level wants to use this to emphasize the status and rights between people. The discipline is impersonal and treats inmates as numbers instead of human beings, and the “gentlemen’s” real thoughts of this organization. Combining with all the punishment they have on Oliver, they had all put their thoughts into effect, which shows dehumanization and no caring toward the poor, only for maintaining their own benefits. Therefore, the whole workhouse system is an institution that is under the guise of charity to undetermined the underprivileged.
The workhouse in the Victorian Era is superficially an institution that provides food and shelter for people in poverty and cannot support their daily life due to complex reasons. Due to the industrial revolution, the gap between rich and poor has widened, underprivileged people are living under a worse condition, that they are managed by the upper level, while all they do is to maximize their own benefits. The system makes people there living under severe conditions, suffering the strict and often cruel discipline, and without a bit of human kindness and caring between people, which is totally dehumanized. Life in the workhouse in the Victorian Era was extremely hard, and for the people there, it’s not a place that supports them to have a better life, but pushing them to hell, to live is no better than to die.
Comments