Oliver Twist written by Charles Dickens is a novel that tells the story of a young boy Oliver Twist that grew up in a workhouse during the Victorian era. Throughout the beginning of the novel, Oliver is born into a workhouse where he is forced to go through the cruelty of the work environment there. Dickens uses his own personal experience to highlight the cruelty of many London workhouses, and through Oliver Twist’s hardships in a workhouse during the Victorian era, the readers are able to gain a background on Oliver Twist’s character and his desire to live a life away from a Workhouse. The details that Dickens uses prove the harsh environment that many of the kids during the Victorian era were forced to live through and draw empathy to many of Oliver Twist’s questionable actions. Without the many details of the workhouses in London that Dickens describes, the harsh treatment of children that took place in these workhouses would be left unknown to the readers of the story. Thus, further proving the importance of understanding the treatment that the workers faced in many of the workhouses throughout London.
Even though Oliver Twist was just a kid because he was an orphan, he was subjected to the cruelty of the orphanage he lived in until he was adopted by Mr. Bumble to go work in a workhouse. Even though he thought the orphanage he grew up in was bad, the workhouse was even worse. Many of the boys that lived there were given little to no food to the point where they were starting to get desperate, “Oliver Twist and his companions suffered the tortures of slow starvation for three months: at last they got so voracious and wild with hunger” (Dickens, 2). The quote further emphasizes how Oliver and his friends were not getting the proper amount of food they needed, especially because they were still kids that relied on a proper supply of food in order to grow healthy. Thus, while many of the kids were alive, the kids could not work to the best of their ability and their growth was stunted. Furthermore, according to the Health University of Utah, lack of nutrition in childhood can result in impaired memory and social functioning skills. Proving the importance of eating a proper amount of food, especially during childhood.
Social humiliation has a huge impact on one's self esteem, especially during childhood. After Oliver Twist asked for more porridge because of his unlucky draw, his punishment was to be put into a dark cell with nothing inside and to be used as an example of what would happen if one did not obey the orders of the board. It is shown in the novel that he was whipped in front of many of his peers, “ he was carried every other day into the hall where the boys dined, and there sociably flogged as a public warning and example.” (Dickens, 3) Further emphasizing the “wrong doing” that Oliver had done. This not only served as Oliver Twist’s punishment for disobeying orders, but instilled fear into the other boys that lived there. Forcing many of them to silently suffer and obey the orders of those higher up in command, proving how many of the workhouses in London during the Victorian Era treated their workers in inhumane ways in order to maximize the profit. On top of that, Oliver was excluded from many prayers and even labeled as a demon, “he was kicked into the same apartment every evening at prayer-time, … they entreated to be made good, virtuous, contented, and obedient, and to be guarded from the sins and vices of Oliver Twist” (Dickens, 3) Further humiliating Oliver and making sure that the other boys that worked there understood the consequences of disobeying orders.
Although Oliver Twist ended up being sold off not long after he was hired for the workhouse, the people that Oliver Twist was sold to were not much better. This is evident when one of the higher ups in the Workhouse, planned to sell Oliver to a man even though that man had hit his donkey extremely hard. “bestowed a blow on his head, which would inevitably have beaten in any skull but a donkey’s” (Dickens, 3) Even after the first time, the man hit his donkey hard two more times after that. Proving further how this man takes out his anger recklessly and dangerously. Therefore, the man should not be allowed to hire children workers, despite that, the man selling Oliver Twist wanted Oliver Twist to be sold to Mr. Gamfield because of the way he reprimanded his donkey. Further proving how cruel many of the bosses of the workhouses in the Victorian era were, they did not like the workers they hired to disobey or question their demands.
In conclusion, Charles Dickens' "Oliver Twist" portrays the harsh realities faced by orphaned children in Victorian-era workhouses, shedding light on the systemic cruelty and neglect they endured. Through Oliver Twist's journey through Victorian era workhouses, Dickens exposes the physical hardships of starvation and mistreatment. The novel highlights the societal indifference towards the plight of impoverished children, highlighting how they were exploited for labor and subjected to dehumanizing punishment. Moreover, Dickens draws parallels between Oliver's experiences and broader social issues of his time, urging readers to confront the injustices that are all around society. The main point being the harsh treatment that many orphans or poor children faced when entering a workhouse during the Victorian era and how common it was for a child to be stuck in that position. Moreover, the novel shows the psychological impact of the very oppressive environment on young minds. The social humiliation and emotional abuse that Oliver and his peers faced were designed to break their spirits and enforce conformity, showing the cruel mechanisms of control used by those in authority. Dickens, drawing from his own experiences and observations, is able to show the societal structure that allowed the workhouses to exist.
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