Oliver Twist is a Dickens novel serialised from 1837 to 1839. An early example of a social novel, Oliver Twist tackles the issues of poverty, child labour and crime, and an industrialised society by following Oliver’s life, from his birth to poverty and misfortune to the different communities he enters and escapes growing up.

Poverty is a strong theme in the book, portrayed by the impoverished characters and their living conditions at the lowest rung of the social ladder – from the kind and evil deeds and personalities of these characters, what message (or messages) does the novel send to its readers? Is there any connection between class, wealth and morals? What role did the Industrial Revolution play to exacerbate this widespread poverty?

In close relation to poverty is the ineffective charity system ran by the church and the government – the Poor Law that required the poor to move into government workhouses to receive assistance. How does Dicken portray the failure of the charity system through describing charitable workers like Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Mann? Do you agree with the workhouses’ belief that the poor inflicted poverty upon themselves by their laziness (this question can be answered in the context of the novel and in modern-day society)?

Oliver’s happy ending takes place with his surrogate family in a little village, what does this idealisation of the countryside symbolise? How does it contrast with the Oliver’s misfortunes in the city and the industrialisation going on when the novel was first serialised?