1837 was another year that Charles Dickens endeavored to try and better the lives of the wretched poor of London and its
surrounds by releasing a novel dealing with England’s social ills. He takes the story of an orphan whose mother dies shortly after giving birth, and turns it into riveting story regarding social injustice and cruelty towards children. Oliver Twist, so named because those are the next letters in the alphabet to be utilized by the superintendent Mr. Bumble, is born in a workhouse. It is a place most despicable; cold, unhealthy, and without mercy. The hungry children populating the workhouse eat burnt gruel while they watch their fat benefactors feasting on a dinner they can only dream about. Oliver draws the short straw and is forced by the hungry inmates to ask for more gruel and is consequently sold to a coffin maker for 5 pounds because of his insolence. An older boy named Noah, working for the undertaker, ridicules Oliver’s dead mother and is subsequently attacked by the forlorn orphan. Oliver recognizes his future there is hopeless and runs away, heading for the golden streets of London.
Hungry and lost after walking for seven days he meets a young boy dressed in the garb of an adult by the name of Jack Dawkins. Better known as ‘the artful Dodger,’ the forward lad promises Oliver a place to eat and sleep. There, an old pointed-nose thief by the name of Fagin shows Oliver his ‘property’; the naïve boy not realizing that the hoard has been obtained by the energies of his band of boys who are pickpockets. Fagin teaches Oliver how to take his kerchief out of his pocket without having the owner notice and Oliver seems bound for a life of crime.
Sent out with Dodger and Charley, the pair targets a shopper at a bookseller as Oliver watches. The victim discovers he has been robbed and shouts an alarm and in the ensuing chase Oliver is knocked unconscious, his pursuers believing he is the pickpocket. Taken to the magistrate’s office, the old man named Mr. Brownlow, recognizes something in Oliver’s face that bothers him. The magistrate pronounces judgment and just as Oliver is to taken to his cell, the bookseller rushes in all out of breath, explaining that actually two other boys were the thieves. Mr. Brownlow decides that Oliver has been hurt enough and takes him home where he regains his strength under the tender care of his housekeeper, Mrs. Bedwin.
When Fagin discovers that Oliver has been taken to the police, he and Bill Sikes, a master robber, decide to send Bill’s girlfriend Nancy to the station to discover what has become of the boy. Pretending she is Oliver’s sister, Nancy discovers that the orphan has been taken to Mr. Brownlow’s residence. Keeping watch and when the time is right she snatches Oliver while on an errand to the bookseller and returns him to the clutches of Fagin. Fagin begins to beat the boy, but Nancy kindly intervenes. Oliver is never left alone after that and is soon to become involved in a crime he wants nothing to do with.
Sikes, and his fellow housebreaker, Toby, take Oliver with them to rob a house. Small, he can be easily hoisted into a small window and able to open the door for Bill. But things go wrong and when the alarm is raised, shots ring out, striking Oliver. Afraid of being caught the pair abandons the bleeding Oliver. The lad manages to make it to the house where its occupants, Rose and Mrs. Maylie tend to his injuries. They show Oliver great love and patience and he basks in their warmth. After Oliver recovers he is startled to see Fagin at his window and panics because his whereabouts have been discovered!
Meanwhile, Monks, an acquaintance of Fagin has learned the true identity of Oliver and relays the information to the thief. Nancy overhears that Oliver is actually well-born and risking discovery rushes to Mrs. Maylie’s house where she is greeted with kindness by Rose. She relates herstory and agrees to meet again with Rose at the London Bridge on Sunday night from 11 pm until midnight.
Later, as Rose ponders what to do, Oliver rushes in. He has seen Mr. Brownlow and she immediately calls a carriage. She explains what she knows about Oliver’s parentage and the boy is reunited with Mr. Brownlow. The next Sunday Rose, accompanied by Mr. Brownlow, keeps her appointment with Nancy. Unfortunately, she has been followed to the bridge by Noah, a cohort of Fagin’s. She retells her tale and describes Monks to Mr. Brownlow who states he will get to the bottom of Oliver’s history.
Fagin has Noah tell Sikes about Nancy’s betrayal and in an act of rage Sikes kills her with a club. Fleeing, the murderer is eventually cornered and accidentally hangs himself while trying to escape. Mr. Brownlow confronts Monks and discovers that Oliver is actually the nephew of Rose. Fagin is captured, found guilty, and sentenced to hang. Mr. Brownlow and Oliver visit him in his cell and Fagin pleads with Oliver to help him escape. Oliver refuses and cries out that he forgives the wretched man for all he did to him and is led away by a saddened Mr. Brownlow and weeping Oliver.