Monday, February 28, 2011

Oliver Twist, Wrap-Up

Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens
Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003
Originally published 1839
466 pages
Classic; FITG
4/5 stars

Source: Own

This ends the month readalong of Oliver Twist, hosted by Allie at A Literary Odyssey.  All of the threads introduced by Dickens are wrapped up and a very happy ending ensues.  Oliver discovers his family, Rose and Harry can marry, friendship abounds, bad is punished.  I do wonder if Oliver will get to meet children his own age; while the adults love him, it's not the same thing. Or is that idea a contemporary conception? I expect he'll be pretty happy just to be fed and loved rather than starved and driven through a life of crime.

Fagin, Sikes, and Dodger are all punished; the first two with death and the latter with transportation.  At least I think that's Dodger's fate.  It seems like that will be his ending but I didn't see it definitively stated (Did I skip over that part?)

The part I had been anticipating for the entire story was Nancy's death, the aftermath of which is particularly well-described.  Sikes sat all night in the same room as her dead body until the sun starts pouring in and he comes to with the realization of what he's done. I found the description fantastic and this was one part where I didn't mind that Dickens was so verbose.

In conclusion, I'm very glad for this push to read this classic novel.  I think it could definitely be recommended to Dickens newbies as it's very accessible, fairly fast-moving, and not filled with zillions of coincidences.

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Read for FITG Challenge.

3 comments:

  1. I'm glad you enjoyed the novel as a whole, especially this last part. I believe Part 3 is the strongest portion of the novel.

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  2. I think it is assumed that the Dodger will be transported, but his story is kind of left hanging after he is convicted.

    I loved the scene of him in the courtroom. It was so funny and typical of his character. :)

    I was glad for the readalong too. I couldn't find the courage to pick it up on my own.

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  3. I imagined an alternative ending to Oliver Twist-at the last minute the sentence of Fagin is commuted to transportation for life to Botany Bay-he and 20 of his youthful gang members end up in all sorts of adventures there with Fagin owning his own bank and the Dodger married into an Aboriginal tribe!

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