Oliver Twist, Ch. 43-53

In Chapters 43-45, Noah arrives at The Artful Dodger's trial, the boy who introduced Oliver to Fagin, to inform Fagin of the outcome. When Fagin is over Sikes' house, Nancy tries to leave, but Sikes locks her in a room. When Sikes leaves, Fagin tries to help Nancy by giving her ideas. Fagin pays Noah to follow Nancy one night to see what she is up to.

In Chapters 46-49, Nancy, Rose, and Mr. Brownlow meet on a bridge to discuss helping Oliver. They make a plan to get Monks and make Monks tell them the truth. When Noah tells Sikes what Nancy has been up to, he rushes home and beats her to death. Sikes goes to London, trying to avoid the police. Sikes is paranoid that everyone is talking about the murder, even in London. Sikes tries to drown his dog, thinking that the dog will get him in trouble, but the dog gets away. Nancy and the group eventually capture Monks and bring him to Mr. Brownlow's home where they find out about Oliver's parents and history.

In Chapters 50-53, Sikes is cornered and tries to escape by lowering himself with a rope from a building. It fails and he falls, getting his neck caught in the rope, strangling himself to death. Oliver finds out that his dad was Mr. Leeford and was mother is Agnes Fleming. He and his friends travel to where he was born. Fagin is sent to death for his crimes and reveals where the papers that prove Oliver's identity are.

Oliver ends up living a great life at the end of the story. He continued to live even though he had no reason to. besides the search for his identity, showing true will to live. Oliver Twist shows that crime may pay off in the beginning, but you will eventually pay for the looting and conniving you end up doing. Oliver went from a criminal trying to stay alive, to someone of status, who could live nicely on their own. Noah was almost the exact opposite of Oliver's nice character, but ended up being let off the hook for his crimes by helping to convict Fagin. Oliver Twist has shown the difference between a criminal mind, and the mind of someone pushed into the criminal life.

Oliver Twist, Ch. 33-42

In Chapters 33-36, Oliver falls into an old man on his way back from mailing a letter for Mrs. Maylie on the condition of Rose. The man he fell into falls to the ground in pain and Oliver tries to find help for the man. That night Oliver has a dream that had Fagin finding Oliver. When Oliver awakens, he sees Fagin and the stranger he fell into looking into the window. They scurry off when he sees them. They try to find Fagin after coming to Oliver's aid, but there is no trace left. Harry tells Rose that he loves her before he leaves, but Rose says she cannot be his wife.


In Chapters 37-40, Mr. Bubble and his wife meet in an abandoned building by a river to bargain with Monks. They agreed on twenty-five pounds for information on Oliver. Bill Sikes, still ill, demands money from Fagin. Nancy gets the money and waits for Bill to fall asleep, before leaving to meet up with Miss Maylie. Monks wants to kill Oliver to gain the full inheritance from the family as they are brothers.

In Chapters 41-42, Rose takes Oliver to Mr. Brownlow's house. Oliver thanks Mr. Brownlow for helping him. Nancy has everyone agree to keep the secret of her story from Oliver. They don't want Oliver to find out about his true identity.

I see the main conflict in Oliver Twist is Oliver trying to find his true identity. He has no clue how he ended up in this predicament or what happened to his family. Oliver has been lied to about his identity all these years and has believed them. Oliver does not know that Monks is his brother, or that he even has a brother. Monks wants to keep it a secret for some reason until the time is right.

Oliver Twist, Ch. 22-32

In Chapters 22-25, Sikes arrives with Oliver at the house they are going to rob. Oliver tries to chicken out, and Sikes almost shoots him before Oliver decides to continue. The owner of the house awakes and shoots Oliver as the crooks try fleeing. Fagin finds out that the robbery was foiled through the papers. Oliver was left on the side of the road when they fled.

In Chapters 26-29, Nancy tells Fagin that Oliver is hiding, and she hopes he is dead. When Oliver awakes, he wanders to the house he had tried to rob with Sikes. The two servants at the house recognize Oliver and take him in. The woman in the house calls for a doctor to be sent to help Oliver as she feels bad for his wounds. The doctor is surprised to find that the woman is not scared of the thief being in the house.

In Chapters 30-32, the seventeen year old niece exclaims that the boy must have been forced to steal. The old woman thinks otherwise and wants him in prison. The family decide to lie to the police and tell them that Oliver wasn't the boy who helped the two robbers break in. Oliver is let off without question. Oliver slowly grows attached to the two ladies as they care for him while his wounds heal.

The author tries to show the difference between a thief like Oliver with remorse and the thief like Fagin with little remorse. Fagin convinces Oliver to steal by teaching him the skills unknowingly. He only uses Oliver because he is small and can get into smaller places, as well as look innocent. Fagin bases people's worth on how much money they can make him, rather than worrying about friendships.

Oliver Twist, Ch. 10-21

In chapters 10-13, Oliver perfects his pickpocketing skills and joins Dodger and Charley (Fagin's partners in crime) where he realizes what he has been taught. Oliver watches Dodger take the handkerchief from a gentlemen pocket, forgets to run, and is caught by the police after a short chase. He is cleared of all charges after the owner of the bookstall the gentlemen was at tells of two other boys that did the crime. Fagin is mad when he finds out what happened to Oliver, and wants him back before his operation is revealed.

In chapters 14-17, Oliver becomes friends with Mr. Brownlow, the man that took him in after the trial. Mr. Grimwig, Mr. Brownlow's friend, arrives at his house and thinks Oliver is a "bad apple". Mr. Brownlow sends Oliver on an errand, hoping to prove Mr. Grimwig wrong, but Oliver never returns. Nancy, the one sent by Fagin, finds Oliver and drags him back to the new hideout in a rundown house.

In chapters 18-21, Fagin keeps Oliver locked in the house. Sikes, one of Fagin's goons, decides to rob a house and he needs Oliver to help him in the robbery. Sikes threatens Oliver that he must not hesitate, even though inside, Oliver is having second thoughts. Oliver and Sikes head out in Chapter 21 to Shepperton, where the house is located.

There is alot of racism used to describe some of the characters. Fagin is described as a "very old shrivelled Jew" and is always wanting more money, further advancing the stereotype. Oliver is portrayed as doing almost anything to get money, due to being in poverty all his life. The author also refers to Fagin many times as "the Jew", suggesting the stereotype that is mostly affiliated with the Jewish community.

Oliver Twist, Ch. 1-9

The novel starts off with a boy named Oliver Twist, almost nine years old, an orphan in the 1800’s. Mrs. Mann is the overseer of the orphanage and treats Oliver and the other orphans badly. Oliver is sent to a workhouse when he is too old to work and he is treated like a slave, receiving barely enough food to survive.

In Chapter 3, Oliver asks for more food after drawing the short end of the stick for a boy who had threatened to eat one of them. Oliver was taken and beaten in a dark room for asking for more food.Mrs. Sowerberry gave Oliver the food that even the dog would not eat to help him grow. In Chapter 5, Oliver goes with Mrs. Sowerberry to the funeral of a poor wife who died of hunger. In Chapter 6, the reader is informed of a measles outbreak that kills quite a few people. Also, when Noah makes fun of Oliver's mother, Oliver attacks Noah but is later locked in the cellar and beaten.

In Chapter 8, Oliver begins his walk to London, in hope of a better life. Jack Dawkins finds Oliver collapsed and gets him back up. Jack buys Oliver lunch and tells him where to find a place to stay for free. In Chapter 9, once there, Oliver finds boys his age smoking and drinking and finds it interesting. Fagin, a gentleman, shows him how to pickpocket, though Oliver doesn't realize what he is learning at the time.

One quote that I remember hearing in many places is "Please, sir, I want some more." Oliver asks the man giving out rations if he can have some more food for his friend who had contemplated eating his peers. I believe that this shows courage as Oliver knew that if the man would have Oliver beaten if he refused to give more food. I don't think any of the other boys would have had the courage to ask for more food, even if they were starving to death.