SparkNotes: Oliver Twist: Character List Character List Plot Overview Analysis of Major Characters Oliver Twist - The novel’s protagonist. Oliver is an orphan born in a workhouse, and Dickens uses his situation to criticize public policy toward the poor in 1830s England. Oliver is between nine and twelve years old when the main action of the novel occurs. Though treated with cruelty and surrounded by coarseness for most of his life, he is a pious, innocent child, and his charms draw the attention of several wealthy benefactors. His true identity is the central mystery of the novel. Read an in-depth analysis of Oliver Twist. Fagin - A conniving career criminal. Fagin takes in homeless children and trains them to pick pockets for him. He is also a buyer of other people’s stolen goods. He rarely commits crimes himself, preferring to employ others to commit them—and often suffer legal retribution—in his place. Dickens’s portrait of Fagin displays the influence of anti-Semitic stereotypes. Read an in-depth analysis of Fagin. Nancy - A young prostitute and one of Fagin’s former child pickpockets. Nancy is also Bill Sikes’s lover.

Her love for Sikes and her sense of moral decency come into conflict when Sikes abuses Oliver. Despite her criminal lifestyle, she is among the noblest characters in the novel. In effect, she gives her life for Oliver when Sikes murders her for revealing Monks’s plots. Read an in-depth analysis of Nancy. Rose Maylie - Agnes Fleming’s sister, raised by Mrs. Maylie after the death of Rose’s father. A beautiful, compassionate, and forgiving young woman, Rose is the novel’s model of female virtue. She establishes a loving relationship with Oliver even before it is revealed that the two are related. Mr. Brownlow - A well-off, erudite gentleman who serves as Oliver’s first benefactor. Mr. Brownlow owns a portrait of Agnes Fleming and was engaged to Mr. Leeford’s sister when she died. Throughout the novel, he behaves with compassion and common sense and emerges as a natural leader. Monks - A sickly, vicious young man, prone to violent fits and teeming with inexplicable hatred. With Fagin, he schemes to give Oliver a bad reputation. Bill Sikes - A brutal professional burglar brought up in Fagin’s gang.

Sikes is Nancy's pimp and lover, and he treats both her and his dog Bull’s-eye with an odd combination of cruelty and grudging affection. His murder of Nancy is the most heinous of the many crimes that occur in the novel. Mr. Bumble - The pompous, self-important beadle—a minor church official—for the workhouse where Oliver is born. Though Mr. Bumble preaches Christian morality, he behaves without compassion toward the paupers under his care. Dickens mercilessly satirizes his self-righteousness, greed, hypocrisy, and folly, of which his name is an obvious symbol. Agnes Fleming - Oliver’s mother. After falling in love with and becoming pregnant by Mr. Leeford, she chooses to die anonymously in a workhouse rather than stain her family’s reputation. A retired naval officer’s daughter, she was a beautiful, loving woman. Oliver’s face closely resembles hers. Mr. Leeford - Oliver and Monks’s father, who dies long before the events of the novel. He was an intelligent, high-minded man whose family forced him into an unhappy marriage with a wealthy woman. He eventually separated from his wife and had an illicit love affair with Agnes Fleming.

He intended to flee the country with Agnes but died before he could do so. Mr. Losberne - Mrs. Maylie’s family physician. A hot-tempered but good-hearted old bachelor, Mr. Losberne is fiercely loyal to the Maylies and, eventually, to Oliver. Mrs. Maylie - A kind, wealthy older woman, the mother of Harry Maylie and adoptive “aunt” of Rose. Harry Maylie - Mrs. Maylie’s son. Harry is a dashing young man with grand political ambitions and career prospects, which he eventually gives up to marry Rose. The Artful Dodger - The cleverest of Fagin’s pickpockets. The Dodger’s real name is Jack Dawkins. Though no older than Oliver, the Dodger talks and dresses like a grown man. He introduces Oliver to Fagin. Charley Bates - One of Fagin’s pickpockets. Charley is ready to laugh at anything. Old Sally - An elderly pauper who serves as the nurse at Oliver’s birth. Old Sally steals Agnes’s gold locket, the only clue to Oliver’s identity. Mrs. Corney - The matron of the workhouse where Oliver is born. Mrs.

Corney is hypocritical, callous, and materialistic. After she marries Mr. Bumble, she hounds him mercilessly. Noah Claypole - A charity boy and Mr. Sowerberry’s apprentice. Noah is an overgrown, cowardly bully who mistreats Oliver and eventually joins Fagin’s gang. Charlotte - The Sowerberrys’ maid. Charlotte becomes romantically involved with Noah Claypole and follows him about slavishly. Toby Crackit - One of Fagin and Sikes’s associates, crass and not too bright. Toby participates in the attempted burglary of Mrs. Maylie’s home. Mrs. Bedwin - Mr. Brownlow’s kindhearted housekeeper. Mrs. Bedwin is unwilling to believe Mr. Bumble’s negative report of Oliver’s character. Bull’s-eye - Bill Sikes’s dog. As vicious as his master, Bull’s-eye functions as Sikes’s alter ego. Monks’s mother - An heiress who lived a decadent life and alienated her husband, Mr. Leeford. Monks’s mother destroyed Mr. Leeford’s will, which left part of his property to Oliver.

Much of Monks’s nastiness is presumably inherited from her. Mr. Sowerberry - The undertaker to whom Oliver is apprenticed. Though Mr. Sowerberry makes a grotesque living arranging cut-rate burials for paupers, he is a decent man who is kind to Oliver. Mrs. Sowerberry - Sowerberry’s wife. Mrs. Sowerberry is a mean, judgmental woman who henpecks her husband. Mr. Grimwig - Brownlow’s pessimistic, curmudgeonly friend. Mr. Grimwig is essentially good-hearted, and his pessimism is mostly just a provocative character quirk. Mr. Giles - Mrs. Maylie’s loyal, though somewhat pompous, butler. Mr. Brittles - A sort of handyman for Mrs. Maylie’s estate. It is implied that Mr. Brittles is slightly mentally handicapped. Mrs. Mann - The superintendent of the juvenile workhouse where Oliver is raised. Mrs. Mann physically abuses and half-starves the children in her care. Mr. Gamfield - A brutal chimney sweep. Oliver almost becomes Mr. Gamfield’s apprentice.

Bet - One of Fagin’s former child pickpockets, now a prostitute. Mr. Fang - The harsh, irrational, power-hungry magistrate who presides over Oliver’s trial for pickpocketing. Barney - One of Fagin’s criminal associates. Like Fagin, Barney is Jewish. Duff and Blathers - Two bumbling police officers who investigate the attempted burglary of Mrs. Maylie’s home. Tom Chitling - A rather dim member of Fagin’s gang. Tom has served time in jail for doing Fagin’s bidding. More Help The Characters of "Oliver Twist" the novel by Charles Dickens Posted on 2011/08/30 by keiran Character List Oliver Twist – The novel’s staring role. Our star is orphaned into a life in a workhouse as result of his mother being found dying in the street, Charles Dickens uses the situation of Oliver being in a workhouse in order to expose his views of the vile workhouse and the poverty law that had been passed in Victorian London. Our heroin Oliver Twist is somewhere between nine to twelve years of age as the majority of the novel unfolds.

You would assume that with the barbaric treatment that Oliver receives throughout his life that he would in fact be a bitter and twisted soul, on the contrary, Oliver is a pious, innocent child, whose charming demeanor plays on the heart strings of a series of wealthy benefactors. Oliver’s actual identity is at the very heart of the novel and unfolds towards the conclusion of the novel. Fagin – A despicable life long criminal. Fagin is a convincing and conniving man who prays on homeless children by offering them board and lodgings to win over their trust. Once the child is won over Fagin trains the innocence to pick pockets for him. Fagin also trades in the stolen goods of others. One to distance himself from the front line Fagin very rarely carries out illegal activity himself. Nancy – One of Fagin’s former child pickpockets now turned prostitute. As if life was not tough enough she is also the notorious Bill Sikes’s lover. Alike many others in the novel Nancy takes a shine for Oliver and she questions her love for Bill when he abuses Oliver. Regardless of her illegal activity Nancy is by far one of the noblest feature characters in the Oliver Twist novel.

The greatest example of Nancy’s moral servitude to Oliver must be when she gave her life to save his. (Bill Sikes murders Nancy after she is overheard on London Bridge) Bill Sikes – One of Fagin’s first disciples, Sikes is a brutal professional burglar trained in Fagin’s gang. As well as a thief Sikes doubles as Nancy’s pimp and as well as her lover. Sikes show equal respect to his English Bulldog Bull’s-eye, a mixture of cruelty and hard earned affection. Bill Sikes shows his true inhumanity with His brutal murder of his lover Nancy. Rose Maylie – Sister of Agnes Fleming. Rose was raised by Mrs Maylie after the death of her father. A truly beautiful and compassionate soul. Rose show a lot of compassion to Oliver even before it is unraveled trough the novel that the two gentle souls are in fact related. Mr. Brownlow – A wealthy, decent gentleman who sees the potential in Oliver and subsequently takes him in. It transpires that Mr. Brownlow owns a commissioned portrait of Agnes Fleming (Rose Maylies’s Sister) and at the time of Mr. Leeford’s sisters death was engaged to her.

Mr Brownlow always acts with absolute decency and compassion for Oliver Twist. Monks – A nasty and unpredictable young chap, known for violent rages and seething with a stupendous level of hatred for the world. Monks couples with Fagin to make Oliver’s life impossible. Mr. Leeford – The father of Oliver and Monks’s who tragically dies long before our story begins. A bright man who resided miserably in a family arranged marriage to a wealthy woman. In the build up to the novel Mr Leeford separates from his wife and engages in an illicit love affair with the good lady Agnes Fleming, the result was Oliver Twist. In a moment of despair and love the two couple attempted to elope to be together, unfortunately Mr Leeford Died before they could get away. Agnes Fleming – Oliver Twist’s mother. In the time leading up to the time of the tale Agnes falls deeply in love with Mr. Leeford, as a result she falls pregnant outside of wedlock. Being a highly moral woman and not wanting to tarnish her families good reputation Agnes opts for a life in the work house where she dies and our tale begins .

Agnes was the daughter of a retired naval officer, a truly beautiful, caring woman. Mr. Bumble – A power monger and self important man. Although a minor church official for the workhouse, Mr. Bumble professes to be a good Christian man, however his treatment of the poor within his care tells another story. Dickens mercilessly satirizes his self-righteousness, greed, hypocrisy, and folly, of which his name is an obvious symbol. Toby Crackit – An associate of Fagin and Bill Sikes’s, Not of intelligence. Toby takes part in the burglary of Mrs. Maylie’s home which leads to Oliver’s Salvation. Mr. Losberne – Mrs. Maylie’s family physician. Mr. Losberne is extremely loyal to the Maylies and Oliver, some may say a hot-tempered man but good hearten all the same. Mrs. Maylie – The adoptive “aunt” of Rose and mother of Harry Maylie. A lovely, Kind, wealthy mature woman. Harry Maylie – The born son of Mrs. Maylie’s. Harry is a highly driven and dashing young man who sports impressive political views and ambitions.

Harry sacrifices all of his ambitions to marry Rose. The Artful Dodger – One of the most colorful characters in the novel and by far the most skilled of Fagin’s pickpockets. The Dodger’s born identity is that of Jack Dawkins. Dodger is responsible for introducing Oliver to Fagin. A wise, savvy and independent individual Dodger is no older than Oliver Twist although his demeanor and dress is that of a mature man. Charley Bates – Another of Fagin’s faithful pickpockets. Charley is a colorful character who is prepared to laugh at anytime. Old Sally – An old poor midwife/woman who tends as a nurse at the time of Oliver’s birth. Old Sally swipes a gold locket that is the possession of Agnes’s. This locket is the only clue that would have pointed to the true identity of Oliver. Mrs. Corney – The wife of Mr Bumble and matron of the workhouse. A callous and hypocritical women, with materialistic tendencies. Noah Claypole – Mr. Sowerberry’s apprentice. Noah is an overgrown, cowardly bully. He repeatedly mistreats Oliver Twist and eventually joins Fagin’s gang.

Charlotte – The maid to Mr Sowerberry. Charlotte becomes entwined romantically with Noah Claypole and follows him around like rejected dog. Mrs. Bedwin – A kindhearted woman with great judge of character and Mr. Brownlow’s housekeeper. It’s this good judge of character that results in Mrs. Bedwin not believing Mr. Bumble’s negative report of Oliver’s character. Bull’s-eye – A Viscous dog owned by Bill Sikes. As temperament that matches that of his master. It is said that Bull’s-eye represents Sikes’s alter ego. Mr. Gamfield – Oliver has a narrow escape when he very nearly becomes the apprentice to this brutal chimney sweep. Monks’s mother – , Mr. Leeford wife and wealthy heiress who lived a decadent life and alienated her husband. In a moment of pure spite Monks’s mother destroys Mr. Leeford’s will and testament that bestows part of his inheritance to Oliver. Mr. Sowerberry – Oliver’s first employer to whom he is apprenticed. Although Mr.

Sowerberry’s living is a hideous affair, arranging and carrying out cut-rate burials for paupers, it is to be said that Mr Sowerberry is a decent man who treats Oliver Twist well. Mrs. Sowerberry – The wife of Mr Sowerberry. A callous henpecking old woman who treats Oliver and her husband with equal disrespect. Oliver Twist Characters - eNotes.com Oliver Twist Characters link Link Oliver Twist Oliver Twist, a workhouse foundling, the helpless, abused hero of the novel. Both innocent and morally sensible, he gives force and sharpness, as well as a full measure of sentimentality, to Dickens’ vision of social injustice. Exploited from birth by the selfish managers of the poor farm and workhouse, he is apprenticed to a mortician. Treated cruelly, he runs off to London, where he is taken in by a gang of thieves. Falsely arrested as a pickpocket, he is rescued for a time by Mr. Brownlow and then recaptured by the thieves. He is wounded during a burglary attempt and saved from arrest by Mrs.

Maylie and her adopted daughter, who care for him until the mystery of his birth is solved and the criminals are taken or killed. Mr. Brownlow offers him a permanent home. Mr. Brownlow Mr. Brownlow, the kindhearted, benevolent man who delivers Oliver Twist from a vicious judge, gives him care and trust, solves the question of his parentage, and finally adopts him. Mrs. Maylie Mrs. Maylie, the gentle, good-hearted woman who takes Oliver in after he has been wounded and is being hunted as a burglar. She sees that he is happy and cared for until he finds a lasting home with Mr. Brownlow. Rose Maylie Rose Maylie, her adopted daughter, the tender, lovely girl who nurses Oliver and helps expose the treachery that surrounds him. Later, it turns out that she is really Oliver’s aunt. Harry Maylie Harry Maylie, Mrs. Maylie’s wastrel son, who later becomes a clergyman and marries his foster sister Rose. Fagin Fagin, a greasy, sinister old Jew who trains boys for stealing and receives stolen goods. Paid to bring Oliver up as a thief, he fails to retake the boy after a burglary attempt.

He is finally executed by the law for complicity in a murder. Bill Sikes Bill Sikes, Fagin’s accomplice, the leader of Fagin’s band of trained thieves. A violent, brutal man, he deserts Oliver after the attempted burglary. Later, he kills his mistress Nancy because he believes she has betrayed him. Haunted by guilt, he accidentally hangs himself while trying to escape the law. Nancy Nancy, a female thief, a member of Fagin’s gang. She befriends Oliver and informs on Fagin’s activities in order to save the boy. Although she remains loyal to Bill Sikes, he murders her in a rage. Monks Monks, whose real name is Edward Leeford, Oliver Twist’s stepbrother. A vengeful person, he plots with Fagin against Oliver to keep the boy from his inheritance. In the end, he confesses his villainy, makes restitution, moves to America, and eventually dies in prison. Mr. Bumble Mr. Bumble, the vain, bullying almshouse beadle who mistreats Oliver at every opportunity. He meets his match, however, when he marries Mrs. Corney, a workhouse matron.

The two become paupers and end their days in the workhouse. Mrs. Corney Mrs. Corney, his wife, formerly a vixenish workhouse matron. Mr. Grimwig Mr. Grimwig, Mr. Brownlow’s gruff old friend, who speaks harshly against Oliver but wishes him well. Mrs. Bedwin Mrs. Bedwin, Mr. Brownlow’s warm-hearted housekeeper, who comforts frightened, lonely Oliver. Mr. Losberne Mr. Losberne, “The Doctor,” a fat, good-hearted surgeon and the Maylies’ family friend. He speaks roughly to Oliver Twist but cures his wound and saves him from the police. Mrs. Mann Mrs. Mann, the alcoholic matron who keeps the poor farm where Oliver lives for a time. Mr. Sowerberry Mr. Sowerberry, the mortician who takes Oliver as his apprentice and meekly befriends him. He makes thin, pale, sad-looking Oliver a mourner at children’s funerals. Mrs. Sowerberry Mrs. Sowerberry, his wife, a shrew.

Noah Claypole Noah Claypole, a lumpish bully charity boy who runs away from the mortician and becomes a member of Fagin’s gang. Charlotte Charlotte, Mrs. Sowerberry’s servant, who also misuses Oliver. She marries Noah Claypole. Jack Dawkins Jack Dawkins, called the Artful Dodger, the clever young pickpocket who leads Oliver Twist to Fagin. Charley Bates Charley Bates, the Artful Dodger’s boisterous friend and assistant. Mr. Fang Mr. Fang, the cruel judge who tries Oliver Twist when he is charged with picking pockets. Mr. Brownlow, appearing as a witness, pities Oliver and, when his innocence is proved, takes the boy home with him. Toby Crackit Toby Crackit, the burglar who accompanies Oliver Twist and Bill Sikes on the attempted robbery of the Maylie house. Old Sally Old Sally, the beggar, present when Oliver Twist is born, who steals the tokens that eventually disclose his parentage. Agnes Fleming Agnes Fleming, Oliver’s unwed mother. She dies in childbirth in a workhouse. Mr. Leeford Mr.

Leeford, Oliver Twist’s father, unhappily married and separated from his wife when he falls in love with Agnes Fleming. After he dies suddenly in Rome, his wife and son destroy a will that provides for Agnes and her unborn child. Mrs. Leeford Mrs. Leeford, the jealous, vindictive wife who tries to deprive Agnes Fleming and her child of their inheritance. Start Free Trial Start your free trial with eNotes to access more than 30,000 study guides. Get help with any book. Oliver Twist (Character) | Oliver Twist-Charles Dickens Wiki | Fandom powered by Wikia Edit In the novel, young Oliver is born in a parish workhouse in an unnamed town,but his mother dies during labour. Old Sally, who was at the birth and death, takes from the dying woman a locket and ring. While Mr. Bumble, the Beadle, names the boy Oliver Twist. Oliver is sent to an infant farm, run by Mrs. Mann, until he is nine years old, when he is returned to the workhouse. The orphans at the workhouse are starving because of their cruel treatment.

They cast lots to decide who will ask for more gruel for them all, and Oliver is chosen. At evening supper, once the gruel is dished out and eaten, Oliver goes to the master and makes his famous request, "Please Sir. I want some more." He is then branded a troublemaker and cruelly tortured (such as being whipped, detained, and even Mr. "Please sir, I want some more" Bumble told Oliver is devil's masterpiece). Then he is offered as an apprentice to anyone willing to take him, and he is eventually apprenticed to Sowerberry, the undertaker. On the way there, Mr. Bumble tried to abuse Oliver again, but Oliver stopped him with his crying that he is very lonely, "Everybody hates me. Oh! sir, don't, don't pray be cross to me!" After arriving at Sowerberry's, Oliver fights with Noah Claypole, an older boy at the undertakers, because Noah mocked Oliver's dead mother. Oliver is then cruelly beaten for the offence, but his heart is broken and after he cry bitterly, he escapes to London, which took him a week with little food and comfort.

Oliver Twist and Fagin In London Oliver meets Jack Dawkins, the Artful Dodger, who offers him a place to stay, where he meets up with Fagin and his band of young thieves. Oliver innocently goes "to work" with Dawkins and Charley Bates, but sees the real nature of their "work" when Dawkins picks the pocketof a gentleman. When the gentleman, Mr. Brownlow, realises he is being robbed, Oliver is mistaken Sick Oliver is treated in Brownlow's house for the pickpocket. And he is then chased, captured, and taken to the police. Oliver, who was very ill and fainted in the court, is cleared by a witness to the crime and is taken in by Brownlow to his home where he is well treated. After he well recovered from days with near-coma point, Oliver is sent on an errand by Brownlow to pay a local merchant £5 and to return some books. However, Oliver is caught by Nancy and Bill Sikes, who pretend to be his siblings, and is returned to Fagin's den.

However, Nancy later betrays Fagin and Sikes, as well as herself, for doing so since they've stolen Oliver's chance to have a better life. Oliver being chased in the streets of London Mr. Brownlow, who mistakenly thinks that Oliver has run away with the money, assumes that Oliver was a thief all along. This belief is further strengthened when Bumble, in response to Brownlow's newspaper advertisement for information about Oliver, gives a disparaging opinion of the boy. Nevertheless, Brownlow still holds onto a little bit of hope that this might not be true. Oliver, Dodger (left), and Charley (right) Meanwhile, Oliver is forced by Fagin to join Sikes in an attempted robbery at a rural house, as they need a small boy to enter a window and open the front door for Sikes to get in. However, the robbery fails and, in the ensuing chase, Oliver is shot. Oliver is wounded badly and almost didn't make the way back to the house for help. He is then nursed back to health at the home of the Maylies, the house Sikes was attempting to burgle. Oliver gives his story to the Maylies (more Poor Oliver!

exactly, the widow Mrs. Maylie, her son Harry and her adoptive daughter Rose) and Doctor Losberne. He also helps out when Rose falls ill, casually meeting a mysterious man along the way... The mysterious man is Mr. Monks, who is revealed to be Oliver's half brother (his true name being Edward Leeford). He joins Fagin in an attempt to recapture Oliver and lead him into a life of crime, so that Oliver's rightful Oliver Twist and Nancy inheritance, of which Oliver knows nothing, would then go to Monks. Nancy, who still feels compassion for Oliver, overhears Fagin's and Monk's plans and tells Rose Maylie, hoping to thwart them. Rose then contacts Brownlow (clearing Oliver's name in the process, much to Brownlow's relief), Dr. Losberne and other people, to help her protect Oliver. Oliver pray for Fagin in prison Meanwhile, Bumble has married the matron of the workhouse, Mrs. Corney. The former Mrs. Corney had been in attendance at Old Sally's death, and purloined the locket and ring Old Sally had taken from Oliver's mother Agnes on her deathbed.

Monks buys these items from the Bumbles and throws them into the river Thames, hoping that, by destroying them, Oliver's true identity will remain hidden. Brownlow and Rose Maylie meet Nancy on London Bridge and she tells them how to find Monks. However, Fagin has had Nancy followed and, believing Nancy has revealed his secrets, Fagin tells Sikes that Nancy has betrayed them. Sikes brutally murders Nancy, then flees London to the country. However, their neighbors and some of Fagin's own band members soon find out about Nancy's death and, enraged, they tell the police; Sikes falls to his death when he's about to be captured and taken away. Oliver collapsed of exhaustion on his escape to London Oliver is revealed to be the illegitimate son of a rich man named Edwin Leeford and his young mistress, a girl named Agnes Fleming. Leeford had also fathered another son, Edward ("Monks"), through a failed former marriage.

After seducing Agnes, Leeford died, leaving a will which stated that the unborn child would inherit his estate if "in his minority he should never have stained his name with any public act of dishonour, meanness, cowardice, or wrong" in the event of which all would go to Oliver and Mr. Brownlow Monks. Monks is given half of Oliver's inheritance by Brownlow - who had been Edwin Leeford's best friend and the keeper of his secrets - in the hope that he would start a new life. Monks flees to the United States, where he quickly squanders the money and dies in prison. Rose Maylie is revealed to be Agnes Fleming's younger sister, who was adopted by the Maylies after her parents died. Therefore, Rose is Oliver's aunt and is able to marry Harry Maylie. Oliver collects his inheritance and is adopted by Brownlow, for the conventional happy ending to the novel. David Perdue's Charles Dickens Page | Illustrations | Locations Dickens' second novel tells the story of the orphan Oliver set against the seamy underside of the London criminal world.

Published in monthly parts in Bentley's Miscellany, partly concurrent with Pickwick and Nicholas Nickleby , the novel was illustrated by George Cruikshank . Dickens did not originally plan to have the story of Oliver to be a novel. The story was begun as a continuation of the Mudfog (based on Chatham, his childhood home) story he wrote for the first edition of Bentley's Miscellany. Michael Slater, in his biography Charles Dickens, relates that by the sixth installment of the story he resolved to make the book the first of two novels he was contracted to write for Richard Bentley and began to introduce details in the story that hinted at future plot complications. In this departure from the merry world of Pickwick, Dickens targets the Poor Law Amendment Act of 1834 which renewed the importance of the workhouse as a means of relief for the poor.

Dickens was severely criticized for introducing criminals and prostitutes in Oliver Twist, to which Dickens replied, in the preface to the Library Edition of Oliver Twist in 1858, "I saw no reason, when I wrote this book, why the very dregs of life, so long as their speech did not offend the ear, should not serve the purpose of a moral, at least as well as its froth and cream." The novel was well received but not with the adulation of Pickwick. One of the most dramatized of Dickens' works, Oliver Twist was appearing in 10 theaters in London before serialization of the novel was even completed. The Internet Movie Database lists nearly 25 film versions, the first in 1906. Academy Award winning filmmaker Roman Polanski is the latest to bring the little orphan boy to the silver screen. Plot (contains spoilers) An infant is born of a dying mother in a parish workhouse. Old Sally, attending the birth and death, takes from the dying woman a locket and ring. Bumble, the beadle, names the boy Oliver Twist.

Oliver is sent to an infant farm, run by Mrs Mann, until he is 9 years old, at which time he is returned to the workhouse. The orphans at the workhouse are starving due to callous mistreatment and cast lots to decide who among them will ask for more gruel on behalf of the group and Oliver is chosen. At supper that evening, after the normal allotment, Oliver advances to the master and asks for more. Oliver is branded a troublemaker and is offered as an apprentice to anyone willing to take him. After narrowly escaping being bound to a chimney sweep, a very dangerous business where small boys are routinely smothered being lowered into chimneys, Oliver is apprenticed to the undertaker, Sowerberry. Oliver fights with Noah Claypole, another of the undertaker's boys, after Noah mocks Oliver's dead mother. After being unjustly beaten for this offense, Oliver escapes the undertaker's and runs away to London. On the outskirts on the city Oliver, tired and hungry, meets Jack Dawkins who offers a place to stay in London. Thus Oliver is thrown together with the band of thieves run by the sinister Fagin.

Oliver innocently goes "to work" with Dawkins, also known as the Artful Dodger, and Charlie Bates, another of Fagin's boys, and witnesses the real business when Dawkins picks the pocket of a gentleman. When the gentleman, Mr. Brownlow, discovers the robbery in progress Oliver is mistaken for the culprit and, after a chase, is captured and taken to the police. Oliver, injured in the chase, is cleared by a witness to the crime and is taken by the kindly Brownlow to his home to recuperate. Oliver is kindly treated at the Brownlow home and, after a period of recuperation, is sent on an errand by Mr Brownlow to pay a local merchant 5 pounds and to return some books. On carrying out this charge Oliver is captured by Nancy and Bill Sikes and returned to Fagin's den of thieves. Mr Brownlow, thinking that Oliver has run away with his money concludes that Oliver was a thief all along. This assumption is further strengthened when Bumble the beadle, answering an ad in the paper, placed by Brownlow, for information concerning Oliver, gives a disparaging opinion of Oliver.

Oliver is forced by Fagin to accompany Sikes in an attempted robbery, needing a small boy to enter a window and open the door for the housebreakers. The robbery is foiled when the house is alarmed and, in the ensuing confusion, Oliver is shot. Oliver is nursed back to health at the home of the Maylies, the house Sikes was attempting to burglarize. Oliver imparts his story to the Maylies and Doctor Losberne. The mysterious Monks, revealed to be Oliver's half brother, teams up with Fagin in an attempt to recapture Oliver and lead him into a life of crime thereby negating the unknowing Oliver's claim to his rightful inheritance which would then go to Monks. Sike's woman, Nancy, having compassion for Oliver, overhears Fagin and Monk's plan and tells Rose Maylie in the hope of thwarting the plan. Rose recruits Mr. Brownlow, Dr. Losberne, and others. Bumble the beadle has married the matron of the workhouse, Mrs. Corney. The former Mrs.

Corney, attending the death of Old Sally, has taken the locket and ring that Sally had taken from Oliver's mother on her deathbed. Monks buys this locket and ring from the Bumbles hoping that in destroying it that Oliver's true identity will remain hidden. Mr. Brownlow and Rose Maylie meet Nancy on London Bridge and she tells them where to find Monks. Fagin has had Nancy followed and, enraged, tells Sikes that Nancy has betrayed them. Sikes brutally murders Nancy and flees to the country. Monks is taken by Mr. Brownlow. Fagin is captured and sentenced to be hung. Sikes, with a mob on his tail, accidentally hangs himself trying to escape. The Bumbles are relieved of their position at the workhouse, become paupers, and are now inmates at the same workhouse they once managed. Oliver is revealed to be the illegitimate son of Edwin Leeford and Agnes Fleming. Leeford has fathered the evil Edward (Monks) through a failed former marriage.

After seducing Agnes, Edwin dies, leaving a will which states that the unborn child will inherit his estate if "in his minority he should never have stained his name with any public act of dishonor, meanness, cowardice, or wrong" in the event of which all would go to Edward (Monks), hence Monk's attempt to corrupt Oliver via Fagin. Monks is given half of Oliver's inheritance by Mr. Brownlow, who had been a friend of Edwin Leeford, in the hope that he will start a new life. Monks flees to America where he quickly squanders his portion and dies in prison. Rose Maylie is revealed to be the sister of Agnes Fleming who is adopted by the Maylies after her parents die, therefore Rose is Oliver's aunt. Oliver collects his inheritance and is adopted by Mr. Brownlow. Rose marries longtime beau, Harry Maylie. Characters: Character List Character List Bookmark this page Manage My Reading List Oliver Twist Son of Edwin Leeford and Agnes Fleming, he is thought to be an orphan.

A dear, grateful, gentle child, who "instead of possessing too little feeling, possessed rather too much." He had not learned "that self-preservation is the first law of nature." Sally Thingummy An old pauper woman who is an inmate of the workhouse and later dies there. She attends at Oliver's birth, "rendered rather misty by an unwonted allowance of beer." Agnes Fleming Oliver's mother; the daughter of a retired naval officer. "She was found dying in the street . . . but where she came from, or where she was going to, nobody knows." Mrs. Mann An elderly woman who conducts an infant farm (the then equivalent of a foster home). "A woman of wisdom and experience; she knew what was good for children," so of the funds provided for their sustenance "she appropriated the greater part . . . to her own use." Mr.

Bumble The parish beadle (a minor church official); "a fat man, and a choleric (cranky show-off) [with] a great idea of his oratorical powers and his importance." "He had a decided propensity for bullying: derived no inconsiderable pleasure from the exercise of petty cruelty; and, consequently, was (it is needless to say) a coward." Mr. Limbkins Head of the parish board; "a particularly fat gentleman with a very round, red face." The Workhouse Master "A fat, healthy man." Gamfield A chimney sweep, "whose villainous countenance was a regular stamped receipt for cruelty." Mr. Sowerberry An undertaker; "a tall, gaunt, large-jointed man," in matrimonial disputes denominated "a brute, an unnatural husband, an insulting creature, a base imitation of a man." Mrs.

Sowerberry "A short, thin, squeezed-up woman, with a vixenish [literally, fox-like] countenance, [having] a good deal of taste in the undertaking way." Charlotte The Sowerberry's maidservant; a somewhat sloppy girl, she is "of a robust and hardy make." Noah Claypole Charity boy employed by Sowerberry, he later joins Fagin's gang under the name of Morris Bolter. "A large-headed, small-eyed youth of lumbering make and heavy countenance." Little Dick Oliver's companion on the infant farm, with whom he "had been beaten, and starved, and shut up." John (Jack) Dawkins The Artful Dodger; Fagin's most esteemed pupil. A pickpocket and thief, he is a dirty "snub-nosed, flat-browed, common-faced boy . . .

short of his age; with rather bowlegs, and little, sharp, ugly eyes." Fagin The master criminal; "a very old shriveled Jew, whose villainous-looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair." Charles Bates One of Fagin's gang; "a very sprightly" young boy given to uproarious laughter. Betsy Member of the Fagin gang. "Not exactly pretty, perhaps; but . . . looked quite stout and hearty." Nancy Trusted and resourceful member of Fagin's gang. Untidy and free in manner, but "there was something of the woman's original nature left in her still." Mr. Brownlow "A very respectable-looking personage" with a heart "large enough for any six ordinary old gentlemen of humane disposition." Mr. Fang A notorious magistrate; a "lean, long-backed, stiff-necked, middle-sized man, with no great quantity of hair." The Bookseller "An elderly man of decent but poor appearance." Mrs.

Bedwin Brownlow's housekeeper; "a motherly old lady, very neatly and precisely dressed." Bill Sikes A ruthless felon associated with Fagin; he is violent, and abusive, his anger likely to erupt at any moment. Bull's-eye Sikes's dog; "a white-coated, red-eyed dog . . . having faults of temper in common with his owner." Bull's-eye eventually betrays his abusive master. Mr. Grimwig A retired lawyer and old friend of Brownlow's. "A stout old gentleman, rather lame in one leg," he has "a strong appetite for contradiction, [although] not by any means a bad-hearted man." Barney Waiter at the Little Saffron Hill dive. "Another Jew; younger than Fagin, but nearly as vile and repulsive in appearance. Tom Chitling One of Fagin's creatures; a simpleton of about eighteen, with "small twinkling eyes, and a pock-marked face." "Flash" Toby Crackit Associate of Fagin's and Sikes'; a rather flamboyant type, with "no great quantity of hair [and] a trifle above the middle size." Mrs.

Corney Matron of the workhouse where Oliver was born; she later marries Bumble. Monks Edward Leeford, Oliver Twist's half-brother; son of Edwin Leeford and his legal wife. A tall, dark man, subject to fits of cowardice and epilepsy, he is interested in ruining Oliver's reputation. Mr. Giles Mrs. Maylie's butler and steward. "One who labored under a very agreeable sense of his own merits and importance." Brittles Man-of-all-work for Mrs. Maylie; "treated as a promising young boy still, though he was something past thirty." Rose Maylie Rose Fleming; Agnes Fleming's younger sister, thus Oliver's aunt. Accepted as Mrs. Maylie's niece; later becomes her daughter-in-law. Mrs. Maylie Rose's adoptive aunt; a stately lady, "well advanced in years." Mr. Losberne A surgeon of Chertsey who "had grown fat, more from good-humor than from good living." Harry Maylie Mrs. Maylie's son.

"He seemed about five-and-twenty years of age, and was of middle height; his countenance was frank and handsome; and his demeanor easy and prepossessing." Kags A career criminal, "a robber of fifty years, whose nose had been almost beaten in."

Question: What is the name of the matron of the workhouse where Oliver is born in the Charles Dickens novel ‘Oliver Twist’?
Answer: Mrs Corney