In writing Oliver Twist, it is clear that Charles Dickens' main literary goal was to expose the plight of the poor in Victorian London. Oliver's story is comparable to other Victorian novels, such as Jane Eyre, in its strong didactic message regarding the oppression of a certain demographic. In Jane Eyre, Charlotte Bronte calls for the recognition of women's rights, while in Oliver Twist Dickens gives voice to the poorest. Through difficult but realistic scenes, the author reveals what was really happening to the poor and who was responsible for this sad reality. The theme that pervades the novel is that the poor continue to be destitute not because of the nature of their birth, but because the upper classes fail to appropriate the help for which their positions have made them responsible. Dickens suggests that those who are blessed with wealth have a duty to the poor. This duty, for much of the novel, is avoided, thus perpetuating the problems of the poor, including Oliver Twist. The conspiracy is only resolved when the rich use their resources to take care of those who have none. Through this conclusion, Dickens addresses his readers, boldly declaring that the poor will remain poor until the rich change their ways. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay Although the rich are his primary target, Dickens also places the blame for the existence of poverty on capitalism. He describes free trade as an entity that, while kind to some, leaves many destitute through no fault of their own. It also allows – and even encourages through the promotion of ambition – the poor to be left in poverty, despite the abundance of others. In the novel, when Oliver accompanies his first master, an undertaker, to a poor area of ​​the city to recover the body of a dead woman, he notices that the place is full of closed shops. “Many of the tenements had storefronts; but these were tightly closed and decaying: only the upper rooms were inhabited” (Dickens 30). The woman died of starvation, a fact that leaves her grieving husband (who considers her death unjust and unnecessary) angry and bitter. Dickens uses this situation to suggest, once again, that poverty is not something to be blamed on those who endure it. It can be safely assumed that the couple's livelihood was compromised by the advent of the Industrial Revolution, leaving them with few options other than starvation. Dickens uses characters as his primary means of portraying the harsh realities of class relations. The dark images and vivid descriptions of the physical locations and its characters help create a strong dichotomy between evil and good, between poverty and well-being. In an article discussing domestic themes within Oliver Twist, KC Frederick notes that "images of deprivation, misery and malevolence extend throughout much of the novel, while goodness is subordinated until the final sections... His only contacts with kindness and peace provide no real antithesis to Oliver's homeless” (Frederick) By using such strong and vivid language in his descriptions of the poor and the wicked, Dickens demands the reader's attention. The pleasant scenes seem surreal, while the difficult scenes that make up the bulk of the novel appear all too real. The scene in the workhouse is particularly grim and serves as a shocking elucidation of the hypocrisy of the middle class in its false efforts to help the poor be a place of help and relief to the poor, but instead visits all diseases upon themfrom which it claims to protect them. Before entering the home, families are divided based on the belief that mean and uncouth characteristics are intrinsically possessed by the poor and passed on to their children. Children are taken from their parents to be raised by the state in the hope that this will save their souls. It is not difficult to see the harm of this practice, as it creates orphans and erases any sense of identity the children may have had. Filth is something that workhouse residents should be protected from when taken off the streets, but in Oliver, those in power show no concern for workers' hygiene (unless, of course, there is a inspection which could jeopardize their employment). In addition to unclean living conditions, the poor living in workhouses suffer from hunger similar to that they suffered on the streets. While people die of hunger every day, those who receive money for the missing food live well: a distressing irony. Furthermore, the portly and satisfied members of the council, who are responsible for the conditions of the workhouse, preach the value of a poor diet. This image is reminiscent of the owner of Lowood School in Jane Eyre, as he often preaches about how school girls should have as little as possible to prevent them from becoming materialistic. The girls, as a result, have to make do with inappropriate clothing and food, while the owner's wife and daughter overdress. Another ironic scene sees the council members discussing what to do with the boy who asked for the most, Oliver Twist. They consider sending him to serve in places where they know he won't survive long. This is ironic because the death they think they are sending Oliver to is exactly the fate they are paid to protect him from. In general, the workhouse, supposedly a place of freedom, bears a greater resemblance to slavery: workers are underdressed, undernourished, forced to perform difficult tasks, and punished if they do not appear happy and grateful. “Don't make your eyes red, Oliver, but eat your food and be thankful,” said Mr. Bumble, in a tone of impressive pomposity” (Dickens 17). To add insult to injury, Dickens introduces the board of directors of the 'almshouse as a group of men who truly believe, or at least have convinced themselves, that the almshouse is a pleasant place "It was a usual place of public entertainment for the poorer classes; a tavern where there was nothing to pay; a year-round public breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner; a brick and mortar Elysium, where it was all play and no work” (Dickens 9). It is this conclusion that leads the council to decrease the rations allowed within the workhouses, making them personally responsible for any cases of starvation. This is a clear representation of the upper class's willful ignorance of the conditions that the poor must endure. The reason that Dickens offers for the hostility that the upper class displays towards the lower class is personified in Noah Claypole, a fellow apprentice in the undertaker's employ. The young man abuses Oliver out of insecurity and feels more important as he obscures the line that separates him from those below him. Dickens also notes the irony in that Noah's behavior causes him to display qualities similar to those of noble lords. The statement is, of course, phrased in sarcastic fashion, but is meant to draw a parallel between the way Oliver is treated by Noah and the way the lower class is treated by those better off. Dickens suggests that it is out of insecurity and pride that the rich abuse the poor. In a conversation between Mr. Bumble and Mrs. Corney, yet another example of uncompassionate feeling occurs 27 (1966): 465-470