The Enduring Appeal of Dickens’ “Oliver Twist”: A Tale of Fate, Choice, and the Seeds We Sow

Leo Tolstoy, a literary genius himself, held immense respect for Charles Dickens, stating:

“Dickens is the only genius of the century I’ve seen.”

Vincent van Gogh, another prodigious talent, also admired Dickens, expressing his ambition:

“My aim is to bring Dickens’s and those painters’ depictions of everyday life to life through my paintings.”

Dickens’s early life was marked by poverty, yet he secretly resolved to become a learned gentleman. However, financial hardship forced him to drop out of school in his teens and become a factory apprentice.

Dickens felt his life was over.

But he did not give up his dream, but kept chasing it. He hated the suffering brought about by poverty, and in his opinion, poverty was a great evil.

Later, through his own efforts, he became a typist, then a reporter, and then a writer.

In 1838, “Oliver Twist” was published, telling the story of a chaotic society and the ups and downs of a child tormented by poverty, and then telling us that, as far as fate is concerned, there is no justice, but everything in this world has cause and effect.

The Lottery of Birth and the Weight of Circumstance

01

We are all thrust into this world.

Will you be born into a wealthy family? Or one with nothing to its name? Will you be raised in a cultured environment? Or a rough one?

These are choices we don’t get to make. We are left to the whims of fate, and there’s little fairness in it.

Oliver seems particularly unlucky. Born in a workhouse, his mother dies shortly after his birth, and his father remains unknown.

Long after the parish doctor brought this little thing into this world full of sadness and suffering, people were still very suspicious whether it was worth giving him a name, because looking at this little thing, it would probably not live for a few days.

For a time, he lay gasping in bed, hovering between life and death, and to others, he was clearly closer to death.

But Oliver stubbornly survived, adding a new burden to the parish.

Thus, Oliver becomes a parish ward, an orphan in a pauper’s workhouse.

Oliver is raised by Mrs. Mann, a greedy and unkind woman who withholds most of the food allowance provided by the church, leaving the children underfed and causing many to die young.

Only when the parish overseers come to inspect does Mrs. Mann clean the children up, revealing their dirty faces, and smear cream and breadcrumbs on their mouths, pretending to be doing her best for them.

So, at nine years old, Oliver is still a pale, thin child, small in stature and without any flesh. He is taken back to the workhouse by the parish overseer.

Oliver thought he would be free from hunger and suffering, but he did not expect that greater suffering was just beginning. They were haunted by hunger every day, but no one dared to speak out. One day, Oliver couldn’t bear the hunger and said to the parish cook:

“Please, sir, I want some more.”

The cook looked at Oliver in disbelief, unable to believe that this child dared to make such an impudent request.

He told the parish overseers about Oliver’s behavior, and everyone agreed that Oliver was an ingrate who did not know how to be grateful. Someone sighed:

“That child will surely be hanged in the future.”

A hungry child, just wanting a little more porridge, is treated as some kind of heinous crime, while many people eat until they are fat and greasy.

This is fate: cruel, unfair, with the kind suffering while the unkind thrive.

From Workhouse to Undertaker: A Young Life in the Shadows

02

After Oliver asked for more porridge, the parish overseers decided that they could not keep such a child in the parish. They wanted to get rid of this child, and the best way was to make him an apprentice.

But Oliver was too small and too weak, and no one wanted him. The parish offered to give a sum of money as compensation to anyone who took Oliver.

In order to get rid of Oliver, the parish overseers took great pains.

After several twists and turns, Oliver was finally taken away by an undertaker and became a primary apprentice in a coffin shop.

But the first time he participated in a funeral, Oliver knew that he was not interested in this profession, but the master told him:

“You’ll get used to it soon. Once you get used to it, you won’t care at all.”

A month later, Oliver’s probation period was over, and he officially became an apprentice.

One day, Noah from the coffin shop insulted Oliver’s mother, saying that she was shameless and a complete bad thing. Oliver was furious and fought back, pushing Noah to the ground and grabbing his neck.

Noah was frightened and cried out for help.

Oliver was locked up.

He could no longer endure such a life, and he decided to run away, even if he had to wander the world from then on.

Finally, Oliver escaped. He walked a long way and ran out of money. He couldn’t beg for food. There were countless doors in this world, but none of them were open to him.

Just when he was tired, hungry, and almost desperate, a man named Dawkins rescued Oliver and took him away.

Oliver felt saved and was grateful to his companion. He hoped to help his friend, but he found that this was a group of organized thieves who specialized in theft and robbery.

Once, Oliver went to the street with them, and his companion was discovered while stealing. In order to protect themselves, they betrayed Oliver.

Oliver did nothing, but was treated as a pickpocket. Fortunately, the old gentleman Brownlow who was stolen from was a good man. He took Oliver out of the police’s hands, took good care of him, and made Oliver feel the rare warmth in the world.

So-called fate is that we don’t know what will happen next. Whatever it wants to give you, you have to catch it.

A Glimmer of Hope, A Shadow of the Past

03

Oliver is rescued by the kind Mr. Brownlow, but he also falls seriously ill, nearly dying.

The sun rises and sets, sets and rises again. He lies stiffly in bed, suffering from a high fever. His already thin body becomes thinner day by day.

Facing Mrs. Bedwin, who is taking care of him, Oliver is filled with sorrow, but he feels an unprecedented warmth. However, thinking of his fate, he says:

“Heaven is very, very far away from us. They are all very happy there, and no one wants to come down from heaven to be with a poor child.”

Perhaps he thought of his mother, and he said hopefully:

“If she knew I was sick, she would definitely pity me even if she was there.”

At this time, Oliver was extremely weak. He seemed to have exhausted his strength after saying just a few words, and he was extremely tired.

Under Mrs. Bedwin’s careful care, Oliver gradually recovered, but he was too weak to walk on the ground even after resting for three days.

He stared at a painting in the room in a daze, and Bedwin asked him:

“Do you like paintings?”

Oliver stared at the painting and said:

“I’ve seen too little, so I can’t say whether I like it or not.”

A person has to experience a lot to know what they really like.

At this time, Oliver didn’t know if he liked paintings, but he knew that he liked the lady in the painting. She was so beautiful and gentle in the painting.

Brownlow came to see Oliver. Oliver was full of respect for this savior. He tried to stand up to greet his savior, but he was too weak and fell down.

Time passed, and Oliver’s body gradually recovered.

He begged Brownlow:

“Don’t drive me out again and let me wander the streets. Don’t let me go back to the terrible place I used to live.”

Brownlow sympathized with Oliver and liked this poor child. He was smart, lovely, and full of gratitude for the kindness in the world.

He told Oliver:

“You don’t have to worry about me abandoning you, unless you make me do so myself.”

However, on the other side, Oliver’s thief friends were trying to catch him back and send him back to hell.

At Brownlow’s house, Oliver very much hoped to do his best for his benefactor. Just then, Mr. Brownlow wanted to send the book back to the bookstore owner.

Oliver volunteered.

However, he did not know that disaster was waiting for him outside.

So-called fate is what is imposed on you, and you have to accept it. Poverty, suffering, and even death are all like this.

These things may be waiting for you ahead, but you have no way of knowing, and can only decide what to do now.

A Cycle of Misfortune: The Weight of a Stolen Identity

04

After Oliver left Mr. Brownlow’s house, he was extremely happy because he could finally do something within his power for his benefactor.

However, he was caught back by his thief partners not long after he went out.

A life of suffering once again came upon him.

He begged bitterly, but those people were stone-hearted and indifferent. They treated him roughly and threatened him if he didn’t listen.

Oliver’s pleas were as weak as the spring breeze.

Oliver became a thief again, a liar, a devil, because he was caught back by the devil.

He originally wanted to do things for his benefactor, but he suffered misfortune and made his benefactor think that he was a liar.

Not only that, but the parish overseer also came to London and described Oliver as an unforgivable little bad guy, which made Oliver suffer a lot of injustice. The parish overseer also issued a reward to catch Oliver back.

However, at this time, Oliver was caught in the thief’s den. When he thought of his kind and benevolent friends, he became anxious. He wanted to tell those kind people that he was not a liar.

It was also at this time that Dawkins and other real thieves were preparing to carry out a crazy plan. They planned to break into a house and rob it, and Oliver was their tool.

Oliver was scared to death and sad, but he was unable to escape.

Those people forced him to go in and open the door. Oliver obeyed sadly. As soon as he went in, he was discovered. The plan failed, and Oliver was once again abandoned by his companions, and was shot.

After being abandoned, the instinct to survive made Oliver walk staggeringly. He walked to the door of a family, looked up, and realized that this was the family they were going to rob.

As soon as he recognized this place, Oliver felt a sense of fear that made him want to run away.

But Oliver was lucky. He met a very kind family again. This family saved him and allowed him to say goodbye to his life of suffering.

In this world, sometimes kindness may not be rewarded with kindness, but doing good will not torture our conscience.

Fate has no justice, but you can always choose kindness. Kindness itself is a reward.

A New Family, A Lingering Shadow

05

Oliver once again receives the careful care of kind people, experiencing the happiest time of his life.

This family is kind and merciful.

They bring light to Oliver’s life.

At the same time, he also thought of Mr. Brownlow. He felt that he was a little ungrateful, but he was full of hope and confidence in these kind people. He said:

“If they knew how happy I am, I’m sure they would be very happy.”

He really hoped to go back and see that kind old gentleman.

Three months passed in a flash, and Oliver was sincerely grateful for all of this.

Spring went and summer came again. Everything was thriving and doing its own thing.

At this time, an ominous shadow suddenly descended. The kind Rose fell ill and was in danger of dying at any time. Oliver hoped that he could help these lovely people.

But he was too young and too powerless to do many things. He could only pray that fate would not be too cruel.

Fortunately, Rose miraculously recovered.

Later, one day, Oliver found two thieves sneaking around at home. He took a closer look and realized that they were the people he knew. He felt that these people must want to catch him back, and Oliver was extremely scared.

But life returned to calm, and nothing happened. It was as if everything was just a dream, but everyone knew that behind the calm, the waves were still brewing.

What should be broken in the world is still broken, what should be happy is still happy, kind people continue to be kind, and evil people are still doing evil. Just as all of this was going on smoothly, the mystery of Oliver’s life gradually became clear.

It turned out that he was a child left out by a wealthy family and a victim of a conspiracy of fame and fortune. All of this gradually surfaced.

But in this world, evildoers are still stubbornly resisting, thinking that eliminating all evidence that can prove the child’s identity will allow them to sit back and relax. But their conversation was heard by another girl who had not lost her conscience, and that was Nancy.

The most unbreakable words in this world are the most truthful words.

If there is a conspiracy, there will be a time when it will be broken. Even if others have not seen through it, it cannot deceive the conscience that is tortured when waking up at midnight.

The Price of Truth: Sacrifice and Redemption

06

Nancy is a thief, but she is a kind girl.

Seeing the suffering that the kind Oliver suffered, she was full of sympathy, but she couldn’t help Oliver.

After learning that Oliver had a happy life, she was sincerely happy for this child.

Then, she heard the conspiracy of her companions, and she decided to tell Rose all of this, hoping that Rose could protect Oliver, reveal the mystery of Oliver’s life, and let him gain happiness in the world.

After learning about it, Rose was anxious. On the one hand, she really wanted to solve the mystery of Oliver’s life. On the other hand, she felt that she could not betray Nancy’s trust.

So, she found Brownlow and told him what she had learned.

Finally, they formulated a plan, hoping to solve this matter and bring those criminals to justice.

This group of kind people acted according to plan, and they finally found the handle of the criminals. The criminals received the punishment they deserved, and the mystery of Oliver’s life was finally solved.

However, the poor Nancy was brutally murdered.

She was kind, but this world did not treat her kindly. She suffered all her life and never found relief until she died.

After the mystery of Oliver’s life was solved, he received a considerable inheritance.

Mr. Brownlow adopted Oliver as his adopted son.

Some of Oliver’s circumstances have changed, and he has the possibility of gaining happiness in this world, but can he really gain happiness?

We don’t know!

Happiness is simple, simplicity is difficult. Everyone has the possibility of choosing happiness, but not everyone can eventually lead to happiness.

Everyone comes into this world and has to accept some things. God brings some people into wealthy families, but makes them neglect self-management and indulge in wine, sex, wealth, and anger. God brings some people into poor families, but gives them smart minds and the ability to find their own awareness.

Each of us grows up with shackles and constraints, looking for our true selves. Some people eventually get rid of the shackles and constraints and find themselves, while others can never find them and can only continue to indulge.

All of this is not the rule of fate, but the cause and effect that you have planted.

The Seeds We Sow: Choice and Consequence

07

In this world, there is a very simple truth: what you sow, you will reap.

In Dickens’s novel, Oliver chooses kindness and is ultimately kind. Even though he suffered a lot because of this, he eventually received the kindness of this world. In the most difficult times of his life, he met people who were willing to help him.

Choosing kindness is the cause he planted.

Being treated kindly is the result.

But a person’s choice to give should not be solely for the sake of reward, but for the sake of their own soul.

Many times, we have no way of knowing what we will face, but we can always decide what to do.

Fate has no justice, but there must be cause and effect in the world.

What kind of environment we are born into is the fate we cannot decide, but what we will eventually become is determined by our choices and actions.

This is the greatest truth in the world: everything has its own cause and effect.