Institutional bullying continued throughout Oliver’s early life, he was maltreated by his hypocritical master Bumble. We reflect on this as ‘Oliver Twist’s ninth birthday found him a pale thin child.’ This shows the malnutrition that Oliver and the other work house boys encountered and the way in which they were starved. The description of food amounts were at starvation levels for a child.
Dickens describes Oliver’s clothes as ‘He wore an outer coat of dirt’, this highlighted the fact that Oliver had been neglected and was unclean. From the novel, I can see how unhappy Oliver was ‘on a rough, hard bed, he sobbed himself to sleep’; this emphasised how badly he was treated and the sorrow he felt. This is institutional and emotional bullying.
Throughout the novel, Oliver encounters many bullies. Dickens uses these bullies to emphasise the way in which society treated people and the examination of evil. One bully who Oliver is the victim of is Noah Claypole. Oliver meets Noah when he is apprenticed by Mr Sowerberry at the undertakers where he is sent to work. Noah Claypole is one of the workers there. Noah Claypole instantly takes a dislike to Oliver. Before he even meets him, he threatens to hurt him by saying, ‘I’ll whop yer when I get in.’ This is a clear indication of bullying.
Noah calls Oliver, ‘work’ us’ he did not use his proper name. Noah takes away any humanity from Oliver and treats him as abysmally. Noah may have done this because he was bullied himself; he was also a victim of society. Noah is a charity boy and he gets called names like ‘leathers’ and ‘charity’. He felt that Oliver was lower in status and therefore felt he had the right to bully him. This highlighted a hieratical situation with Oliver being at the bottom, as Noah stated that ‘you’re under me’. Noah uses a great deal of verbal bullying towards Oliver, ‘a regular right down bad un’ and ‘idle ruffian’. When Oliver was called these names by Noah, his self esteem would have lowered and he began to believe himself that he was a bad person as he was regularly told this.
Oliver encounters group bullying as well as individual bullying. While working at the undertakers, Oliver had to sleep under the counter, surrounded by coffins, he was deprived of food and often had feelings of desolation and loneliness. This was all because of Mr and Mrs Sowerberry, the owners of the undertakers. They made Oliver’s life even more unbearable. Charlotte, who also worked there, treated Oliver unfairly too. ‘Charlotte treated him ill because Noah did.’ This is a clear sign of group bullying. Noah became jealous of Oliver as he began to work more for Mr Sowerberry, ‘now that his jealousy was roused by seeing the new boy promoted to the black stick and hatband while he was the old one.’ This also gave Noah motivation to bully Oliver even more. Oliver’s life at the undertakers got so unbearable. He runs away to London and joins a pick pocketing gang led by Fagin. This is where he meets the brutal Bill Sikes and Sikes mistress Nancy.
Fagin is a manipulative character. Fagin who is a bully is introduced into the novel through reference to place. The area in which Fagin lives is oppressive and this is a narrative technique used by Dickens to suggest that a place reflects something within a person. Dickens appeals to the readers senses when writing about the place where Fagin lives. ‘Wallowing in filth’, suggests a vision, ‘air impregnated with filthy odours’, suggests a smell. This gives an idea that Fagin is a horrible character before he is even introduced. Dickens also uses a comparative form to show what the place is like, ‘A dirtier or more wretched place he had ever seen’, while reinforcing the idea that the place is even dirtier than the workhouse.
Dickens describes the character of Fagin using the words a ‘very old shrivelled Jew’ ‘who’s villainous looking and repulsive face was obscured by a quantity of matted red hair’. ‘Villainous looking and repulsive’ is ironic because ‘Old shrivelled Jew’ suggests a weakness, but this is also ironic as Fagin has power. He comes across as a weak old man. Fagin is referred to as ‘Jew’ by Oliver, this has a sense of judgement, and Oliver is doing to Fagin what Noah did.
When Oliver first sees Fagin, he was cooking ‘with a toasting- folk in his hand’. This is a metaphor as it has the implication of an evil, controlling character. Dickens highlights the fact that Fagin’s character is dirty and unkempt, ‘he dressed in a greasy flannel gown. Fagin’s main technique, when bullying the boys is a form of manipulation. Dickens shows this by certain words and phrases, used by Fagin like, ‘clever dogs’ and ‘fine fellows’. By complimenting the boys Fagin lifts their self esteem and their trust in him. Fagin is kind to Oliver, ‘We are very glad to see you, Oliver, very’. By using this kindness, he creates a false sense of security. Oliver has never felt any kind of love or true happiness before, so when Fagin is kind to him, he immediately falls into the trap of Fagin’s ways. But Fagin is not a kind or considerate character at all, he is a bully. Fagin is a controlling character; he treats the boys fairly in order to get them to work for him.
Fagin uses both physical and emotional bullying towards Oliver. He uses physical bullying when he hits Oliver with a club, 'taking up a jagged and knotted club’, this suggests he inflicted pain and is used as a symbol to highlight Fagin as a bully. Dickens uses ironic language through Fagin, ‘My young master’ he does this ironically as Oliver is powerless. He also uses words like ‘sneered’ which suggests Fagin looks down on the boys.
Emotional bullying is also used by Fagin. He isolates Oliver by locking him in the house, he has the freedom to wonder around the house, but all the time he has no companions. Dickens writes that ‘He would crouch in the corner of the passage by the street door, to be as near to living people as he could’. Dickens could mean many things by this. Crouching is a foetal position, while doing this Oliver is being child like, by crouching; he desires comfort because he is scared. This also creates sympathy from the reader and instant criticism of Fagin. Fagin achieves absolute control over Oliver. Fagin oppresses Oliver to the point where he is so scared; he will not disobey him or run away.
Fagin emotionally bullies and terrorises Oliver again with a long lecture. This long lecture shows Oliver’s sin of ingratitude. Fagin hopes to evoke a sense of guilt. Dickens uses words which are emotionally charged. He makes Oliver feel guilty, while highlighting the word ‘cherished.’ This is ironic as Fagin did not cherish him at all. He also exaggerates the fact that Oliver would have starved if he had not taken him in. Dickens wrote that Oliver was ‘perished with hunger’. Dickens does this using ironic language. Throughout the lecture, Fagin gives a parallel situation. He tells of a boy who was ‘hanged’. Fagin is being very tactful with this; he gives a very graphic description of the boy who was hanged. We get a sense of Oliver’s fear by emphasising the fact that ‘Oliver’s blood ran cold’.
Through Fagin, Oliver is made to work for Bill Sikes. Oliver is shot helping Sikes to burgle the house of a Mrs Maylie, Sikes escapes but Oliver is cared for by Rose and Mrs Maylie. Bill Sikes is another major bully within the novel, Oliver Twist. Nancy who is his mistress is also a victim of Sikes. Bill Sikes character is brutal, aggressive and violent. One major event when we see Sikes as a brutal bully is when he murders Nancy. Dickens shows this hatred by using these words ‘there was a fire in the eyes of both’ this is a metaphor it suggests a burning passion of hatred. Throughout the chapter when Nancy is murdered, Sikes is referred to as ‘the robber’, the housebreaker and the murderer’.
As Sikes arrives at his house ‘Without one pause, or moments’ consideration; without once turning his head to the right or left, or raising his eyes to the sky, or lowering them to the ground, but looking straight before him with savage resolution his teeth so lightly compressed that the strained jaw seemed starting through his skin, the robber held on his headlong course, nor muttered a word, nor relaxed a muscle until he reached his own door.’ During this section, Dickens uses no full stops, but internal punctuation effectively. Sikes is apprehensive to what may be on the other side. By using this type of text, Dickens builds up speed, tension and anticipation for the reader.
Dickens does this again when describing in detail when ‘he opened it softly ‘lifting a heavy table against it’ double locked the door.’ This makes the reader want to know what is about to happen. Dickens highlights bullying by using commands ‘Get up, Get up’ this is a command, which suggests aggression and violence. The word ‘murderer’ is used which suggests he has already killed Nancy, but Sikes again,’ seized a heavy club and struck her down’. Sikes striking Nancy with a club seems to be unnecessary as she is already dead. This is the climax of Sikes bullying he has resorted to murdering.
Bill refers to Nancy as a ‘She Devil’. In her dying moments she shows her innocent side by praying, by ‘on her knees and ‘as high towards heaven as her feeble strength.’ The reader gets a sense of goodness against evilness. The reader again sympathises with Nancy as she is murdered while Dickens emphasises Sikes evil ways. Bill Sikes runs away from the scene of the crime which shows that ultimately he is a coward, and his conscience finally dawns on him. After Nancy’s death Dickens uses superlatives to show the reader how cruel Sikes crime is, he uses powerful words like ‘worst’, ‘foulest’ and ‘most cruel’. Bullying is again highlighted throughout this section. Here though, Dickens has highlighted a different type of bullying. It is immediate bullying that is used. Sikes performed a nasty and brutal murder.
Dickens uses a metaphor of the weather to contrast the murder, it is an ironic contrast though, as sun brings new life but it can not bring Nancy back to life. ‘The sun, the bright sun’ shows Bill Sikes truly as a vicious bully.
Towards the end of the novel both Bill Sikes and Fagin die, while Oliver finds happiness and security.
The book makes the reader aware of Victorian society, the sheer terror of the workhouse and bullying within that society. Charles Dickens uses a range of techniques to present the bullies within the novel. He uses a wide range of language, sarcasm and irony throughout. Charles Dickens emphasises many types of bullying and throughout his novel highlights episodes of violence and bullying which most of Victorian society accepted.
