How does Dickens represent crime and criminals in Oliver Twist

How does Dickens present crime and criminals in 'Oliver Twist'? In the book Oliver Twist Charles Dickens was trying to portray that the Victorian viewpoint of crime was wrong. He designed his novel to show that some criminals are drawn or forced into crime rather than being born a criminal. He highlights the workhouses bought about in 1834 as a result of the poor law. Dickens includes the condition of the workhouses which were very basic and the work was hard and unforgiving, he described this to set the scene of how young children coped when they were alone in the world. He presents some criminals as innocent victims that have been pulled into a life of crime through desperation and despair such as Oliver and Nancy, however some criminals such as Sikes have not been drawn into crime, they rather chose the life of crime that they live. Prostitution also portrayed as 'dirty and corrupted' from the Victorian view however Dickens tried hard to show prostitutes as victim. Through writing Oliver Twist Dickens highlighted fundamental issues that were wrong with the Victorian society and made a stand against the stereotypes of the poor. Oliver, who was orphaned at birth and left in a workhouse is the main character in the story; he is depicted as a naïve young boy who is drawn into crime through desperation and a lack of knowledge of the London streets. Dickens depicts Oliver as a

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  • Level: GCSE
  • Subject: English
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