Summary Oliver wakes the next morning to find a new pair of shoes by his bed. Fagin soon informs the lad that he is to be taken to Bill Sikes. Accustomed as he is to an unpredictable life, Oliver feels little curiosity. Before Fagin leaves in the evening, he sharply […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 20-22Summary and Analysis Chapters 18-19
Summary The day after Oliver’s return to the thieves’ den, Fagin scolds the boy for his ingratitude to those who had helped him. Fagin makes it plain that such conduct may oblige him to betray the offender into the hands of the hangman. Oliver is given time to ponder the […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 18-19Summary and Analysis Chapter 17
Summary Dickens discusses the ways tragedy and comedy may follow one another in close succession in life, just as on the stage. Similarly, in books, abrupt transitions in time and place are to be expected. This explanation is a way of leading up to a shift of scene back to […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapter 17Summary and Analysis Chapters 14-16
Summary Oliver is disappointed to note that the portrait has been removed from the wall; it was done to spare him further agitation, Mrs. Bedwin says. The boy now spends happy days in clean, calm, and orderly surroundings, such as he has never before known. Mr. Brownlow outfits him with […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 14-16Summary and Analysis Chapters 12-13
Summary Mr. Brownlow brings Oliver to his house near Pentonville, and the sick boy is put to bed. For many days, Oliver remains unconscious and feverish. Eventually he awakens, wasted and feeble; Brownlow’s housekeeper, Mrs. Bedwin, is at his bedside. Following a visit by a doctor and after a decent […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 12-13Summary and Analysis Chapters 10-11
Summary Oliver remains in Fagin’s room for many days, picking the marks out of handkerchiefs and sometimes entering into the curious game of extracting objects from the old man’s pockets. When the other boys return empty-handed, they may be denied supper or rewarded with blows. The naive Oliver interprets these […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 10-11Summary and Analysis Chapters 8-9
Summary By devious routes, Oliver gets a few miles away from town by noon. A stone marker informs him that he is seventy miles from London. The fugitive decides to proceed to that renowned metropolis, where he believes that he can find safety. Without food or money, Oliver undergoes extreme […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 8-9Summary and Analysis Chapters 5-7
Summary Oliver goes to sleep in a very dejected frame of mind. He is awakened the next morning by the clatter of someone kicking at the outside door. Investigating, he learns that the noise maker is a repulsive youth attired in yellow “smalls” (tight knee breeches). This is Noah Claypole, […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 5-7Summary and Analysis Chapters 3-4
Summary For a week, Oliver remains a solitary prisoner except for the rituals of being flogged every other day before the assembled boys and being exhibited at prayer time as an example of consummate wickedness. One morning, a passing chimney sweep, Gamfield, catches sight of the notice posted to rid […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 3-4Summary and Analysis Chapters 1-2
Summary In the workhouse of an unidentified place, on an unspecified date, a child is born. As the infant struggles for survival, the pretty young mother’s life is ebbing. An old pauper has assisted the attending surgeon, supported by the contents of a green bottle. She explains to the doctor […]
Read more Summary and Analysis Chapters 1-2