Oliver Twist

Consider the title of the novel. Oliver has many names throughout the book and his relationships with others evolve. Does Oliver’s identity change at all? What does it mean that Dickens chose to title the novel Oliver Twist, rather than Oliver Leeford or Oliver Brownlow?

The characters in Oliver Twist are extremely polarized; most of them can be easily separated into “good” vs. “evil” categories. Which characters do you believe blur the lines between these groups? Why would Dickens choose to complicate these characters in such a way?

Consider Oliver’s inherent innocence and goodness. Oliver is angelic and immune to the corrupting force of Fagin and Sikes’s influence. Why does Dickens choose such an inhuman, perfect child as a protagonist? Does this hurt or help Dickens convey the horrors of workhouses and poverty? In what ways would the book have been different had Dickens chosen the Artful Dodger or Rose as the protagonist?