OLIVER WANTS SOME MORE

The present extract is taken from chapter 2belongs to Oliver Twist written by Charles Dickens. The subtitle of the novel refers to the object of discussion and to the events told by a third person narrator.

The extract is opened by the description of a cafeteria where the boys are fed daily. From the start, the reader understands the way the place is protrayed conveys an idea of cold – indeed, it’s a large stone hall – which also surrounds the scene with a cold atmosphere.

The first character introduced is the master, surrounded by a hierarchy of servants. The scene is set at meal times and therefore the reader understands that it is repetitive and monotonous. The language used is highly rhetorical, especially when the narrator tells about the master. The scene tells about the distribution of food, which is carried out by two women. The last information reflects the Victorian mentality: the master is a man and he has to supervise, while the servants are women and they have to work.

Later the narrator draws the attention on the bowl each boy is given in order to get food. The expression “and no more” is an addition that anticipates the crucial moment of the text: indeed, the children aren’t supposed to ask for more food. The narrator draws the attention on the container rather than on the content and emphasizes it with the alliteration of the letter “w” (bowl, wanted, washing). Irony comes to surface since the quantity of food is so limited that the boys are compelled to eat every single drop of food. The description is highly rhetorical and figurative: the reader may imagine a scene where children lick bowls rather than eat. Lexical choices such as “to polish” emphasize a tragic note: at the end of the meal the bowls are shining. The expression “to perform the operation” is also an example of rhetorical language since it may refer to a high social status. The effect is to make the children’s condition look like a comical one, while they are actually starving. Why did the writer want to achieve this effect? How did he do it? Rhetorical language is linked to grotesque, which alters the frame of the scene: thus the reader feels pathos and pity because of the children’s hunger.

The children’s behavior seems to tell that they almost depend on the copper: indeed, they stand still and don’t talk – instead of their usually unstoppable vitality. It is emphasized by the repetition of the sound “r”. The concreteness of the scene is conveyed through lexical choices: for example, children “devour” food instead of eat it. Also, the adverb “assiduously” creates a contrast in terms of register. Another contrast is provided by food splashing, which is unlikely to happen since children lick all of it from the bowls. The splashes may come from the occasional slips from the copper and not certainly from the bowls.

The children’s condition is described as a very difficult one: the Victorian “alibi” comes to surface. The purpose of such descriptions is to make the reader feel distant from the reality of the book and to feel “cleaned”. Also, the description reveal tragicomical situations.

One of the boys is described as “tall for his age”: the information is coherent with the grotesque, a technique that implies deformation. His threat is part of the tragicomical effect: the boy shows his cruel side, opposite to the naivety of “the boy who sleeps next him”. The tall boy is described as a dangerous predator as well with lexical choices such as “wild” and “hungry”.

In order to face the situation, children reunite in a council. The word properly refers to an assembly of people organized in order to take a decision or to give an advice. The lexical choice conveys the reader the idea of a meeting characterized by the children intensely speaking and consulting each other. Also, the reader is given an idea of unity and collaboration, which is necessary to face someone who is more “powerful” than a single child – which may refer to the tall hungry boy as well as the master.

Once the plan is arranged, everything is set and the children take place at meal time. The description of the scene is based on a list of brief sentences. It conveys the idea that the children carefully register every action. Their behavior is different and unusual: all their whispering and nudging seems to give them a new light and interest.

The reaction of the master to Oliver’s request for another portion of food is clearly exaggerated and somehow comical: his physical reaction is marked by the contrast between “fat, healthy” and “very pale”; on the other hand, his phsycological reaction is emphasized by the expression “stupefied astonishment”, which is built on two words with a similar meaning. The tragicomic effect is provided by the physical violence towards the poor Oliver and also when the master suddenly interrupts Mr. Limbkins’ meeting.

The gentlemen in the room tell about “being hung”: the punishment Oliver will face, according to their opinions, is exaggerated. It has to do with the creation of an alibi for the Victorian reader.

From the extract, the reader can catch Dickens’ interest in portraying the contemporary society and its problems. His attention towards the living condition of children may be encouraged by his own childhood, which was difficult as well (his family was imprisoned, while Charles was forced to work in a factory). The society portrayed by Dickens is a cold and heartless one, not interested in people’s needs but in its image. As said before, Oliver Twist appeared as an element of disorder and was immediately expelled. It seems that the goal of society is to keep order, to make everything rational, to prevent confusion.