The purpose of he present text is to analyze an extract belonging to Oliver Twist by Charles Dickens. In particular the analysis will be on “Oliver wants some more” from the second chapter of the novel. It will be based on close reading and personal interpretations. Therefore the analysis is not meant to give definite answers, but only possible ones based on 
textual clues. 

First of all, considering the novel’s title is “Oliver Twist” you can wonder who Oliver is and why is he so important. Furthermore, considering that the noun “twist” refers to something changing upside down, another immediate question can be about the nature of an hypothetical change. Going on considering the subheading of the extract, that is “Oliver wants some more”, the reader will surely to wonder about what can be wished by the character.

After reading the extract, you can notice that the structure is typical of a novel.  The excerpt can be arranged into three sequences. In the first one there is a description, the second one is a narrative sequence about a past episode and the third one is another piece of narration. 

Taking into consideration the first sequence, there is a third person omniscient narrator speaking from an external point of view. As the narrative technique is telling, you are not free to have a completely personal opinion because every information you get is filtered by the narrator. The sequence starts with the  description. There is an empty stone hall, except for a copper container.  Right from the first sentence the reader can understand what the extract will be about, that is something connected to meal-time. The first character described is “the master”. The writer wants to underline his dressing style: he is wearing an apron. The man is assisted by some women. You can notice a difference between the roles of the two genders: women are subservient. Going on the focus is on the description of the bowls of gruel offered as a meal to the boys. The objects are used as a symbol to convey the boys' hard living conditions: they were so hungry that their bowls didn’t need to be washed.

Furthermore, in  the second sequence the reader meets a character among the many named Oliver Twist.  He isn’t particularly characterized but all the same curiosity is aroused on his figure. 

There is a third personal omniscient narrator that starts telling a past story (?) .  From that event the reader can feel the precariousness of the character’s living conditions: they were so hungry to become mad.  

Last but not least, taking into consideration the third sequence, it is about a relevant happening. In the sequence the narrative technique changes:  telling goes together with showing. As a consequence the reader can feel to be part of the scene and can make his own personal opinions about what is going on. The main character who reveals to be Oliver Twist, is mainly characterized by his living conditions: he is very poor and hungry. He is in a submissive positions because he is forced by his companions (?) to do something he doesn’t want to do. After asking for some more to eat, he is confined and sold. 

Considering the overall effect, one can say the fictional world of the text wants the reader to understand there are two coexisting worlds: on the one side there are the fat master and the other adults, while on the other there are the extremely poor children. Such contradiction is typical of  the Victorian age and it shows the manichean philosophy behind the cultural standards of the period 

Taking into consideration all that said before, I think that the ideal readers could b they who are interested in British history, and more in particular about the Victorian age’s contradictions. (you should have considered the public of C. Dickens' times!!!)