The novel is to shape the characters and reflect the times. Let’s talk about the protagonist Oliver first. The author looks at the dark society at that time from the point of view of a child who is innocent and kind. From the beginning, he naively went to beg for food, and later he fought because he couldn’t bear the slander of his employer against his mother. Then, out of gratitude, he went to Being a pickpocket, unwilling to be a pickpocket, and at the end of the story, he went to visit Fagin, who was kind to himself, all of which were expounding the growth process of such an innocent child in the dark society background of the fog. How wrong? Going astray and eventually getting back on track. As for Fagin, I think he has created a character that combines good and evil. He has adopted a lot of children who are not controlled by anyone, but in the context of this society, out of some selfishness, let them pickpocket and steal jewelry. Ready to retire, so his final outcome can only be a tragedy. The character of Nancy is similar to Fagin, and also reflects the good side in the sin, whether it is gratitude to Bill, or compassion to Oliver, but eventually becomes the victim of this society. Bill's ending is self-inflicted. In order to get out of the predicament after the murder, he wanted to sink the loyal puppy into the river, and the puppy that broke free eventually became the fatal factor of his death. The final outcome of such a person without kindness and kindness is naturally tragic.
The plot of the story is simple, but it reflects the social state of Britain in the early and mid-19th century. From the caretakers of the orphanage who spend their time on their own but are unwilling to give the orphans a full meal, to the mercenary of the coffin dealers, to the irresponsibility of Faginbill and even the judges and the ignorance of the masses, they all reflect the British society at that time. It was so dark that I couldn't help but think of what Mr. Lu Xun called a "cannibalistic society". But the author not only reflects this dark side, just like the old woman who rescued Oliver, the gentleman who bought the book, the old man who took him in, and Nancy, it was with the care of these kind people that Oliver finally embarked on the journey on the right track.
Human nature can be said to be inherently good or inherently evil, and the key lies in whether the true good and beauty can be found in the fog.
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