In the end, the book was what I had expected the ending to be like and the title of the novel was spot on. In this novel, the identity of Oliver Twist as a person is misconstrued by the lies, corruption, and coercion that Oliver Twist faces in the world we call life. After seeing that he faces hardships and times of prosperity seen through his time with the group of misfits who steals from others and his time with the caring families such as Mr. Brownlow, I see that everyone has a different perspective on certain individuals. “I have seen the gentleman, the gentleman who was so good to me – Mr. Brownlow, that we have so often talked about” (p. 258-259).Not all perspectives are good, but those whose identities are clouded by rumors and snickers will be exposed and when so, it will be a great blessing. The first climatic steps to finding out who Oliver Twist truly lied in the hands of a Miss Maylie, a maid who worked in a house that Oliver had been forced to try and steal from, saying to Mr. Brownlow “Will you let me know what intelligence you have of this poor child: allowing me to premise that I exhausted every means in my power of discovering him, and that since I have been absent from this country, my first impression that he had imposed upon me, and had been persuaded by his former associates to rob me, has been considerably shaken” (p. 262). In clearing up his name, Mr. Brownlow accepted him again and says “Thank God!” while his maid embraces Oliver and says “It is my innocent boy!” (p.262-264). Although the book held very true to the title, I have many questions and wonder still left about the book. One question I would have is to why Charles Dickens felt the need to incorporate such deep feelings about Jews and the common theme of poverty. I get why he includes corruption and a turn of events to further the plot of the book, but why did he feel so compelled to write such a novel about identity and growing up in a rough childhood? I wonder if Charles Dickens ever felt discriminated, has ever lost himself as a person and writer, or even grew up in a state
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