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Oliver Twist
Oliver Twist - Group Read 5
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Oliver Twist: Chapters 18 - 25
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The imagery here Is so grotesque. The three old harridans remind me of the three witches in William Shakespeare's Macbeth! But once again we have to do a double think, as we do with Oliver. These are not merely grotesques; these are three poor souls who have been in the workhouse and suffered the worst privations. We see that they are friends; they are loyal and care for one another, and bear their sorrows cheerfully, taking care of the bodies of those who had been their friends: “She had a merry heart. A many, many, beautiful corpses she laid out, as nice and neat as waxwork.”
It’s such a contrast with the casual attitude of the apothecary’s assistant, who is more bothered about making his toothpick, and leaves as soon as he can. Mrs. Corney too is impatient throughout:
“Long or short,” said the matron, snappishly, “she won’t find me here when she does wake; take care, both of you, how you worry me again for nothing. It’s no part of my duty to see all the old women in the house die, and I won’t.”
There is no humanity in this woman. She is only going to do the minimum she is paid for. But did you notice one telling little word near the end:
““And nothing to tell, after all,” rejoined the matron, walking carelessly away.”
Why "carelessly"? What does that convey? I would have expected the self-centred Mrs. Corney to be exasperated to have had her time wasted. Is there something Charles Dickens is not telling us here?
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The characters in Oliver Twist—especially the poor and lower-middle class ones—frequently drink gin, the most common alcoholic drink. In the 1700s London was the heart of England’s gin distilling. There was a “gin craze”, with Londoners drinking on average 14 gallons of gin a year. It was cheap and easy to find—cheaper than good food—so it was the preferred drink of the poor. Widespread drunkenness was the root of much of London’s high crime and death rates and low birth rates. We saw this before in other reads, and George Cruikshank famously referenced William Hogarth's etching "Gin Alley" for one of his illustrations for Bleak House.
Oliver has been immersed in a gin-soaked environment since his arrival in London. Fagin provides plentiful supplies of it to his boys and young women. And even the poorest of the poor find it available, including the kind old crones in the workhouse who gave it to the dying woman. This tolerant attitude toward and easy availability of gin poses yet one more threat to young Oliver as he strives to escape from the world he finds himself in.
Here’s more:
https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK...
including William Hogarth's etching of "Gin Alley".
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Why "carelessly"? What does that convey? I would have expected the self-centred Mrs. Corney to be exasperated to have had her time wasted. Is there something Charles Dickens is not telling us here?I'm thinking that Mrs. Corney thinks that Old Sally still had the gold piece and wants to find it for herself and that is why she is pretending that Old Sally had nothing to say. She does not want the others to know it exists. After all, Mrs. Corney did not seem too interested in what Old Sally had to say until she mentioned the word gold, then all of a sudden she was hanging on every word.
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Mrs Corney may have found the gold piece in Old Sally's clothing. Since it hung around the Oliver's mother's neck, we can wonder if it was a locket with an engraving or a picture that might identify her. But is Mrs Corney honest enough to follow up with her discovery, or will she hoard the gold piece like Old Sally?
There’s an interesting thread of everyone being out for themselves in this chapter, illustrated so well by the line Jean quoted, Anny saying when she couldn’t get Sally to drink the wine, “So I drank it and it did me good.” These people have varying levels of nothing much; it’s cold and they have a nasty job, watching people die. Mrs. Corney we know has no heart for people so we don’t trust what she’ll do, but Sally felt guilty about stealing the gold. I wonder if this has to do with the fact she knew Oliver. Perhaps Oliver, as an ideal, did and will inspire people to do good rather than doing something immoral to meet their (understandable) personal needs.
I love the way Dickens often makes us see both sides of a situation--the reasons why people might do the wrong thing.
Bionic Jean wrote: "And a little more …The characters in Oliver Twist—especially the poor and lower-middle class ones—frequently drink gin, the most common alcoholic drink. In the 1700s London was the h..."
Yes driven by low grain prices, gin exploded in popularity during the first half of the 18th century. As Ms. Bionic mentioned, there was a moral panic concerning the effects of this gin consumption; the infamous slogan "Gin is Sin". As grain prices started to rise in the 2nd half of the 18th century and stay elevated due to the Corn Laws, gin consumption dropped. Also, the government tried to nudge people away from gin through high licensing fees for gin retailers and reducing excise taxes and licensing fees on beer.
A parallel between Mrs. Corney and Mr. Bumble is their willingness to lie and steal at Oliver's expense. In an earlier chapter, Mr. Bumble lies about Oliver's background and behavior to Mr. Brownlow to collect his five guineas. He takes perverse pleasure in this but also appears to believe that is what Mr. Brownlow wanted to hear. Now we have Mrs. Corney endeavoring to find the gold that rightfully belongs to Oliver.Those two absolutely deserve each other.
Bridget wrote: "Well, yes, I am still worried about Oliver - though there are so many pages left in the book that I'm sure he's not dead."Dickens' original readers would have to wait for a month for the next installment, all the time asking whether Oliver was okay and whether he had been captured as well as shot. They didn't have the luxury that we do of knowing that there is plenty more book left to read. We may get an update later in this installment, but so far we still don't know what happened to Oliver, so that must have really gotten readers talking!
I've noticed that serial publication had some interesting effects on the literature of its time. As we can certainly see with Dickens, it encouraged authors to leave questions unresolved so that readers would return. From one installment to another, an author could undercut readers' expectations. It also led some writers to pad their work; Dickens wasn't exactly being paid by the word, but he had an incentive to include rich descriptions and complicated plot elements (which suits me!).
I felt a little sorry for Sally in this chapter. She was finally aware of her own mortality; she knew death was close, and I think she feared that she was going to face judgement in the afterlife for the callousness and cruelty of her crime, which deprived the woman's son of the better treatment he could have had. But Sally's remorse came at the very end when it was too late to make any real amends.
Maybe she wanted the other ladies to leave before she told Mrs Corney about the gold because she was worried they too would steal it as she had in the past? Personally, I wouldn't have had any faith in Mrs Corney either, but I suppose this is the best Sally can do at this point. She has no way to make anything right.
What a sad thing for this woman to die burdened by terrible guilts and surrounded by people she couldn't trust! The hardships she had lived under had deprived her of her very humanity, and even her death wasn't peaceful. No matter what horrible things she had done, it's a sad fate.
More secrets of Oliver's past... In chapter 22, it seams that Sikes may know something since he wispers a "few words" to Toby Crackit who is astonished and stares at Oliver. I'm very curious to find out who exactly this "Parish Boy" is
I also think Mrs. Corney has heard something the other two ladies have not heard (indistinct sounds) since she was bending over her as she was speaking right before she died. There is definitely a mystery here that we will have to keep our eyes and ears on!
Greg wrote: "I felt a little sorry for Sally in this chapter. She was finally aware of her own mortality; she knew death was close, and I think she feared that she was going to face judgement in the afterlife..."Greg Your comment woke me to another tragedy in this novel, perhaps an idea Dickens is beginning to wrestle with: the consequences of guilt and conscience that awakens too late. Dying Sally was a thief, a cruel and selfish woman to have kept such a secret about the dying young stranger. "She charged me to keep it safe," confesses Sally.
You suggest that Sally might be thinking of punishment in an afterlife. Yet really there is no mention the afterlife or even Divine justice by Sally or any of the characters in this scene, or of any fear of anything more than Death personified. I thought this was puzzling. There is no mention of atonement for Sally; she tells the secret and dies. Sally had . . . nothing to tell, after all,"remarks one of the crones.
Is this revelation too late for Oliver? What happened to the "rich gold that might have saved her life?" Is it gone forever? Dickens doesn't explain fully, but he leaves us not just a mystery, but a question about the ethical choices that lie upon every person, regardless of class or station in life.
One of the wretched women says, 'We have none of us long to wait for Death. Patience, patience! he'll be here soon enough for us all." What a profound statement from an "old harridan"! A harridan is a shrew, a scolding and vicious old woman. The word originated from the 17th century French word haridelle, or old horse.[from the Cambridge English Dictionary].
There is quite a lot in this chapter, which Dickens warns MAY BE OF IMPORTANCE IN THIS HISTORY
Lee, it isn't explicit in the text. I just figured that as Sally had never tried to admit her crime for years and years before, something must have happened now on her deathbed to change her mind. It has to be either a very late remorse or fear or both. The fear would be a fear of what was coming next I suppose, unless she has finally come to a true remorse somehow, after all these years. Or maybe if you're cynical, you could say she's willing to do it now because she knows she will not have to suffer a penalty for the admission? Whichever way, it strikes me as sad.What you say about ethical choices makes sense to me.
Greg wrote: "Lee, it isn't explicit in the text. I just figured that as Sally had never tried to admit her crime for years and years before, something must have happened now on her deathbed to change her mind. ..."I agree; she is a very tragic character. And she was fated to never know the result of her confession, if there would even be any consequences. Such depth in a minor character I suppose is typical of Dickens. I do wish he had included some hint of angels hovering around her deathbed...
Lee, I love that image of the angels over Sally’s deathbed. Somehow I don’t see her as evil in keeping whatever gold object of Oliver’s mother she had. It sounds as if it was almost entrusted to her for her child. Perhaps her keeping it saved it from being taken by others at Oliver’s birth and his mother’s death. Sally at least kept it safe for all these years, didn’t sell it or try to melt it down, apparently.I’m waiting to see if Mrs. Corney will mention this to Mr. Bumble. He now knows that Mr. Brownlow may be generous to those who bring knowledge he wants to hear.
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So did I. Sally clearly regretted her actions, and it's possible she was thinking of an afterlife. Most paupers would have some rote knowledge of the Bible - although she may actually not have been Christian. "Sally" is a Hebrew baby girl name meaning “princess”, and also commonly associated with the English baby girl name Sarah. The second old crone is called "Annie", which is also Hebrew in origin, from the Biblical name "Hannah". This is not definitive though. We don't know the third one's name, and at one point Sally prayed "kind Heaven!", which leans towards her being Christian, or at least influenced that way.
However, since the afterlife was not explicitly referenced I think Charles Dickens intended to leave this open. Old Sally represents all those who have a conscience and feel regret about some actions in the past. As you say Lee it is "a question about the ethical choices that lie upon every person, regardless of class or station in life". It thus speaks to us all, whatever our religion, (or those who have none), and even as modern readers.
Sally feels guilty that she has done wrong, and also that if she had spoken out and not stolen the gold, Oliver would have had a better life. She says this, and knows that this is what the mother wished. She groans at the memory of Oliver's mother who "trusted me as the only woman about her." Old Sally knows she has let the young woman down, and hopes that by telling Mrs. Corney - the only one who has any authority - she might be able to make some sort of restitution to Oliver through her.
I should point out though Lee that it was Mrs. Corney who said that Sally had nothing to tell. It was significantly not the old crones. She had "pushed them from the room, closed the door, and returned to the bedside." So they were outside the room, and not privy to the conversation but only curious.
And we wonder whether to believe Mrs. Corney, as Lori said. Why did she speak "carelessly", as if it didn't matter, and not angrily, at old Sally wasting her time? That was out of character, unless we look for another motive.
Yes, sorry I hadn't realised "harridan" needed defining - perhaps it's not used in the USA. This along with "crones" and the descriptions of the old women as "grotesque" (some of which I quoted in my summary) clearly references Macbeth. The three witches in William Shakespeare's play foretold the future. We can deduce from this that, as Charles Dickens tells us in the title, these events are going to prove important!
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This is particularly ironic, since we know from the previous chapter that Mrs. Corney is greedy and self-centred, and would not put herself out for anybody else. Sally's two friends on the others hand, are caring, and we have no indication that they are dishonest. But they would be ignored if they spoke out.
"Mr. Bumble ... now knows that Mr. Brownlow may be generous to those who bring knowledge he wants to hear". Good point! Although we all agree that this pair deserve each other, if Mr. Bumble sees a way of making money out of it, he will! But would Mrs. Corney trust him? And does she know Mr. Bumble had gone off on his own initiative here? It's doubtful he ever recorded it for the workhouse's benefit, as he would want to pocket the £5.
Kathleen - "Sally felt guilty about stealing the gold. I wonder if this has to do with the fact she knew Oliver. Perhaps Oliver, as an ideal, did and will inspire people to do good rather than doing something immoral"
I like this a lot 😊
Jenny nice idea!
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Meanwhile, Fagin sits brooding over a dull, smoky fire in his lair in Whitechapel, Jack Dawkins, Charley Bates, and Tom Chitling are playing cards, and the Artful Dodger is being particularly artful, and winning everything. He comments on how dull “Tommy” Chitling is, and we learn that he is “uncommon sweet upon Betsy”. The others tease him about it, but Tom Chitling protests that he will stick by her. If he had listened to Betsey he would not have been “milled” (put in jail, and worked at a treadmill) for 6 weeks. He points out that he had not “split” (informed) on Betsey, and how that has worked out well for Fagin and everyone else.
Charley Bates thinks everything is hilarious, whether it is him loses the game, or the idea of Tom Chitling being in love, and he rolls around on the floor, laughing uproariously. Fagin sees that Tom Chitling’s temper is roused, and tries to keep the peace, but inadvertently the ”merry old gentlemen” gets hit in the chest by a blow intended for Charley Bates. After the game the Artful Dodger sketches a ground-plan of Newgate prison on a table.
They hear the “tinkler” (the doorbell) and Jack Dawkins goes to answer. He whispers to Fagin that it is Toby Crackit, and that he is alone.
“The old man bit his yellow fingers, and meditated for some seconds; his face working with agitation the while, as if he dreaded something, and feared to know the worst.”
The worried Fagin ushers Charley Bates and Tom Chitling out of the room. Flash Toby Crackit looks “haggard, unwashed and unshorn”, and says he hasn’t eaten in three days. He demands food and drink from “Faguey”, before he says anything about the events of the past three days with Oliver and Bill Sikes.
"Toby Crackit Exasperates the Jew" - Harry Furniss 1910
Toby Crackit seems indifferent and unconcerned about there being any rush in eating his food, although Fagin:
“in an agony of impatience, watched every morsel he put into his mouth; pacing up and down the room, meanwhile, in irrepressible excitement.”
Eventually Toby reports that “the crack failed” and is surprised that Bill Sikes is not there. He has no idea where Sikes is and says that Oliver had been wounded by a gunshot:
“They gave chase. Damme! the whole country was awake, and the dogs upon us.”
It was every man for himself, to avoid the gallows (being hanged). He has no idea if the boy is alive or dead; they left him in a ditch.
“The Jew stopped to hear no more; but uttering a loud yell, and twining his hands in his hair, rushed from the room, and from the house.”
This is the end of installment 11.
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And so do we! As Erich said yesterday, it must have been almost unbearable for the original readers to have to wait a whole month, to find out whether Oliver was alive or dead, and what state he was in if he was still alive. Now we see how clever Charles Dickens has been, slowly drawing out the suspense even more. We have had an hilarious chapter, plus one which added a couple of pieces to the mystery jigsaw. Now we are back in Fagin’s den, but we have made no progress whatsoever in finding out what has happened to Oliver!
The original readers had to wait two months altogether then to read on, and had no idea whether the next installment might perhaps be the final part! Perhaps “The Parish Boy’s Progress” might be a cautionary tale, with a very downbeat moral ending. After all, it is already a very different sort of story from the ebullience of The Pickwick Papers.
Tom Chitling might not be the sharpest knife in the box, but he shows a lot of loyalty to his friends here. He did not peach on Betsey, and was incarcerated for 6 weeks, working on a treadmill because of it. Also, he says he would do it again. Fagin approves, as this is exactly the way he wants the gang to operate.
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Fagin’s boys are playing whist. It is a very old card game, which has several names but has been played ever since the Renaissance. This one must be solo whist, as there are 4 players. When Jack Dawkins plays “dummy”, this means there is an imaginary player represented by an open hand, which all can see. The Artful Dodger therefore has to play his own hand, plus the open one. One suit is “trumps” (trumps the other three, to gain tricks) and the 4 are playing in two pairs against each other.
In the 19th century, whist was an very popular card game. It could be played either by partners or individually. A “rubber” is one round, and a “scientific rubber” is a set of three or five games, in which the third or fifth game decides the winner.
Whist was considered a game of intellect, and the Artful Dodger’s success at whist is yet another indication of how clever he is. He had been using a piece of chalk as a “counter” (a small round piece of metal, used to keep score), but when nobody want to play against him any more, he doodles a a ground-plan of Newgate prison, using the bit of chalk.
This is intriguing ... why might the Dodger be doing this?
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Ch. 24: the trope version of what Sally was entrusted with would be a signet ring or other broad clue that Oliver is the child of a noble, or even royalty, born out of wedlock. If Oliver is a secret prince, I'll eat my head!
Bionic Jean wrote: "And a little more …Fagin’s boys are playing whist. It is a very old card game, which has several names but has been played ever since the Renaissance. This one must be solo whist, as there are 4 ..."
I thought about they are playing the same card game that is often featured in Jane Austen's novels. The world of Fagin's gang is about as far as one can be from the genteel drawing rooms of Jane Austen's world.
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It was round her neck, but of course a signet ring could have been on a chain ...
Michael - What struck me about Fagin's boys playing whist, is that even though they will be largely illiterate, they can read the faces of cards! But the Dodger always wins. And yes, a world away. It shows how this popular game crossed classes.
I thought Bet being a street walker added to Tom Chitling getting very defensive when Bates and company started giving him a hard time for coupling with her.I do appreciate Ms. Bionic's translation of the slang terms. I got a confused what was going on. Now I understand why "milled" is slang for going to prison as prisoners becoming a human hamster in a treadmill was a common form of punishment.
It seems to me that the structure of the novel has as much to do with its method of publication as it does with the overall plot and character development. Dickens knew that it was going to take a long while for the overall story arc — i.e. the story of Oliver Twist, his origins and what eventually becomes of him — to work its way to a conclusion. So, to keep his readers engaged, he peppered the narrative with what might be seen as “mini-mysteries”. From the beginning, there have been dozens of them, such as, recently:Why does Nancy try to protect Oliver? What is her back-story?
What is Bumble up to, snooping into Mrs. Corney’s belongings?
What is the significance of the gold item Sally stole from Oliver’s dying mother?
Why does Fagin rush off in agitation upon learning that Oliver was left behind, wounded?
Each of these hints only raise more questions, never providing any answers; it may not even matter whether they contribute anything much to the overall story; they serve their purpose at the moment.
I’m reminded of how TV soap operas are structured; they run on for years without coming to any sort of conclusion; it’s the mini-crises that keep viewers engaged.
I am definitely glad that Dickens chose NOT to take this story in the penny dreadful direction. The previous post Jean provided was quite interesting and their popularity kept them going for so long. I personally enjoy all of the mysteries and questions that each installment brings to life. It adds to the suspense and excitement and we are invested in Oliver’s story and want to see a positive (at least I do) end for him. Dickens does this so well and the Victorians came to love his style because we know they anticipated each installment.
In this chapter, Fagin’s concerned behavior can be construed two ways I think. We can believe it comes from a place of monetary desire that keeping Oliver alive will benefit him in his pocket. But with the recent chapter in which we saw him softening a bit, possibly, we wonder if his concern is really genuine regarding Oliver’s well-being. I think there is enough evidence to support that Fagin’s emotional connection to Oliver is coming through here.
Great observations Jim! Indeed while reading this book we tend to forget the method of publication, ancestor of modern day soaps, that actually did not invent much (except for plots). It was also my feeling when I read The Count of Monte-Cristo.Having that in mind, the yet unsolved mysteries you aptly listed do keep us readers engaged.
I think Fagin is more concerned that Oliver will somehow "peach" on Sikes and the gang than by any real feeling for Oliver. Oliver knows too much now about the members of the gang and their methods and hideouts. He could potentially destroy them all. And his appearance of goodness would make him even more believable, in my opinion.
Bionic Jean wrote: "What a cliffhanger—yet again! Fagin seems to almost panic here. Where could he be going? ..."My guess, knowing Dickens, is Fagin is running to see some new character we don't know yet, that we'll be introduced to in the next installment! :-)
Bionic Jean wrote: "What are your thoughts on this chapter [18]?"I am playing catch-up, but will check in anyway.
"Chitling" is an odd name: it is a type of offal we don't usually eat nowadays (chiltin', or chitterlings), but was still eaten in some areas of the UK in the 20th century. Poor Tom Chitling!
As an American from the south part of the country, I can say that chitlins are still a thing people eat! Southerners eat chitlins, Louisianans eat creole chitlins, and in Texas, we also eat them in menudo!
https://thedocskitchen.com/chitlins-y...
Prison Methods - Oh, Jean, this was especially interesting! I had tried to make sense of why Oliver was left locked up for so long.
If the method of “Coldbath Fields” was the silent system rather than solitary confinement -- was solitary a common method elsewhere? I'll have to read up some more on this.
Ida's quote of Forster ('A crazy, tumbledown house with rotten floors and staircase, dirty and decaying, with rats swarming down in the cellar. ') -- that also sounds like David Copperfield to me. It's clearly a kind of setting that fascinated Dickens.
A few thoughts
Dickens is seeming very fresh and contemporary to me. I work on a literary convention in the field of science fiction and fantasy, and there has been considerable discussion over the last few years of diversifying the voices that are published. Dickens might appreciate the effort to give voice to a wider range of human experience.
I am waiting for a library copy of The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London, and very much looking forward to its arrival!
Fagin, Sikes and others must not be very accomplished in their underworld dealings since they apparently live in disgusting places with few, if any, amenities.
Yes, Kathleen, they seem to spend a lot of effort trying to convince themselves what a great life they lead, what clever fellows they are.The truth is that they are a bunch of losers, clinging to the edges of the society they prey upon. Meanwhile, the rich live very well and even the petty bureaucrats like Bumble indulge their appetites to excess.
Anna wrote: "I think Fagin is more concerned that Oliver will somehow "peach" on Sikes and the gang than by any real feeling for Oliver. Oliver knows too much now about the members of the gang and their methods..."I agree with you Anna. If Fagin has any liking for Oliver, I cannot see that it would be enough to get as worked up as he did because Oliver is injured. Oliver may be in a bad way, but if he regains consciousness he will be able to talk. It is possible that he will be found by the authorities and taken somewhere for medical care. Then Fagin will have no control over what he says. Fagin seems to be always concerned that others might tell what they know. In an earlier chapter he praised the practice of capital punishment because the dead do not talk. This does not show a lot of compassion for his comrades.
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Jennifer - Yes, the shared environment and silent method of “Coldbath Fields” was a kind of progress, from the former solitary confinement, which as Charles Dickens makes clear was a sort of brainwashing. Anything was better than that! But it was still a cruel method. The treadmills were fitted with partitions, so that prisoners were isolated and could see only the wall in front of them. This penal treadmill was “the perfect punishment” by Victorian standards, according to academic Vybarr Cregan-Reid.
Michael - Here is more about the treadmills at Coldbath Fields prison, with drawings and photographs. (There are no spoilers.) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Penal_t...
Isolation is a main theme in Oliver Twist. Several times we have seen that Oliver is not just imprisoned; he is isolated. An inmate of a prison is not necessarily isolated from his local community. Isolation therefore is a stricter, more devastating and brutal form of punishment, and nowadays only used as a last resort. But it is used on Oliver frequently.
All Oliver’s life he has been isolated by those in control when they wished to punish him. At the baby farm he was isolated in a cellar. Ditto at the workhouse. At Fagin’s he was isolated for a week with a terrifying book. Even at Mr. Brownlow’s he was isolated in bed while sick, (although he did have kind Mrs. Bedwin attending). And these isolations are never for a few hours but always for one or more weeks at a time.
Even the hiding of the portrait at Mr Brownlow's feeds in, as it may be an attempt to isolate him from some truth. Was it really that it upset Oliver? What would be the point of denying him access to a beautiful portrait, which captivates him so?
It seems more likely that the portrait has been taken down because the similarities Mr. Brownlow and Mrs. see Bedwin with Oliver to the woman in the portrait upset Mr. Brownlow! Perhaps he does wish to dwell on this. After all, he does talk of an unhappy past that includes betrayals.
But this may be pushing the theme too far. Limiting it to Oliver being locked up in a room or cellar, the frequency of this must mean we are clearly meant to see the concept of incarceration as a major trope in this novel. Physical, social, economic, emotional and familial isolation all seem to be emerging as issues and forms of incarceration.
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A very good analysis of Oliver's isolation in the various situations encountered in his young life. Thank you for all this, Jean!Imprisonment, incarceration, isolation and claustrophobia are masterfully developed in Little Dorrit, that I am presently completing. After having read some chapters, I literally ran out and away to the woods as if I had been myself locked down!
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Imprisonment, incarceration, isolation and claustrophobia are mast..."
I've been thinking about it for a long time! Thank you Claudia. Oh yes, I can well understand that you needing to get out for some fresh air. Incarceration is also one of the main themes in Little Dorrit, as we discovered in our group read.
I hope you'll be able to read our threads and add to them perhaps now and then, as you did for Dombey and Son.
Lee wrote: "Claudia wrote: "I very much enjoyed reading all your posts.Talking about sacrifice, I thought, in a way, of Genesis 22. It describes what Christians churches frequently call Abraham's Sacrifice, ..."
I don't think it has to be a 1:1 correspondence for the connection to be made. It certainly echoes the Abraham/Isaac journey to the mountain to sacrifice Isaac-but it isn't meant to be allegorical, I don't think, in an exact sense. The comparison of the two stories is interesting. Abraham wanted life, but was willing to trust God; Sikes didn't trust anyone-He is his own "god." He certainly didn't care whether Oliver lived or died. It's kind of like an inverted Abraham/Isaac moment.
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Dickensians!
Books mentioned in this topic
Little Dorrit (other topics)Dombey and Son (other topics)
Oliver Twist (other topics)
The Victorian City: Everyday Life in Dickens' London (other topics)
The Pickwick Papers (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Vybarr Cregan-Reid (other topics)Charles Dickens (other topics)
Charles Dickens (other topics)
Harry Furniss (other topics)
Charles Dickens (other topics)
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Mrs. Corney goes with the “old crone”, whose:
“body was bent by age; her limbs trembled with palsy; her face, distorted into a mumbling leer, resembled more the grotesque shaping of some wild pencil, than the work of Nature’s hand.”
to see the dying woman, who was lying in:
“a bare garret-room, with a dim light burning at the farther end. There was another old woman watching by the bed; the parish apothecary’s apprentice was standing by the fire, making a toothpick out of a quill.”
He tells her that the pauper will not last long. Two other old women are also there in attendance:
“The flame threw a ghastly light on their shrivelled faces, and made their ugliness appear terrible”
They have been nursing Old Sally, who has opium from the apothecary (pharmacist) and they have also been also giving her gin and water. Old Sally had been sent hot wine, but the old pauper Anny said she could not drink it: “So I drank it; and it did me good!”
Mrs. Corney has been growing even more impatient watching the dying woman, waiting until she should revive a little. She joins them by the fire, and sharply asks how long she was to wait. Old Sally struggles to sit up, and wants to whisper in the matron’s ear, so Mrs. Corney sends the old women out of the room.
"Mrs. Corney" - Joseph Clayton Clarke 1900
Old Sally then tells her story to Mrs. Corney:
“I once nursed a pretty young creetur’, that was brought into the house with her feet cut and bruised with walking, and all soiled with dust and blood. She gave birth to a boy, and died.”
We learn that Old Sally had been the nurse who attended at the birth of Oliver Twist.
“The boy grew so like his mother,” said the woman, rambling on, and not heeding the question, “that I could never forget it when I saw his face. Poor girl! poor girl! She was so young, too! Such a gentle lamb!”
She confesses to the matron that after Oliver’s mother died, she had stolen something made of gold:
“She charged me to keep it safe … and trusted me as the only woman about her. I stole it in my heart when she first showed it me hanging round her neck… They would have treated him better, if they had known it all!”
But the old woman dies before she can say any more, and Mrs. Corney tells the others that she had nothing to tell, after all.