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Since Oliver Twist was published, critical realism has become a main stream in literary history. The novel reflects the people who live at the bottom of society. These critical realists of the mid-19th century were all honest people and real artists in spite of their limitations in their general point of view on life. By exposing the social injustice and the vices of the upper class, they put their hearts into depicting the miserable existence of the common people; they gave a ruthful picture of capitalist England of the time. They followed the fine tradition of their great literary predecessors of the 18th century’s realism and early 19th century’s romanticism. They showed their warm sympathy on those people who suffered a lot. One of the greatest the critical realist was Charles Dickens. In his early years, he did a lot of work, these experiences gave him a good knowledge of the political life of England at that time and it had a far reaching effect upon his lifelong contempt for all the political institutions.
Oliver Twist was one of Charles Dickens’ masterpieces, which has taken up an important position in literature. He often creates with very certain ideas about right and wrong. He was called the real great master, in that the figure in his novel is imbued with the unique feature of critical realism.
The research of Oliver Twist is widely carried out in China nowadays. Many professors and scholars have analyzed the influence of society on the hero of in Oliver Twist from different aspects. Some think Oliver is suffering a lot and ill-treatment because of his social background. Some scholars think it is good for him to become strong. And some scholars think Oliver is unfortunate because of the development of the industrial revolution. As for the forming of Oliver’s character，studies have been made in different aspects. The forming of his character is due mainly to the environment around him. There is no doubt that the environment is very important for the human not only that time but now as well (Zhang 32).
To understand the aim of Charles Dickens’s work and his unique writing style, this paper is going to do some work on the social negative influences on the hero in this novel. This paper will firstly introduce the author and the main content of the novel, then will analyze the prevailing social environment and the main characters in the novel, and finally will come to the analysis of the social negative influences on the life, education, ideas, and personality of the hero. Though thorough analysis, people nowadays can get the enlightenment that social environment plays an important role in the child’s growth and in promoting the development of the whole society. So people can find the creative depth and critical tendency in this novel.
II. Analysis of the Background of Oliver Twist
2.1 The Social Reality in England in the19th Century
Oliver Twist is written by the British novelist Charles Dickens in the Victorian age. Ruled by the Queen Victoria, it was the Britain’s most brilliant periods in history. In the mid-19th century Britain became the world’s economic superpower. In order to make a living, women and children should be hired to dangerous, dirty factories and mine. Increasingly sharp class conflicts finally triggered from 1836 to 1848, which was the famous British charter movement. United working class pushed “People’s Charter” and sought for government’s help to protect human rights, improve living and working environment. Movement swept almost all cities (Jackson 54). Although the movement waned in 1848, it made some achievements, especially in waking up the working class.
At the end of the 19th century, the British Empire and Victorian values are gradually declined. Although the UK is the largest overseas colonists, the enemy can not win with the economic and military strength, but its leadership has begun to face the challenges of a rising Germany, and U.S. competition hurt the British economic dominance. At the end of the century, Victorian values lost its color; the original modest, decent way of life was replaced by indulgence and extravagance. Victorian literature, as a product of the times, has symbolized as persity of natural features. It was multileveled and complex, including the romantic and the reality which reflect in people’s lives. This era gave birth to a large number of indomitable literary giant.